The Ansar possessed many virtues and attained great honour. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) highlighted the virtue of the Ansar in more than one hadith. This hadith highlights some of their virtues. In it, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) urged the Muslims to love the Ansar. They were the people of Madinah who lived there before the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) migrated to the city. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that the sign of a person having perfect faith is that he loves the Ansar because of their having been true to what they promised Allah (may He be glorified and exalted), which was that they would give shelter to His Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), support him against his enemies at the time of weakness and hardship, be good neighbours to him, show great friendship to him and love him sincerely. Thus the Ansar supported the cause of Allah and supported His Messenger, so loving them is part of having perfect love for Allah and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The Muslim’s love for the Ansar is one of the signs of his having sound faith and being sincere in his Islam. If someone hates them, his hatred of them is a sign of his hypocrisy and of evil that he is harbouring in his heart. This hadith indicates that it is encouraged to love the close friends of the Most Gracious and acknowledge their virtue, and it is a warning against hating them and showing enmity towards them. Loving the close friends and beloved ones of Allah is part of faith..