The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) highlighted the virtue of the Ansar in more than one hadith, including this hadith, in which ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)advised the Muslims to show kindness to the Ansar, when he was sick, in the last gathering that he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) attended, when he ascended the minbar wearing a large shawl over his shoulders, and had wrapped a turban of a dark colour around his head; its colour had changed because there was a lot of perfume on it, or it was black, like the colour of rich olive oil. Then he said: “O people,” and they came to him, meaning that they gathered around him. Then he said: “To proceed (Ammaba‘d).” This is a phrase that separates two topics when wanting to move from one topic to another. What is meant is: After what I have said of testifying to the oneness of Allah and praising Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) [SC I am now going to address the topic at hand]. “This tribe of the Ansar are decreasing in number and the people are increasing in number” that is, their numbers are declining whilst the numbers of others are rising. And that indeed happened, the number of the Ansar decreased after that time, until they became very few. Then he advised the people that anyone among them who was appointed to a position of authority, and was able to harm or benefit others by virtue of his authority, should appreciate those of the Ansar who did good, and overlook those of them who did wrong. This was provided that they did not overstep the limits set by Allah. This hadith indicates that it is prescribed to say, “Ammaba‘d(To proceed)” in the khutbah. It also indicates that we should respect the Ansar, and warns against causing any harm to them..