The following is adapted from Imam Ghazali Publishing’s Morning and Evening Invocations and from the forthcoming book Glimpses of the Lives of the Companions.
Anas b. Malik, Abu Hamza al-Khazraji al-Ansari رضي الله عنه was a noble sahabi who was a devoted khadim to the Prophet ﷺ. He was born in Medina ten years before the hijra. His family belonged to the Najjar clan of the Khazraj tribe, which was one of the two leading tribes of Medina. The Prophet ﷺ bestowed on him the agnomen Abu Hamza.
When he was ten رضي الله عنه, his noble mother, Umm Sulaim رضي الله عنها, placed him in the care of the Prophet ﷺ. He lived in close proximity to the Prophet ﷺ, thus observing and recording to memory minute details of the Prophet’s ﷺ daily life and way of living.
His Status رضي الله عنه As A Narrator of Hadith
Due to his time in the service of the Prophet ﷺ, he رضي الله عنه was a prolific narrator of ahadith; he is one of the seven companions who are named “the Increasers” [mukthirun] for having transmitted an extraordinarily high number of reports from the Prophet ﷺ. With approximately 2,286 ahadith (including repetitions), he ranks third among the mukthirun.
In addition to the ahadith that he heard directly from the Prophet ﷺ himself, he learned and transmitted hadith from the following companions:
Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه
‘Umar رضي الله عنه
‘Uthman رضي الله عنه
Fatima رضي الله عنها
Mu’adh b. Jabal رضي الله عنه
‘Usaid b. Hudair رضي الله عنه
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari رضي الله عنه
His mother Umm Sulaim رضي الله عنها
His maternal aunt Umm Haram bint Milhan رضي الله عنها
His aunt’s husband ‘Ubada b. Samit رضي الله عنه
His stepfather Abu Talha رضي الله عنه
He also taught hadith to such famous personalities as
Hasan al-Basri
Ibn Sirin
Sha’bi
Abu Kilaba al-Jarmi
Makhul b. Abi Muslim
‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, Zuhri
Qat’ada b. Diama
Abu Amr b. Ala
Masjid Quba now stands at the place where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ first entered Madinah.
The Arrival of the Prophet ﷺ in Medina
He رضي الله عنه narrates the excitement and joy of the Medinans upon the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ with the following account:
The children of Medina were screaming: “Muhammad is coming! Muhammad is coming!” I started to run and cry out with them.
Finally, the Messenger of Allah a appeared with Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه. When we saw them approaching, a man sent us back to the city, asking us to tell everybody that the Messenger of Allah had arrived. We ran back right away and informed everyone.
Around five hundred Medinan Ansar came out to greet them.
After the Prophet ﷺ came to Medina, the Ansar competed with each other to be of service to him. In this, Anas b. Malik’s mother رضي الله عنها was at a serious disadvantage, since she had nothing to offer. So she held Anas by the hand and went to the Prophet ﷺ, saying:
“O Messenger of Allah, I am a poor woman. I have nothing to offer that could be of help to you. This is my son; I am leaving him to you so that he can help and serve you. Please accept him.”
The Prophet ﷺ did not decline her request.
His Time in Service of The Prophet ﷺ
From this moment on for ten years until the Prophet ﷺ left for the isthmus, Anas b. Malik رضي الله عنه was the Prophet’s ﷺ personal attendant.
Sayyiduna Anas b. Malik رضي الله عنه had a great love for the Prophet ﷺ and took great joy and pride in attending to his needs. He would wake up before everyone else in the mornings and go to the Prophet’s ﷺ mosque to take care of his needs and wishes. If the Prophet ﷺ intended to fast that day, he would prepare his pre-dawn meal and perform the morning prayer with him after the meal ended.
After Anas رضي الله عنه entered the service of the Prophet ﷺ, he performed his morning prayers with him every day.
Due to his young age, Anas رضي الله عنه did not participate in the battles of Badr, ‘Uhud and Khandaq. However, he was present on the battlefield during Badr, attending to the Prophet ﷺ and assisting the fighters where possible. He also took his place in the Prophet’s ﷺ closest personal party during such milestone events as the Treaty of Hudaibiya, the Expedition of Khaibar, the pilgrimage of the year 629 AD [‘umra al-qada’], the Conquest of Mecca, the Battle of Hunain, the Siege of Taif, and the Farewell Pilgrimage.
Every day, Sayyiduna Anas b. Malik رضي الله عنه would wake up before everyone else in the mornings and go to the Prophet’s ﷺ mosque to take care of his needs and wishes.
After the Prophetic Age
After the passing of the Prophet ﷺ, the newly-elected Caliph Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه assigned him to the post of alms collector and sent him to Bahrain.
During the rule of Sayyiduna ‘Umar رضي الله عنه, he was preoccupied with the education of the Muslims in Basra. He was also a member of a council of leading Companions, which was assembled by Sayyiduna ‘Umar رضي الله عنه to advice and counsel him.
After a brief stint in Damascus, he returned to Basra and continued his work. He participated in the military campaigns that took place during the rule of Sayyiduna ‘Umar رضي الله عنه, including the conquest of Tustar. After the conquest, he was charged with the duty of transporting the war booty back to Medina.
He managed to stay away from the political disturbances and polarization that started during the rule of the Sayyiduna ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه and which steadily kept intensifying. In this period, the only official post he held was the governorship of Basra, which coincided with the caliphate of ‘Abd Allah b. Zubair رضي الله عنه and lasted only forty days.
After this brief official engagement, he returned to his life of education and teaching.
His Courage in Standing for Truth and Justice رضي الله عنه
He was always courageous and adamant in his struggle against oppression and injustice, and he never shrunk from telling the truth.
When the severed head of the Prophet’s ﷺ grandson, Husain رضي الله عنه, was brought to the governor of ‘Iraq, ‘Ubaid Allah b. Ziyad, the latter started defaming Husain رضي الله عنه. Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه was present during this incident, and he rebuked the governor by interrupting him and saying:
This head looks like the head of the Prophet ﷺ.
Because he opposed the practices of the ‘Umayyad regime, he was censured and persecuted, along with other Companions like Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah رضي الله عنه and Sahl b. Sa’d رضي الله عنه.
One of their oppressors was the governor of ‘Iraq, Hajjaj, who branded their necks and hands رضي الله عنهم in order to humiliate them in front of the public and went so far as to seize all of his property, claiming that he aided the rebels opposing the government. Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه wrote a letter of complaint to the ‘Umayyad caliph ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwan and informed him of the injustice he endured, and the caliph sent orders from the capital to Hajjaj, commanding him to return his property and apologize to him رضي الله عنه.
His Special Role رضي الله عنه Among the Companions
The most important quality distinguishing him رضي الله عنه among the companions was his years-long service to the Prophet ﷺ and the fact that he was raised under his tutelage. He also learned about many religious issues from the Prophet ﷺ himself, and he later spent his life trying to teach and spread this knowledge.
A great many reports about the Prophet’s ﷺ conduct towards others, especially children; his way of teaching and education; and many other ethical practices come down to us from him رضي الله عنه. He narrates, for example, that he stayed with the Prophet ﷺ for a very long time and that he never heard a single word of reproach from him ﷺ, even though he could not always behave the way the Prophet ﷺ wanted him to.
Much of our knowledge of the Shama’il of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ comes through Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه.
He رضي الله عنه goes on to say that when the wives of the Prophet ﷺ were once about to scold him for a mistake he made, the Prophet ﷺ told them:
“Leave the child alone. He has done nothing but what God has willed.”
He رضي الله عنه also narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had the most impeccable manners, the most expansive chest, and was the most merciful. One day, he sent me out to run an errand, but the children in the market called me to play with them, and I did not continue on to where I had been instructed. When we finished playing, I sensed someone standing behind me, holding my shirt. I turned around, and I found the Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiling at me, saying: ‘O Unays, did you go to where I asked?’
‘Yes’, I stuttered, ‘I am going now, O Messenger of Allah.’
I swear by Allah, I served the Prophet ﷺ for ten years, and not once did he say, ‘Why did you do that?’ or, ‘Why did you leave that?’
Out of his love for Anas رضي الله عنه, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ preferred to call him by the diminutive form, saying: “O Unays” or “O bunayy (little son)”. He ﷺ consistently imparted advice and regularly gave Anas رضي الله عنه beneficial reminders, filling his heart and busying his mind.
For example, he ﷺ once said to Anas رضي الله عنه:
O little son, if you are able to meet the morning and the evening with no hatred in your heart for another soul, then do so. O little son, that is my Sunnah, and whoever lives by my Sunnah has shown their love for me, and whoever loves me will be with me in Paradise. If you enter upon your family, then greet them with salām, for that will bring blessings for both you and your household.
Such reports provide priceless prophetic guidance and information about the education of children and youth.
His Role رضي الله عنه After the Prophetic Age
Anas رضي الله عنه lived for another eighty-something years after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, which he spent teaching others the knowledge he had gained, and conveying the Prophetic understanding of the religion. Anas رضي الله عنه began spreading the noble sayings and honourable actions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and communicating his Prophetic guidance, invigorating the hearts of the Companions and Followers.
For the rest of his life, Anas رضي الله عنه remained a repository of knowledge for the Muslim community, and any time they faced a problem, or they had difficulty understanding a matter of the religion, they would rush to him.
On one occasion, a group of particularly argumentative people began disputing over the existence of the Hawd (the Pond) of the Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgement, and they came to ask Anas رضي الله عنه. He said:
“I never thought I would live to see people disputing over the existence of the Hawd. There were elderly women before me who would not finish a prayer without asking Allah to quench them from the Ḥawḍ of the Prophet ﷺ.”
Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه narrates many hadith in Imam al-Tirmidhi’s Al-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyya, including the narration mentioned below about the last time he saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه always remembered his time with the Prophet ﷺ. He would recall with joy the day they first met, and weep many tears over the day they were separated. He often relived his previous conversations with the Prophet ﷺ and was diligent in following his sayings and actions.
Anas رضي الله عنه loved whatever the Prophet ﷺ loved, and disliked whatever he disliked. He remembered these two days – when he first met and when he last departed from the Prophet ﷺ – more than any other. When the first was mentioned, he would feel elated and alive, but when the second crept into his mind, he would weep audibly, as would the people around him.
Anas رضي الله عنه would often say:
I witnessed the day the Prophet came to us, and I witnessed the day he was taken from us, and I never saw another two days like them. The day he entered Medina, everything was bathed in light, and the day he went to be close to his Lord, everything was cloaked in darkness.
The last time I saw the Prophet was on a Monday, when he pulled back the curtain to his living quarters. I saw his face, and it was like a page of a mushaf. The people were praying behind Abu Bakr and were facing the direction of the Prophet. They were almost distracted from their prayer, but Abū Bakr indicated [with his hand] for them to continue. The Messenger of Allah passed away at the end of that day. Never again did we see a sight as beautiful or magnificent as his face when we buried his blessed body in the ground.
He رضي الله عنه was a companion who tried to shape all aspects of his life according to the example of the Prophet ﷺ, and he succeeded in this endeavour in large measure. Sayyiduna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه testifies that the way he performed his prayer was extremely similar to the way the Prophet ﷺ prayed.
The first Caliph Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه assigned Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه to the post of alms collector and sent him to Bahrain.
The Prophet’s ﷺ Du’a for Him رضي الله عنها
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made du’a for Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه on several occasions. He once supplicated:
“O Allah, provide him with wealth and children, and bless him in both.”
In another version, the Prophet ﷺ had supplicated for him:
“O Allah, increase his wealth and his children, grant him a long life, bless him and enter him into paradise.”
Allah most certainly accepted his supplication, for Anas رضي الله عنه was the wealthiest of all the Ansar, and was blessed with the most children. Indeed, he had over one hundred children and grandchildren in total, and he lived to the age of 103.
His Last Days رضي الله عنه
Even with all this, Anas رضي الله عنه desperately yearned for the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgement, and he would say:
A number of the narrations included in The 40 Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi are transmitted through Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه.
“I hope to meet the Messenger of Allah on the Day of Judgement, so that I can say to him: ‘O Messenger of Allah, it is your little servant, Unays.’”
When Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه was suffering from his final illness and as death approached, he said to his family:
“Make sure that I say: ‘There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Allah. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’”
And he kept repeating those words until he passed away. He had asked to be buried with a small staff of his that had previously belonged to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so it was placed between the side of his body and his garment.
May Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari رضي الله عنه be satisfied and delighted with the goodness Allah bestowed upon him. He lived in the care of the Messenger of Allah for ten years, and he was the third most prolific narrator of his hadiths, after Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar رضي الله عنه. He has related 2,286 ahadith.
May Allah reward Anas رضي الله عنها and his mother al-Ghumaysa رضي الله عنها abundantly for their services to Islam and the Muslim community.
His Death رضي الله عنه
Having spent the great majority of his life in Basra, he رضي الله عنه entered the isthmus between 91 and 93 AH (709/10–711/12) in Basra at a very advanced age (97–107).
He رضي الله عنه was the last companion who passed away in Basra.
Du’a Transmitted Through Him رضي الله عنه
Several well-known du’a are transmitted through Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه. Two of these are included in IGP’s Morning and Evening Invocations:
O Allah, I have entered the morning | evening calling on You to witness · and calling on the bearers of Your Throne and Your angels and all of Your creation to witness · that You are Allah · there is no god but You · and Muhammad is Your [precious] slave and [distinguished] envoy.
Narrated Anas b. Malik رضي الله عنه: The Prophet ﷺ said:
IGP’s Morning and Evening Invocations contains a du’a that the Prophet ﷺ gave to Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه. (Available both in paperback and as a free ebook)
If anyone says in the morning or in the evening: “O Allah, in the morning we call Thee, the bearers of Thy Throne, Thy angels and all Thy creatures to witness that Thou art Allah than Whom alone there is no god, and that Muhammad is Thy worshipful-servant and protected-messenger,” Allah will emancipate his fourth from Hell; if anyone says twice, Allah will emancipate his half; if anyone says it thrice, Allah will emancipate three-fourth; and if he says four times, Allah will deliver him from Hell.
ANOTHER: Narrated Anas b. Malik رضي الله عنه: the Prophet ﷺ said:
If anyone says in the morning: “O Allah, in the morning we call Thee, the bearers of Thy Throne, Thy angels and all Thy creatures to witness that Thou art Allah than Whom there is no god, Thou being alone and without a partner, and that Muhammad is Thy worshipful- servant and protected-messenger,” Allah will forgive him any sins that he commits that day; and if he repeats them in the evening. Allah will forgive him any sins he commits that night.
Du’a 27
O Allah I ask You for good surprises and I seek refuge in You from bad surprises.
Anas b. Malik رضي الله عنه said the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite these prayers in the morning and evening:
Allahumma inni as’aluka min fuja’ati l-khair...
Reported by Ibn as-Sunni (39). Imam al-Suyuti graded it as hasan in Jami al-Saghir.
IGI Patreon members get early access to translations, original works, and excerpts like this one.
Morning and Evening Invocations contains a famous du’a transmitted from Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه. (Also available as a free ebook)