The Factors Creating The Ansar Identity

The dominant culture of pre-Islam Arabia was politeism and asabi-yyah, one representing the religious culture the other the political. Due to shirk which represent a confusion of values and asabiyyah which legitimizes social injustice, the tribes of Aws and Hazrech engaged a fierce civil war. The war continued for about a century and made Madinah an unlivable place. By embracing Islam, the Madinan tribes replaced these dynamics with those of Islam; after which Aws and Hazrech became the forebearers of the new faith. Challenging the most powerful tribe of Arabia, the Quraysh, they risk their lives, property, and family members. We seek to find out how this Ansar identity became an alternative to tribal culture and how this new character shaped the new Islamic community.