Ansari (nisbat) - Origin

Origin

The literal meaning of Ansar is supporters.

Khan Bahadur Sheikh Sadiq Ali Ansari wrote in Muslim Tribes in Sindh, Balochistan and Afghanistan published in 1901,

Ansaris were originally Jews or Bani Israel. Their great ancestor, Shamul, was a physician and councillor in the service of King Toba, who was a king in Yemen. Toba, during the time of his reign, marched into Arabia and arrived in Yasrab, which was then the name of the town of Medina. He had four hundred physicians and councillors with him, of whom Shamul was the chief and they all told the king that they intended to settle down there as the last of the prophets would immigrate to that place and live there and they wished to be reckoned amongst his followers. Toba wrote a letter by his own hand, declaring that he embraced Islam in anticipation, and delivered it to Shamul, with instructions that the letter was to be treated as a legacy to be delivered in succession until it was handed over to the prophet by someone of his descendants. The letter was delivered to the prophet one thousand and fifty three years after by the writer’s great ancestor, Khalid bin Zed, commonly known as Hazrat Abu Ayub Ansari. After Shamul, our ancestors were divided into two sub-divisions, called – 1. Al Khazraj and 2. Al Os.

Hazrat Ayub was descended from Khazraj. When the prophet emigrated to Medina, he stopped for seven months in the house of Hazrat Ayub, and the two families of Khazraj and Os were given distinction of ‘Ansar’, which became tribal name afterwards, as they gave protection to the prophet after his emigration from Mecca and assisted him in his mission ever after and composed his army.