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He
is Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb from the Banu An-Najjar tribe,
better known as Abu Ayyub, was a great and close companion of the
Prophet who enjoyed a privilege that many of the Ansar in Madinah
hoped they would have.
When
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached Madinah
after his Hijrah from Makkah, he was greeted with great enthusiasm
by the Ansar of Madinah. Their hearts went out to him and their
eyes followed him with devotion and love. They wanted to give him
the most generous reception anyone could be given.
The
Prophet first stopped at Quba’ on the outskirts of Madinah and
stayed there for some days. There he built a mosque, which is
described in the Qur'an as the "mosque
built on the foundation of piety (taqwa)". (At-Tawbah
9: 108)
The
Prophet entered Madinah on his camel. The chieftains of the city
stood along his path, each wishing to have the honor of the
Prophet alighting and staying at his house. One after the other
stood in the camel's way entreating, "Stay with us, Messenger
of Allah."
“Leave
the camel,” the Prophet would say. "It is under
command."
The
camel continued walking, closely followed by the eyes and hearts
of the people of Madinah. When it went past a house, its owner
would feel sad and dejected and hope would rise in the hearts of
others still on the route.
The
camel continued in this fashion with the people following it until
it hesitated at an open space in front of the house of Abu Ayyub
Al-Ansari. But the Prophet did not get down. After only a short
while, the camel set off again, the Prophet leaving its reins
loose. Before long, however, it turned round, retraced its steps
and stopped in the same spot as before. Abu Ayyub's heart was
filled with happiness. He went out to the Prophet and greeted him
with great enthusiasm. He took the Prophet's baggage in his arms
and felt as if he was carrying the most precious treasure in the
world.
Abu
Ayyub's house had two stories. He emptied the upper floor of his
and his family's possessions so that the Prophet could stay there,
but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) preferred to
stay on the lower floor.
Night
came and the Prophet retired. Abu Ayyub went up to the upper
floor. But when they had closed the door, Abu Ayyub turned to his
wife and said, "Woe to us! What have we done? The Messenger
of Allah is below and we are higher than he! Can we walk on top of
the Messenger of Allah? Do we come between him and the Revelation?
If so, we are doomed."
The
couple became very worried, not knowing what to do. They only got
some peace of mind when they moved to the side of the building
that was not directly above the Prophet. They were careful also
only to walk on the outer parts of the floor and avoid the middle.
In
the morning, Abu Ayyub said to the Prophet, "By Allah, we did
not sleep a wink last night, neither myself nor Umm Ayyub."
"Why
not, Abu Ayyub?" asked the Prophet.
Abu
Ayyub explained how terrible they felt being above while the
Prophet was below them and how they might have interrupted the
Revelation.
"Don't
worry, Abu Ayyub," said the Prophet. "We prefer the
lower floor because of the many people coming to visit us."
"We
submitted to the Prophet's wishes," Abu Ayyub related,
"until one cold night a jar of ours broke and the water
spilled on the upper floor. Umm Ayyub and I stared at the water.
We only had one piece of velvet which we used as a blanket. We
used it to mop up the water out of fear that it would seep through
to the Prophet. In the morning I went to him and said, 'I do not
like to be above you,' and told him what had happened. He accepted
my wish and we changed floors."
The
Prophet stayed in Abu Ayyub's house for almost seven months until
his mosque was completed in the open space where his camel had
stopped. He moved to the rooms that were built around the mosque
for himself and his family. He thus became a neighbor of Abu
Ayyub. What a noble neighbor to have had!
Abu
Ayyub continued to love the Prophet with all his heart and the
Prophet also loved him dearly. There was no formality between
them. The Prophet continued to regard Abu Ayyub's house as his
own.
Abu
Ayyub died in 51 AH.
Excerpted with slight
modifications, from: www.yougmuslims.ca
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