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He
is Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb from the Banu An-Najjar tribe,
better known as Abu Ayyub. He 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.
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