Ayyub Al-Ansari رضي الله عنه

Sahaba e kiram رضي الله عنه

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari’s رضي الله عنه full name is Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb رضي الله عنه from the tribe of Banu Najjar. He was a great and close companion of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم . He was known as Abu Ayyub (the father of Ayyub) and enjoyed a privilege which many of the Ansaar (Muslim residents of Madinah who welcomed Muslims from Makkah) in Madinah hoped they would have.

When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم reached Madinah after his migration (hijrah) from Makkah, he صلى الله عليه وسلم was greeted with great enthusiasm by the Ansaar of Madinah. Their hearts went out to him صلى الله عليه وسلم and their eyes followed him صلى الله عليه وسلم with devotion and love. They wanted to give him صلى الله عليه وسلم the most generous reception anyone could be given.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم first stopped at ‘Quba’ (where Masjid-e-Quba is situated) on the outskirts of Madinah and stayed there for some days. The first thing he did was to build a mosque which is described in the Quran as the "Mosque built on the foundation of piety (taqwa)". (Surah At-Tawbah 9:108).

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم entered Madinah on his camel. The chieftains of the city stood along his path, each one wishing to have the honour of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم alighting and staying at his house. One after the other stood in the camel's way entreating, "Stay with us, O Rasulullah (Messenger of Allah)."
"Leave the camel," the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would say. "It is under command."
The camel continued walking, closely followed by the eyes and hearts of the people of Yathrib. 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 رضي الله عنه But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not get down. After only a short while, the camel set off again, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم leaving its reins loose. Before long, however, it turned round, retraced its steps and stopped on the same spot as before. Abu Ayyub's رضي الله عنه heart was filled with happiness. He went out to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and greeted him with great enthusiasm. He took the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم baggage in his arms and felt as if he was carrying the most precious treasure in the world.

Abu Ayyub's رضي الله عنه house had two storeys. He emptied the upper floor of his and his family's possessions so that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم could stay there. But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم preferred to stay on the lower floor.

Night came and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم retired. Abu Ayyub رضي الله عنه went up to the upper floor. But when they had closed the door, Abu Ayyub رضي الله عنه 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 (wahi)? 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 which did not fall directly above the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم They were careful also only to walk on the outer parts of the floor and avoid the middle.

In the morning, Abu Ayyub رضي الله عنه said to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم “ By Allah, we did not sleep a wink last night, neither myself nor Umm Ayyub." 
"Why not, Abu Ayyub?" asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Abu Ayyub explained how terrible they felt being above while the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was below them and how they might have interrupted the Revelation.
"Don't worry, Abu Ayyub," said the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم “We prefer the lower floor because of the many people coming to visit us."

We submitted to the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم wishes," Abu Ayyub related, "until one cold night a jar of ours broke and the water spilled on the upper floor. Umm Ayyub رضي الله عنه 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 صلى الله عليه وسلم 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 صلى الله عليه وسلم stayed in Abu Ayyub's رضي الله عنه house for almost seven months until his صلى الله عليه وسلم mosque (Prophet's Mosque) was completed on the open space where his camel had stopped. He صلى الله عليه وسلم moved to the rooms which were built around the mosque for himself and his family. He صلى الله عليه وسلم thus became a neighbour of Abu Ayyub , What a noble neighbour to have had!

Abu Ayyub رضي الله عنه continued to love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with all his heart and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also loved him dearly. There was no formality between them. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم continued to regard Abu Ayyub's رضي الله عنه house as his own. The following anecdote tells a great deal about the relationship between them.