I am trying to make a habit to bring a book when we go out together - me and the kids or when lover is around. So I could read a story to them while we wait for the food. We have not finished the sahabah book yet so I have been taking the book everywhere.
So we read about Abu Ayub al Ansari the other day.I didn't manage to finish the book when the appetizer came, but continued reading. While we were munching the Apple Bees delicious boneless buffalo wing in honey and barbeque sauce and the celery dipped in the sour cream, I got to this part of the hadith.
Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb, known as Abu Ayyub Al Ansari, came from the Banu Najjar, and was a dear and close companion of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).
He enjoyed a great privilege many of the Ansar in Madinah dreamt of having.
When Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), reached Madinah after the Hijrah from Makkah, the Ansar of Madinah greeted him with great enthusiasm, love and longing. Their hearts betted for him and their eyes surrounded him with great admiration and love. They wanted to receive him with the most hospital reception they could give.
Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) entered Madinah on his camel. The chieftains of Madinah walked next to him, each and every one of them hoping to get the honor of Prophet Mohamed’s stay at his house. They stood in the way of the procession and addressed the Prophet saying " O Messenger of Allah, please do accept our hospitable accommodation, for we are influential people who are great in number and wealth. We can also guarantee your support and protection.”
Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) mildly urged them to get out of the way of the camel, for it was ordered by Allah to stop at a certain place.
The camel stopped at an open space in front of the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. But Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) did not get off the camel. After a few minutes, the camel started moving once again, however, it turned around, retraced its steps and kneeled in the same place where it stopped before. Abu Ayyub’s face shone with joy and satisfaction. He went out to Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and greeted him with great enthusiasm. He took the Prophet's baggage in his arms and carried them so close to his heart as if he was carrying the most precious treasure in the world.
It was not the first meeting between Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari. They had met before when the Madinah delegation journeyed to Makkah to take the oath of allegiance to the Prophet (PBUH).
Abu Ayyub's house had two floors. He prepared the upper floor for Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) to stay in. however Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) preferred to stay on the lower one.
Night came and Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) went to sleep. Abu Ayyub ascended to his room, but when he closed the door, he shook with regret and told his wife:
"Woe to us! What have we done? The messenger of God is below and we are higher than him! Can we walk on top of the messenger of God? Are we standing between him and the Revelation? If so, we are doomed."
They were extremely worried, and had no idea what to do. They got some peace of mind when they moved to the other side of the building where they were not above Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).
In the morning, Abu Ayyub said to the Prophet(PBUH):
"By God, we did not sleep all last night, neither myself nor Umm Ayyub."
"Why not, Abu Ayyub?" asked the Prophet.
Abu Ayyub told him how terrible they felt because he was staying below them.
"Don't worry, Abu Ayyub," said the Prophet. "We prefer the lower floor because we have a lot of visitors.”
"We submitted to the Prophet's wishes," Abu Ayyub related, "until one cold night, the roof was damaged 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 wipe the water fearing 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 respected my wish and we exchanged floors."
The Prophet (PBUH) stayed in Abu Ayyub's house for about seven months until his mosque and his dwelling were built. Thus, he became the neighbor of Abu Ayyub.
Abu Ayyub loved Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) with all his heart and the Prophet also loved him dearly. There was no formality between them. The Prophet (PBUH) continued to regard Abu Ayyub's house as his own.
These are glimpses of Abu Ayyub's life during peacetime, but ever since the Quraish tribe began to fight against Islam, to raid Al-Madinah, the land of Hijrah, and to instigate tribes and organize armies to eliminate Islam, Abu Ayyub became a professional in warfare. He was in the front rows in Badr, Uhud, Al-Khandaq and the rest of the battles and wars. He devoted himself, his money, and property to Allah.
He did not stay away from any battle the Muslims fought from the time of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) till the time of Mu'awiyah unless he was engaged at the same time in another.
Even after Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) died, Abu Ayyub never turned his back on a battle that the Muslims were destined to fight in.
The slogan that he kept reciting to himself day and night, secretly and openly was that verse of the Qur’an “March forth, whether you are light or heavy”.
He never missed an expedition, except once. He refused to fight in an army, which was lead by a young Muslim assigned by the caliph. Abu Ayyub rejected this choice. This one and only mistake shook his innermost self, and he was always full of regrets as he repeated, “It is none of my concern whoever Ali appoints.” Ever since he made this mistake, he never missed a battle.
It sufficed him to live as a soldier in the Muslim army, fight under its slogan, and defend its sanctity.
The last battle Abu Ayyub took part in was the one prepared by Mu'awiyah and led by his son Yazid against Constantinople. Abu Ayyub at that time was a very old man, almost eighty years old. But that did not prevent him from joining the army and crossing the seas as a graze in the path of God. In this particular battle, he was wounded. The commander of the army went to check on him. He was breathing heavily as if his longing to meet Allah made him impatient with the few minutes left in his life. The commander, Yazid Ibn Mu’aawiyah, asked him, "Do you need anything, Abu Ayyub?"
I wonder if any of you can imagine what Abu Ayyub’s last wish was?
He asked Yazid to carry his body to the furthest point inside the enemy lands and bury him there, then to break through the enemy line until he reached his grave so that Abu Ayyub might hear the sound of the galloping Muslim horses clattering over it and realize that they have achieved victory. Do you think this is poetic verse? No, this not a poetic verse nor a whim of imagination. It really happened. It is a fact that the whole world witnessed one day, and stood there watching and listening, not believing that this could be true. Yazid carried out Abu Ayyub’s will to the fullest extent.
Finally, the body of this great warrior was buried in the heart of Constantinople — Istanbul nowadays.
So we read about Abu Ayub al Ansari the other day.I didn't manage to finish the book when the appetizer came, but continued reading. While we were munching the Apple Bees delicious boneless buffalo wing in honey and barbeque sauce and the celery dipped in the sour cream, I got to this part of the hadith.
Ibn Jarir recorded that Abu Hurayrah reported,
Once while Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were sitting, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam came to them and said,
“What has caused you two to sit here?”
They replied, “By He who has sent you with the truth, nothing has brought us out of our houses except hunger.” The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam said,
“By He who has sent me with the truth, nothing has brought me out other than this.”
So they went until they came to the house of a man from the Ansar (Abu Ayub al ansari), and the woman of the house received them. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam said to her,
“Where is so and so?”
She replied, “He went to fetch some drinking water for us.” So the man came carrying his bucket and he said, “Welcome. Nothing has visited the servants better than a prophet who has visited me today.” Then he hang his bucket near a palm tree, and climbed it and returned to them with a cluster of dates. So the Prophet sallallah alaihi wasalam said
“Why you didn’t pick (some of them)?”
The man replied, “I wanted you to choose with your own eyes.” Then he took a blade (to slaughter a sheep) and the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam said,
“Do not slaughter the one that gives milk.”
So he slaughtered a sheep for them that day and they all ate. Then the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam said
“You will be asked about this on the day of Judgment. Hunger caused you to come out of your homes and you did not return until you had eaten this meal. So this is from the delights.”
We knew the hadith from our at Takathur lesson so I was feeling a bit jittery reading it. haziq was also looking worried.I read the hadith real slow as I and we actually were worried for we were enjoying the ni'mah more than the Prophet and the sahabahs were in the hadith.
Let me share it with you. Here is the full at Takathur notes in my wordpress.
May Allah forgive our sins - the one we know and we don't know. May we feed ourselves with halal and attain it through halal means also.
___________
Anyway in case you are wondering who Abu Ayub al Ansari is, he is the sahabah from the ansar, that Prophet Muhammad stayed in his house in Madinah when he made hijrah before the masjid an nabawi was completed.
Here is a short story about this great sahabah.
Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb, known as Abu Ayyub Al Ansari, came from the Banu Najjar, and was a dear and close companion of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).
He enjoyed a great privilege many of the Ansar in Madinah dreamt of having.
When Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), reached Madinah after the Hijrah from Makkah, the Ansar of Madinah greeted him with great enthusiasm, love and longing. Their hearts betted for him and their eyes surrounded him with great admiration and love. They wanted to receive him with the most hospital reception they could give.
Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) entered Madinah on his camel. The chieftains of Madinah walked next to him, each and every one of them hoping to get the honor of Prophet Mohamed’s stay at his house. They stood in the way of the procession and addressed the Prophet saying " O Messenger of Allah, please do accept our hospitable accommodation, for we are influential people who are great in number and wealth. We can also guarantee your support and protection.”
Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) mildly urged them to get out of the way of the camel, for it was ordered by Allah to stop at a certain place.
The camel stopped at an open space in front of the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. But Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) did not get off the camel. After a few minutes, the camel started moving once again, however, it turned around, retraced its steps and kneeled in the same place where it stopped before. Abu Ayyub’s face shone with joy and satisfaction. He went out to Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and greeted him with great enthusiasm. He took the Prophet's baggage in his arms and carried them so close to his heart as if he was carrying the most precious treasure in the world.
It was not the first meeting between Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari. They had met before when the Madinah delegation journeyed to Makkah to take the oath of allegiance to the Prophet (PBUH).
Abu Ayyub's house had two floors. He prepared the upper floor for Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) to stay in. however Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) preferred to stay on the lower one.
Night came and Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) went to sleep. Abu Ayyub ascended to his room, but when he closed the door, he shook with regret and told his wife:
"Woe to us! What have we done? The messenger of God is below and we are higher than him! Can we walk on top of the messenger of God? Are we standing between him and the Revelation? If so, we are doomed."
They were extremely worried, and had no idea what to do. They got some peace of mind when they moved to the other side of the building where they were not above Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).
In the morning, Abu Ayyub said to the Prophet(PBUH):
"By God, we did not sleep all last night, neither myself nor Umm Ayyub."
"Why not, Abu Ayyub?" asked the Prophet.
Abu Ayyub told him how terrible they felt because he was staying below them.
"Don't worry, Abu Ayyub," said the Prophet. "We prefer the lower floor because we have a lot of visitors.”
"We submitted to the Prophet's wishes," Abu Ayyub related, "until one cold night, the roof was damaged 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 wipe the water fearing 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 respected my wish and we exchanged floors."
The Prophet (PBUH) stayed in Abu Ayyub's house for about seven months until his mosque and his dwelling were built. Thus, he became the neighbor of Abu Ayyub.
Abu Ayyub loved Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) with all his heart and the Prophet also loved him dearly. There was no formality between them. The Prophet (PBUH) continued to regard Abu Ayyub's house as his own.
These are glimpses of Abu Ayyub's life during peacetime, but ever since the Quraish tribe began to fight against Islam, to raid Al-Madinah, the land of Hijrah, and to instigate tribes and organize armies to eliminate Islam, Abu Ayyub became a professional in warfare. He was in the front rows in Badr, Uhud, Al-Khandaq and the rest of the battles and wars. He devoted himself, his money, and property to Allah.
He did not stay away from any battle the Muslims fought from the time of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) till the time of Mu'awiyah unless he was engaged at the same time in another.
Even after Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) died, Abu Ayyub never turned his back on a battle that the Muslims were destined to fight in.
The slogan that he kept reciting to himself day and night, secretly and openly was that verse of the Qur’an “March forth, whether you are light or heavy”.
He never missed an expedition, except once. He refused to fight in an army, which was lead by a young Muslim assigned by the caliph. Abu Ayyub rejected this choice. This one and only mistake shook his innermost self, and he was always full of regrets as he repeated, “It is none of my concern whoever Ali appoints.” Ever since he made this mistake, he never missed a battle.
It sufficed him to live as a soldier in the Muslim army, fight under its slogan, and defend its sanctity.
The last battle Abu Ayyub took part in was the one prepared by Mu'awiyah and led by his son Yazid against Constantinople. Abu Ayyub at that time was a very old man, almost eighty years old. But that did not prevent him from joining the army and crossing the seas as a graze in the path of God. In this particular battle, he was wounded. The commander of the army went to check on him. He was breathing heavily as if his longing to meet Allah made him impatient with the few minutes left in his life. The commander, Yazid Ibn Mu’aawiyah, asked him, "Do you need anything, Abu Ayyub?"
I wonder if any of you can imagine what Abu Ayyub’s last wish was?
He asked Yazid to carry his body to the furthest point inside the enemy lands and bury him there, then to break through the enemy line until he reached his grave so that Abu Ayyub might hear the sound of the galloping Muslim horses clattering over it and realize that they have achieved victory. Do you think this is poetic verse? No, this not a poetic verse nor a whim of imagination. It really happened. It is a fact that the whole world witnessed one day, and stood there watching and listening, not believing that this could be true. Yazid carried out Abu Ayyub’s will to the fullest extent.
Finally, the body of this great warrior was buried in the heart of Constantinople — Istanbul nowadays.
taken from HERE.
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