Abu Ayyub al-Ansari

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was from the Banu Najjar, the maternal relatives of the Prophet's grandfather Abd al-Muttalib. He was among those who took the Second Pledge of Aqabah, pledging loyalty and support to the Prophet before the Hijrah. When the Prophet arrived in Madinah on his camel al-Qaswa, every family of the Ansar hoped to host him. The Prophet said: 'Let the camel go, for she is commanded.' The camel knelt at a spot that would become the site of the Prophet's mosque, and Abu Ayyub's home was the nearest dwelling. The Prophet stayed in Abu Ayyub's home for approximately seven months while the mosque and his own apartments were being built. Abu Ayyub initially offered the upper floor, but the Prophet preferred the ground floor for the convenience of visitors. Abu Ayyub was so anxious about being above the Prophet that he could hardly sleep. One night, a water jar broke on the upper floor, and Abu Ayyub and his wife Umm Ayyub frantically mopped it up with their only blanket, terrified that water might drip down upon the Messenger of Allah. The next morning, Abu Ayyub insisted the Prophet move to the upper floor, and the Prophet agreed. Abu Ayyub participated in Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, and every expedition during the Prophet's lifetime. He never missed a military campaign. After the Prophet's death, he continued in the same path of devotion to the cause of Islam. He participated in expeditions under the Rightly Guided Caliphs and beyond, even into his old age. In approximately 52 AH, despite being elderly and frail, Abu Ayyub joined the Muslim army in an expedition against Constantinople. He fell ill during the campaign and passed away near the walls of the city. He requested to be buried as close to the enemy's walls as possible. The Muslims advanced and buried him at the foot of the fortress. His grave near Constantinople (modern Istanbul) became one of the most famous sites in the Muslim world, and a mosque and complex were later built over it by Sultan Mehmed II after the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1453 CE.