The House of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari

Abu Ayyub Khalid b. Zayd b. Kulaib al-Ansari (d. 49/669) was a great companion belonging to the Najjar branch of the Khazraj tribe. He became a Muslim about two years before the Hijra with his wife Umm Ayyub and was present at the Second Aqabah Pledge (1 AH/622 AD). When the Prophet migrated to Medina, every tribe of the Ansar competed to invite him to their homes. The streets were filled; tribes tried to pull the Prophet to their homes by holding the reins of their camels. The Prophet said he would choose the house closest to where his camel knelt to avoid hurting anyone's feelings. The camel knelt in front of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari's house; thus, the Prophet settled in this house. Thinking he would have many visitors, the Prophet initially preferred to stay on the lower floor of the two-story house, leaving the upper floor for the hosts. However, Abu Ayyub and his wife insisted that it would be disrespectful for the Prophet to be above them and requested him to move to the upper floor. The Prophet accepted their polite insistence and moved upstairs. During this time, out of respect for the Prophet, Abu Ayyub avoided lying down in a way that would be above him and slept along the walls. The Prophet stayed in this house for about seven months until the construction of the Prophet's Mosque and the completion of the adjacent cells. This house served as a school where Islam was taught: the Prophet fed poor immigrants here, distributed gifts offered to him, and prayed for the hosts on every occasion. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari participated in all the battles, including Badr, Uhud, the Trench, Khaybar, and the conquest of Mecca. In the last years of his life, he moved to Anatolia to participate in the conquest of Istanbul; he was martyred in front of the walls of Istanbul at the age of about 80 (49 AH/669 AD). This great companion, known as 'Eyüp Sultan' in Turkey, was buried at the site of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque and Complex in Istanbul. [Source: 'Abu Ayyub al-Ansari', TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/ebu-eyyub-el-ensari]