The Honor of Hosting
When the Prophet’s camel knelt on the plot of land that would become the Prophet’s Mosque, many Ansari families invited the Prophet to stay. The Prophet said the camel was guided by divine direction — “Leave her, for she is under command” — and the camel rose, circled, then knelt again at the same spot.
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari’s house was adjacent. He took the Prophet’s bags before being asked. The Prophet stayed with him for seven months — until the mosque and his own quarters were completed.
Abu Ayyub’s anxiety about being above the Prophet: he noticed that the Prophet was on the lower floor and water from the upper floor might disturb him. He moved his family to the far edge of the upper room to minimize any impact. When a jug of water cracked one night, Abu Ayyub and his wife used the only blanket they had to soak up the water — fearing even a drop might fall through to the floor below.
The Hadith of the Walls of Constantinople
The Prophet said: “Certainly, Constantinople will be conquered. How excellent a leader will its leader be, and how excellent an army will that army be.”
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari spent decades seeking to fulfill or witness this prophecy. In his old age — approximately 80 years old — he joined the Muslim forces laying siege to Constantinople under Yazid ibn Muawiya’s command (672-674 CE). He fell ill during the campaign and knew he was dying. He instructed the army: “When I die, carry me forward and bury me as far as possible into enemy territory.” He died and was buried beneath the walls.
His grave was discovered during the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453 CE — or so the tradition holds — and Mehmed II ordered the Eyüp Sultan Mosque built over it. The mosque remains one of Istanbul’s holiest sites.
See also: Seerah Anas Ibn Malik, Seerah Umar Ibn Khattab, Hijra, Masjid Al Nabawi, Seerah Abd Allah Ibn Zubayr, Prophet Muhammad