Companions · Host of the Messenger ﷺ
أبو أيوب الأنصاري
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari
The camel knelt at his door; he died a soldier under the walls of Constantinople.
The account
Khalid ibn Zayd of Banu Najjar won the lottery every house in Madinah wanted: when al-Qaswa knelt, it was at his door, and the Prophet ﷺ lodged with him seven months while the mosque rose. The householder's adab became legend: he and his wife could not bear walking on the floor above the Messenger of Allah, cornering themselves at the room's edge by night, until the Prophet moved upstairs for his hosts' peace. When a dish returned untouched because it carried garlic, Abu Ayyub asked in alarm if it was haram; no, said the Prophet, but I converse with One you do not converse with.
He fought at Badr, Uhud, and every field, and refused to retire: an old man jihad-bound every fighting season under whichever banner marched. Past eighty he joined the first campaign against Constantinople, fell ill under its walls, and asked for the most forward grave in the army's reach: carry me as far as you can into their land. There he lies to this day, the host of Madinah buried at the edge of Byzantium, teaching the Codex's readers that hospitality and striving were one temperament, not two.
The facts
- The lotteryAl-Qaswa chose his door
- HostSeven months
- HabitA campaign every season
- GraveBeneath Constantinople's walls
The narrations
He asked about the garlic: is it haram? He ﷺ said: No, but I converse with One you do not converse with.
Muslim 2053
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