Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 8 of 15
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (8) - Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, may God be pleased with him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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My longing to meet them ever grows,
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And to their sanctuary, my heart journeys from afar.
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O generation that followed true guidance,
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Shine upon us anew.
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My longing to meet them—
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The Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you:
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"Portraits from the Lives of the Companions"
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by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy on him.
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Abu Ayyub al-Ansari,
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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This illustrious Companion
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was named Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb,
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of the Banu al-Najjar clan.
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His kunyah was Abu Ayyub,
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and his lineage belonged to the Ansar.
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And who among us, the community of Muslims,
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does not know Abu Ayyub al-Ansari?
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For Allah exalted his renown across the two horizons,
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and elevated his stature among all mankind,
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when He chose his home out of all the Muslims' homes
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to host the Noble Prophet,
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when he arrived in Medina as an emigrant—
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and that alone is honor enough for him.
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The lodging of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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in the house of Abu Ayyub
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is a story sweet to recount
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and delightful to repeat.
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For when the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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reached Medina,
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the hearts of its people met him
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with the most generous welcome ever accorded a newcomer.
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Their eyes gazed eagerly toward him,
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expressing the longing of a lover for his beloved;
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they opened their hearts to him,
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that he might dwell in their very core,
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and flung wide the doors of their houses to him,
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that he might abide in the most cherished of dwellings.
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But the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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stayed in Quba, on the outskirts of Medina,
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for four days,
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during which he built his mosque—the very first mosque
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founded upon piety.
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Then he set out from it, mounted upon his she-camel.
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The chieftains of Yathrib stood in her path,
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each yearning to win
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the honor of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, staying
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in his home.
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They would intercept the she-camel,
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chieftain after chieftain,
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saying:
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"Dwell with us, O Messenger of Allah,
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in numbers, wealth, and fortified protection!"
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But he would say to them: "Let her go,
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for she is under divine command."
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And the she-camel continued toward her destination,
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followed by all eyes,
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encircled by all hearts.
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Whenever she passed a house,
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its people were grieved
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and overcome with despair,
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while hope shone bright in the souls of those ahead.
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The she-camel went on in this manner,
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with the people trailing behind her,
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burning with eager anticipation
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to learn who the blessed, fortunate host would be,
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until she reached an open
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lot in front of the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari,
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where she knelt down.
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Yet the Messenger, peace be upon him,
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did not dismount.
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Soon she sprang up
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and began walking again,
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while the Messenger gave her slack reins.
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Then, before long,
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she turned back in her tracks
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and knelt down once more in her first resting place.
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Thereupon,
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boundless joy overwhelmed the heart of Abu Ayyub
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al-Ansari.
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He hastened toward the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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welcoming him warmly,
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and carried his luggage in his arms
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as though he were carrying
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all the treasures of the world,
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proceeding with it toward his home.
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The house of Abu Ayyub
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consisted of a lower floor
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with an upper room above it.
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So he cleared the upper room of his belongings
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and those of his family,
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that the Messenger of Allah might stay in it.
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However, the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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preferred
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the lower floor over it.
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Abu Ayyub complied with his wish
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and accommodated him wherever he pleased.
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When night fell
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and the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah
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be upon him, retired to his bed,
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Abu Ayyub
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and his wife climbed up to the upper room.
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No sooner had they shut
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its door upon themselves than
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Abu Ayyub turned to his wife
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and said, "Woe to you!
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What have we done?
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Can the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, be
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below,
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while we are above him?
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Shall I walk above the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?
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Shall we come between the Prophet
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and revelation?
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We would surely then
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be ruined!"
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The couple was seized with distress and bewilderment,
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not knowing what to do.
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Their souls found
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no measure of peace
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until they retreated
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to the side of the upper room
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that was not directly above the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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They kept strictly to it, never leaving it
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except by tiptoeing along the edges,
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keeping well away
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from the center.
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In the morning, Abu Ayyub
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said to the Prophet, peace be upon him:
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"By Allah, not an eyelid
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of ours closed this
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night—neither mine
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nor Umm Ayyub's."
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So he, peace be upon him, asked:
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"And why was that, O Abu
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Ayyub?" He replied:
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"I remembered that I was on the roof of a house
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beneath which you were,
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and that if I moved,
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dust would fall upon you and cause you discomfort.
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Moreover,
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I would be coming between you and revelation."
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Thereupon the Messenger, peace and blessings
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be upon him, said to him:
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"Take it easy, O Abu Ayyub;
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it is indeed more convenient for us
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to be on the ground floor,
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on account of the many people who visit us."
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Abu Ayyub said:
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"So I complied with the order of the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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until a cold night came
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when a clay jar of ours broke,
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and its water spilled out
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in the upper room.
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Umm Ayyub and I rushed to the water,
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having nothing
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but a single velvet garment that we
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used as a blanket.
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We began soaking up the water with it,
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for fear that any of it might seep through
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to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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When morning came,
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I went down to the Messenger, peace and blessings
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of Allah be upon him,
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and said: 'May my father and mother be ransomed for you!
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I cannot bear to be
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above you,
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while you are below me.'
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Then I told him the incident of the jar,
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so he consented to my plea
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and moved up to the upper room,
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while Umm Ayyub and I moved down
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to the ground floor."
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, stayed
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in the house of Abu Ayyub
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for about seven months,
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until the construction
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of his mosque was completed upon the vacant land
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where the she-camel had knelt down.
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He then moved into the apartments
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that were built around the mosque
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for himself and his wives,
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thereby becoming a neighbor to Abu Ayyub—
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and how noble
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were those two neighbors!
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Abu Ayyub loved
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the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah
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be upon him, with a love
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that captured his heart and soul,
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and the Noble Messenger loved
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Abu Ayyub with a love
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that removed all formality between them,
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leading him to regard
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the house of Abu Ayyub
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as though it were his own home.
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Ibn 'Abbas narrated, saying:
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Abu Bakr
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(may Allah be pleased with him) went out in the midday heat
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to the mosque,
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and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him
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and said, "O Abu Bakr,
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what brought you out at this hour?"
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He replied,
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"Nothing brought me out except what I feel
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of severe hunger."
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Thereupon 'Umar said,
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"By Allah, nothing brought me out
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other than that either."
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While they were conversing like that,
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the Messenger of Allah
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(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out to them
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and said,
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"What brought the two of you out at this hour?"
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They said, "By Allah,
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nothing brought us out except what we feel
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in our bellies from severe hunger."
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He (peace be upon him) said,
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"And by the One in Whose
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Hand is my soul,
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nothing brought me out other than that.
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Stand up and come with me."
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So they set off
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and came to the door of Abu Ayyub
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(may Allah be pleased with him).
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Now Abu Ayyub used to keep aside
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for the Messenger of Allah every day
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some food;
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then, if he was delayed and did not come
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to him at his usual time,
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he would feed it to his family.
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When they reached the door,
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Umm Ayyub came out to them
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and said, "Welcome!"
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The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked her,
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"Where is Abu Ayyub?"
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Abu Ayyub heard
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the voice of the Prophet,
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as he was working in a nearby palm grove of his.
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So he came rushing,
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saying, "Welcome
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to the Messenger of Allah and to those with him!"
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Then he followed up by saying,
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"O Prophet of Allah,
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this is not the time at which
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you usually come."
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied,
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"You have spoken the truth."
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Abu Ayyub went to his palm trees
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and cut down a cluster
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containing dried dates, ripe dates, and unripe dates.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
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"I did not want you
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to cut this down!
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Why did you not just pick some of its dried dates for us?"
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He said, "O Messenger of Allah,
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I wanted you to eat
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from its dried dates, its ripe dates, and its unripe dates;
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and I will surely slaughter
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for you as well."
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The Prophet said, "If you slaughter, do not slaughter
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a milch animal."
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Abu Ayyub took a young goat
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and slaughtered it; then he said
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to his wife, "Knead the dough
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and bake bread for us, for you
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know best how to bake." Then
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he took half the goat and stewed it,
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and turned to the other half
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and roasted it. When
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the food was cooked and placed
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before the Prophet and his two companions,
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the Messenger took a piece
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of the goat and placed it
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in a loaf of bread and said,
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"O Abu Ayyub,
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hasten with this piece
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to Fatimah, for she
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has not tasted the like of this for
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days." When
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they had eaten and were full,
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the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
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"Bread,
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meat, dried dates,
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unripe dates, and ripe dates!"
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His eyes welled with tears, and then
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he said, "By the One in Whose
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Hand is my soul,
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this is indeed the blessing about which
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you will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection.
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So when you partake of such food
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and reach out your hands to it,
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say:
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'In the name of Allah';
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and when you are satisfied, say:
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'Praise be to Allah Who
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has satisfied us and bestowed favor
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upon us and excelled in generosity.'"
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Then the Messenger (peace and blessings
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of Allah be upon him) stood up
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and said to Abu Ayyub,
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"Come to us tomorrow."
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) never had someone
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do him a favor
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without wishing to reward him
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for it.
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But Abu Ayyub did not hear
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that,
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so 'Umar (may Allah be pleased
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with him) said to him, "The Prophet (peace and blessings
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of Allah be upon him) is bidding you
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to come to him tomorrow, O Abu
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Ayyub!" Abu
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Ayyub replied, "Hearing and obeying
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to the Messenger of Allah."
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When the next day came,
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Abu Ayyub went to the Prophet (peace and blessings
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of Allah be upon him),
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who gave him a young female servant who used to serve him,
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and said to him,
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"Treat her well, O Abu
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Ayyub, for we have seen nothing from her
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but good as long as she has been
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with us." Abu
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Ayyub returned to his home, bringing with him
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the young woman. When
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Umm Ayyub saw her, she asked,
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"Whose is this, O Abu
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Ayyub?" He replied, "Ours;
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the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings
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of Allah be upon him) gifted her to us."
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She said,
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"How magnificent a giver,
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and how noble a gift!"
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He added,
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"And he instructed us to treat her well."
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She asked,
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"And what shall we do with her so that
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we fulfill the instruction of the Messenger of Allah
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(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?"
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He said, "By Allah, I do not
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find any way to fulfill the counsel of the Messenger of Allah
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toward her that is better
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than freeing her."
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She said, "You have been guided to
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what is right, and you are truly granted success!"
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So he emancipated her.
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These are but a few glimpses into the life
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of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari
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in times of peace.
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Yet if you were granted the opportunity to examine
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some aspects of his life in wartime,
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you would witness something truly wondrous!
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For Abu Ayyub
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(may Allah be pleased with him) lived his entire life
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as a warrior, to the point that
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it was said he never stayed behind
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from any military expedition the Muslims undertook
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from the time of the Messenger
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until the era of Mu'awiyah,
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unless he was occupied
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away from it by another campaign.
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His final expedition was
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when Mu'awiyah prepared an army
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under the command of his son Yazid
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to conquer Constantinople.
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At that time, Abu Ayyub
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was an elderly man,
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advanced in years,
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approaching eighty years of age.
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Yet that did not prevent him
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from enlisting under the banner of
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Yazid and cleaving
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the waves of the sea as a warrior
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in the cause of Allah.
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However, only a short time passed
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after engaging the enemy
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before Abu Ayyub fell ill—
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an illness that immobilized him from
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continuing to fight.
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So Yazid came to visit him
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and asked him, "Do you have any final request,
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O Abu Ayyub?"
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He said, "Convey my greetings
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of peace to the Muslim soldiers,
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and say to them:
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'Abu Ayyub urges you
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to penetrate deep into the land
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to the farthest possible reach,
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to carry him along with you,
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and to bury him beneath
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your feet by
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the walls of Constantinople.'"
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And breathed his pure last breath.
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The Muslim soldiers
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responded to the wish
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of the Companion of the Messenger of Allah,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and launched attack after attack
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against the enemy ranks,
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until they reached the walls
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of Constantinople, carrying
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Abu Ayyub with them.
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And there,
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they dug a grave for him
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and laid him to rest in it.
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May Allah have mercy on Abu Ayyub
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al-Ansari,
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for he insisted on dying nowhere else
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but upon the backs of noble steeds,
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striving as a warrior in the cause
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of Allah, even though his age
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was nearing eighty.
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Abu Ayyub
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al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased
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with him,
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was buried beneath the walls of Constantinople.