Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
[Article]
Lecker, Michael
Leiden
Brill
(786 words)
Abū Ayyūb Khālid b. Zayd al-Anṣārī was a Companion of the Prophet Muḥammad, from the Najjār branch of the Khazraj tribe. The relatively rich literary evidence about him should be evaluated carefully, taking into account his political and military role under the caliphs ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (d. 40/661) and Muʿāwiya (r. 41-60/661-80). After his arrival at Medina, Muḥammad took up residence in Abū Ayyūb's two-storied house in Sāfila (Lower Medina), which earned Abū Ayyūb his epithet ṣāḥib manzil rasūl allāh ("the owner