The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 10
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 10 this place, the people of Banū Najjār stood in rows, decorated with arms to welcome the Holy Prophet sa. The girls of this tribe were reciting the following couplet whilst beating their drums: ِ ِیَا حَبَّذَا مُحَمَّدا ً مِن ْ جَار نَحْن ُ جَوَار ٍ مِن ْ بَنِی نَجَّار “We are girls of the Banū Najjār; How fortunate are we that Muḥammad sa , the Messenger of Allāh, has come to stay in our neighbourhood. ” When the Holy Prophet sa reached the Banū Najjār, the question once again posed itself as to which person the Holy Prophet sa would stay with. Every individual of the tribe was desirous that he be the one to receive this honour. As a matter of fact, in the fervour of their love, some would even take hold of the reins of the camel belonging to the Holy Prophet sa. Upon seeing this, the Holy Prophet sa said, “Leave my camel, for at this time, it has been divinely inspired. ” In other words, wherever Allāh so desired it would sit down itself; and upon saying this, the Holy Prophet sa also released its reins. The camel gracefully advanced and sat down when it reached the place where, later, the Masjid-e- Nabawī , and living quarters of the Holy Prophet sa , were built. At the time, this was an uncultivated plot of land, which was the property of two children from Madīnah. Immediately, however, it stood up and began to move forward; but after a few steps, it once again returned to its initial place of resting, and sat down. The Holy Prophet sa stated: ُ ھٰذا اِن ْ شَاء َ اللّٰه ُ الْمَنْزِل “It seems as if the Will of Allāh desires that this be our place of residence. ” 1 After this, the Holy Prophet sa supplicated to Allāh and dismounted from his camel. Then the Holy Prophet sa inquired as to whose home was closest from that place. Abū Ayyūb Anṣārī ra rushed forward and said, “O Messenger of Allāh! It is mine, and this is the entrance to my home. You are most welcome. ” The Holy 1 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bābu Hijratin-Nabiyyi sa Wa Aṣḥābihī Ilal-Madīnah, Ḥadīth No. 3906 – Note: Bukhārī has not mentioned the account of the camel in such detail. However, it has mentioned that the camel sat down by itself where the mosque was later built, upon which the Holy Prophet sa stated, ‘This is our residence. ’ The remaining details are derived from books of Sīrat.