On that day, the city of Medina experienced unparalleled joy and excitement. Everyone hoped to host both Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Muhammad (saw) in their homes. However, Rasul al-Ekrem mentioned that his camel, Kaswa, would stop and kneel down on its own wherever it wished, and that they should follow it. The camel led them to an empty plot of land across from the house of Zayd ibn Khalid, where it came to a halt and knelt down.

Upon this, our Master (saw) and Hadhrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq dismounted from the camel. Rasul al-Ekrem then visited the home of Hadhrat Khalid.

Hadhrat Khalid, who is known today as Khalid ibn Zayd Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, is buried in Eyup Sultan district of Istanbul, a place visited by a vast crowd every day. He was an Ansari, the son of Zayd, and the father of Ayyub.

While Rasul al-Ekrem was the guest at Hadhrat Khalid’s home, Hadhrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq was hosted by Hadhrat Haritha ibn Harith, a prominent and wealthy figure among the local Medina residents. 

It was the first morning after Rasul al-Ekrem’s arrival in Medina and his first night at Hadhrat Khalid’s home. Rasul al-Ekrem performed the morning prayer and engaged in conversation with his companions.

The truth was, Khalid (ra) could not sleep that night. He was worried that our Master might be disturbed since he had slept on the lower floor of the house. Therefore, the following morning, the family decided that Rasulullah would sleep on the upper floor.

In the morning, Khalid (ra) rushed to our Master (saw) and said, “O Rasulullah, we could not sleep last night because you were sleeping on the lower floor.”

“Why, O Khalid? Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“We were concerned that the children might make noise and disturb you as they moved around. That’s why we couldn’t sleep. Perhaps dust has fallen on you as well.”

Our Master (saw) reassured him, saying, “No, O Khalid, you did not disturb us. In fact, it is better for us this way. People may come and go, and perhaps they would disturb you.”

However, Khalid (ra) persisted, “But this arrangement contradicts the hospitality and respect we owe to you, O Rasulullah. Please accept our request to sleep on the upper floor.”

The Rasul of Allah (saw) agreed, and so he stayed on the upper floor of Hadhrat Khalid’s house. That night, our Master pondered over the piece of land where his camel had knelt down.

Hadhrat Khalid wondered aloud, “Whose land is it?” He then recalled, “Oh it belongs to the sons of Rafi, from the tribe of Banu Najjar. Two orphans, who have lost their father, own it. The head of our town, Abu Imame As’ad, is their guardian.”

The Rasul of Allah (saw) was deeply moved when he heard the word “orphans.” He knew that Allah, who had brought him to this situation, would also bestow numerous blessings upon these orphans.

Curious, our Master asked, “Who are these orphans?” Hazrat Khalid explained, “They are the sons of Rafi, Sehl, and Suheyl. They inherited this land from their father. Dates are dried here, and Muslims gather for congregational prayers. Imam As’ad leads our prayers.”

Rasulullah expressed his desire to meet the orphans, saying, “Can you bring these orphan children here, O Khalid?” Khalid agreed and summoned the two children.

In the late afternoon, the two children entered the presence of Rasulullah with joy, kissing his hands. It was a great honor for them to meet the Rasul of Allah. After caressing and showing affection to them, our Master spoke:

“O Sehl and Suheyl, I would like to purchase your vacant land. Will you sell it to me?” The children were surprised and replied, “Would that be acceptable, O Rasulullah?”

“Why not?” 

“We don’t sell it for money, O Rasulullah.” 

Our Master inquired further, “Then what will you do?” 

“We will give it as a gift, solely for the pleasure of Allah.”

Rasulullah (saw) was delighted with their behavior. However, he considered whether it would be just to take the land from these two orphans. He said to them, “May Allah be pleased with you! Still, I can buy your land for its worth.”

Then, our Master turned to Hadhrat Abu Bakr and said, “We are purchasing the land for ten mithqals. Pay the money to the children, O Abu Bakr.”

He then addressed those present, saying, “O my companions, I have bought this land to build a mosque. From today onwards, we must make preparations to start the construction of this mosque. With Allah’s grace, we will soon perform our prayers here, congregationally.”

The land contained some date palm trees and graves. Under our Master’s guidance, the trees were organized, the graves were arranged, and the land was quickly leveled, preparing it for the construction of walls.

Rasulullah (saw) first ordered bricks to be made and later procured timber. Finally, the day of laying the foundation stone arrived.

With the blessed words “Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim” the Rasul of Allah (saw) placed the first stone. Hadhrat Abu Bakr, Hadhrat Ali, Hadhrat Umar, and others followed suit. The companions, upon seeing the Rasul’s dedication, were inspired to work even harder. Some carried timber, some transported bricks, and some contributed to building the walls. Their common goal was to complete the first Muslim mosque in Medina.

During the construction of the Rasul’s Mosque (Mascid al-Nabawi), one of the most dedicated individuals was Ammar bin Yasir. While other companions carried one brick each from the Baqi’ul Habcebe pit, Ammar would carry two bricks at a time. When asked why he did so, he replied, “I carry this second brick for the sake of the Rasul of Allah.”

There were some who harbored ill feelings towards Ammar and even wanted to kill him. Ammar shared this concern with Rasulullah and said, “They want to kill me, O Rasul of Allah!” Upon hearing Ammar’s words, our Master wiped his sweaty and dusty face and said, “Woe to them for plotting against you, O Ammar! However, your life will not end at their hands; rather, a rebellious group will terminate your life, while you will be inviting them to Paradise at that moment.”

The words of the Rasul of Allah (saw) regarding Ammar’s future became a fulfilled prophecy. During the Battle of Siffin, where Ammar sided with Hadhrat Ali (ra) against the rebellion led by Muawiya, he was killed by the insurgents who were in rebellion against Hadhrat Ali (ra). At that very moment, Ammar was inviting them to unite under the banner of Hadhrat Ali (ra).

The construction of the Rasul’s Mosque took a total of seven months, during which time our Master stayed at Hadhrat Khalid’s house. Throughout these seven months, the Ansar, the Muslims of Medina, would take turns bringing food and drink for him, sparing no effort to serve him. Almost every night, they would rush to be in the Rasul’s blessed company, trying to gain as much knowledge and wisdom from him as possible.

Towards the end of this seven-month period, the families of both our Master, Hadhrat Aisha and Abu Bakr Siddiq were brought to Medina.

As the days passed, the construction of the mosque continued, and a sense of unity and devotion among the early Muslims continued to strengthen.