By Reyhan Keten, member of the Royal Ottoman Society
The great mosque that we now see on a beautiful hill in nowadays Istanbul (which was called “Islambol” after the conquest) has a magnificent story behind it.
Why did a sahaba, Ayyub Al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, reach Constantinople?
Where and how did he actually die, in contrary to the false information that has been spreading the internet and globe?
And where is the grave of the Sahaba, (the companion of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.) now?
Let’s look at his story.
Ayyub r.a. heard of the Prophet p.b.u.h. himself about the famous hadith,
“Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will that leader be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!"
When he heard this, he immediately went and made his intention to go to Constantinople himself, with an army of thousands of other companions, including Abdullah ibn Abbas.
Here, they successfully besiege The Byzantines for 6 months long. This, many historians won’t like to share. They try to besiege the castle, but the harsh weather circumstances and other conditions made the army lose many soldiers.
Eventually, after mediation and consultation between themselves, they made a decision to sign a treaty with the Byzantine Emperor.
Now, whilst they were preparing to leave The Byzantine after signing the treaty, they were inclined to wanting to pray 2 raka’at of nawafil (extra, non-obligatory) prayers in Hagia Sophia.
After getting permission from the Emperor, the Sahaba’s of around a thousand people went towards Hagia Sophia without any trouble between the armies. Of course, out of etiquette towards the Prophet p.b.u.h., they said in front of the entrance,
“Destûr! (permission!) O Messenger of Allah!”
The companions were like the stars in the sky to follow. They are the ones that were physically with the beloved prophet peace be upon him. They held onto Islam so tightly that Allah inspired them: That victory will come after them. And that this church will be made into a mosque after having conquered this place.
So they went in and prayed, “Lord, make this place, a place of worship for the Muslims in the near future!”
Here, the popes we’re looking at them, staring to the dome and inside of the church and they talked between themselves, “These people are not here for any good we must trick them and kill them.”
They were able to trick them, and kill the well known Sahaba Ayyub al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him. He was already weakened due to the heavy weather conditions, and the people in Byzantine attacked this army: Breaking the treaty.
The armies went into a heavy and bloody battle. The army of the Sahaba came to the door of “Eğrikapı” and right when they tried to open the door to escape the castle, destiny came.
This door has ever since been named as Ensar kapısı, the “Ansari Door”
A stone that hit this Sahaba, was the means that Ayyub al-Ansari fell on the ground. His companions took him and brought him away from the battlefield. Due to his injuries and sickness, he eventually passed away as a Martyr.
And now, he is buried on a beautiful hill in nowadays Istanbul and next to his grave stands a beautiful mosque. Millions of citizens and tourists visit this wellknown place called “Eyyüp Sultan Camii”, translated as “The Mosque of Ayyub Sultan”.
This place is visited and known for the immense peace and tranquility it brings to the heart. And the soul of Ayyub al-Ansari would be helping Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the conqueror of Constantinople, with the very stone that killed him. This is the power that Allah gives to His Awliya (saints), that even after death, their soul is still alive. Their souls still help and aid.
And Allah Himself tells us so, within the Holy Protected Qur’an, that He aids His army with an unseen army. How can we deny and reject the verses of Allah?
"And to Allah belong the soldiers (forces) of the heavens and the earth."
(Surah al-Fath, 48:4)
"Then Allah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers and sent down soldiers you did not see and punished those who disbelieved."
(Surah at-Tawbah, 9:26)
Yes, if you remain patient and conscious of Allah and the enemy comes upon you [attacking] in rage, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels having marks [of distinction]."
(Surah Al’i Imran 3:123–125)
And lastly, a verse regarding the ones that were killed on the path of Allah:
"And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, ‘They are dead.’ Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not."
(Surah al-Baqarah, 2:154)
They are alive, that is why the bodies of both the Awliya and the Martyrs do not rot away: their bodies stay the same until the Day of Judgement. This is of one of the Karamat’s of the Martyrs and Saints of Allah.
And in this way, the soul of Ayyub al-Ansari helped The Conqueror of Constantinople, by throwing the very stone that killed him at the door of the castle…
“And to Allah belongs the soldiers of the heavens and the earth.”
Alhamdulillah.
