Hadith 81

(The book) ‘Al-Manaqib’ of Ibn Shehr Ashub – Al-Aqaby related that Abu Ayoub Al-Ansary was shown the gulf of Constantinople. He was asked about his need. He said, ‘As for your world, there is no need for me regarding it, but if I die, then send me forward whatever you can in the country of the enemies for I heard Rasool-Allah-saww saying: ‘A righteous man from my-saww companion would be buried by a bridge in Constantinople, and I have desired that I should be him’. Then he died, and they were fighting and the coffin was being carried and taken forward. They sent a message to Caesar regarding that and they said, ‘A companion of our Prophet-saww had asked us to bury him in your country and we are implementing his bequest’. He said, ‘Since you are in charge, then bring him out to the dogs’. They said, ‘If we were to exhume him from his grave, no Christian would be left in the Arab lands except he would be killed, nor any church except it would be demolished’. So he built a dome upon his grave, a lamp being lighted in it up to today, and his grave up to now is being visited by the bridge in Constantinople’’. [83]