By Humna Salman

When the Prophet (S.A.W) arrived in Madinah after migration, everyone wanted him to stay in their house. After all, who wouldn’t want the honour of hosting the Prophet (S.A.W)?
Out of all the homes in Madinah, Allah chose the household of Umm-e-Ayub Ansari – a truly extraordinary woman. It begs the question – what was so special about her? Why her house?
Two exceptional qualities set her apart.
First, she made haste in accepting Islam. As soon as she heard from her husband about a man preaching monotheism in Makkah, she immediately took the Shahadah. Keep in mind – this was long before Islam came to Madinah.

Islam lays heavy focus on becoming “Sabiqoon”. We are encouraged to race towards good deeds, to never delay them, and to be the first to earn rewards. There must never be a delay in finding out the Haqq and manifesting it in our actions.

Additionally, Umm-e-Ayyub Ansari and her husband were a remarkably loving, forgiving, and good-natured couple. Being tender-hearted themselves, their home was a drama-free household filled with peace and comfort. She was a homemaker, in the truest sense of the word, and she made sure her house was a safe haven for all its inhabitants.

As women, we get to set the mood of our homes. We must create safe spaces that are spiritually nourishing for our family.
For Allah to choose our household for the propagation of His Deen and open doors of righteousness upon our families, we must develop two qualities – never delay acting on our Deen, and foster love and mercy between our family members.
Umm-e-Ayyub’s story is truly a beautiful example of Huqooq-ul-Allah and Huqooq-ul-Ibad going hand in hand.