While the Prophet(sa) was in Medina, everybody longed to have the honour of being his host. As his camel passed through a lane, families would line up to receive him. With one voice they would say, "Here we are with our homes, our property and our lives to receive you and to offer our protection to you. Come and live with us." Many would show greater zeal, go forward and held the reins of the camel and insist on the Prophet's(sa) dismounting in front of their doors and entering their houses. Politely the Prophet(sa) would refuse saying, "Leave my camel alone. She is under the command of God; she will stop where God wants her to stop." Ultimately it stopped on a site which belonged to orphans of the Banu Najjar tribe. The Prophet(sa) dismounted and said, "It seems that this is where God wants us to stop." He made enquiries. A trustee of the orphans came forward and offered the site for the use of the Prophet(sa). The Prophet(sa) replied that he would not accept the offer unless he were allowed to pay. A price was settled and the Prophet(sa) decided to build a mosque and some houses on it. This settled, the Prophet(sa) asked who lived nearest to the site. Abu Ayyub Ansari(ra) came forward and said that his house was the nearest and that his services were at the Prophet's(sa) disposal. The Prophet(sa) asked him to prepare a room in his house for him. Abu Ayyub's(ra) house was double-storeyed. He offered to let the Prophet(sa) have the upper storey. But the Prophet(sa) preferred to have the lower storey for the convenience of his visitors.
The devotion which the people of Medina had for the Prophet(sa) showed itself again. Abu Ayyub(ra) agreed to let the Prophet(sa) have the lower storey, but refused to go to sleep on a floor under which lived the Prophet(sa). He and his wife thought it discourteous to do so. A pitcher of water was accidentally broken and water flowed on the floor. Abu Ayyub(ra), fearing lest some water should drip through to the room occupied by the Prophet(sa), took his quilt and with it dried up the water before any could drip through. In the morning he called on the Prophet(sa) and narrated the events of the night before, upon hearing which the Prophet(sa) agreed to occupy the upper storey. Abu Ayyub(ra) prepared meals and sent them up. The Prophet(sa) ate whatever he wanted and Abu Ayyub(ra) whatever remained. After a few days, others demanded a share in entertaining the Prophet(sa). Until the Prophet(sa) settled in his own house and made his own arrangements he was entertained by the people of Medina in turn. A widow had an only son named Anas(ra), aged about eight or nine. She brought the boy to the Prophet(sa) and offered him for the Prophet's(sa) personal service. This Anas(ra) became immortalized in the annals of Islam. He became a very learned man, and also rich. He attained to over one hundred years of age and in the days of the Khalifas was held in great esteem by everybody. Anas(ra) is reported to have said that although he went into the service of the Prophet(sa) as a boy and remained with him until the Prophet(sa) died, never did the Prophet(sa) speak unkindly to him, nor did he ever admonish him, nor did he ever set him a duty harder than he could perform. During his stay in Medina, the Prophet(sa) had only Anas(ra) with him. The testimony of Anas(ra), therefore, reveals the Prophet's(sa) character as it developed in the days of his growing power and prosperity at Medina.
Later, the Prophet(sa) sent his freedman Zaid(ra) to Mecca to fetch his family and relations. The Meccans had been stupefied by the sudden and well-planned departure of the Prophet(sa) and his followers. For some time, therefore, they did nothing to vex him. When the Prophet's(sa) family and the family of Abu Bakr(ra) left Mecca they raised no difficulty. The two families reached Medina unmolested. In the meantime the Prophet(sa) laid the foundations of a mosque on the site he had bought for the purpose. After this, he built houses for himself and for his Companions. About seven months were spent on their completion.