Participation in Battles alongside the Holy Prophet (sa)
Hazrat Abu Ayub Ansari (ra) had the honour of accompanying the Holy Prophet (sa) in all the battles, including the battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq.
(Ibn Saad, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1990], 369)
Hazrat Abu Ayub Ansari (ra) relates, “On the day of Badr, the Muslims were arranging themselves in rows, when some people moved ahead of the row. The Holy Prophet (sa) looked at them and said, ‘Remain with me, remain with me’”, meaning they should remain behind him and not move ahead of him.
(Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 7, Musnad Abu Ayub Ansari, Hadith 23963 [Beirut, Lebanon: ‘Alam al-Kutub, 1998], 780)