Bilal ibn Rabah

Bilal ibn Rabah (may God be pleased with him) was an Abyssinian-born slave in Mecca and one of the earliest Muslims. He was tortured for his faith until Abu Bakr ransomed him. He became the muezzin of the community, the first voice to call the Muslims to prayer.

Born in Mecca to an enslaved Abyssinian mother around 580 CE ¹, Bilal embraced Islam while still owned by Umayya ibn Khalaf, who used to throw him onto the sands of Mecca. Tradition relates that under the torture he kept saying "One, one" until Abu Bakr bought him and freed him ².

In Medina the Prophet ﷺ chose him as muezzin. He took part in Badr, and after the conquest of Mecca he is recorded calling the adhan from the roof of the Kaaba itself ¹. After the Prophet's death he served in Syria. The sources differ on whether he died there or in Medina, around 640 CE ¹.

Bilal stands where three histories meet: slavery and freedom, Africa and Arabia, and the sound of Islam. Every adhan in the world is remembered as descending from his voice.

The book mentions him among the early Muslims after the first group, and names him Bilal ibn Rabah the Abyssinian (the secret call) ^{3 4}.

Umayya ibn Khalaf would put a rope around his neck and hand him over to boys, who would drag him around the mountains of Mecca. He would throw him onto the sands of Mecca at the height of noon, place a rock on his chest, and say to him: "You will stay like this until you die or disbelieve in Muhammad." Bilal would say: "One, one," until Abu Bakr bought him and freed him ⁵.

The Sheikh relates that the Prophet told Bilal he had never entered Paradise without hearing the sound of his sandals there, and asked what he did, and Bilal answered that he never committed a sin without following it with a plea for forgiveness ⁶. He adds that Bilal would pray after every ablution, and the Sheikh then recommends reading Surat Yusuf, saying that it brings light and certainty into the chest and calms blood pressure (needs_source) ^{6 7}.

The Sheikh repeats that the Prophet heard the sound of Bilal's sandals in Paradise, then moves to the day of the conquest of Makkah and says that Ali asked to give the call to prayer from the top of the Kaaba ⁸. He says the Prophet wished to set a rule and did not permit it, saying that only Bilal would give the call, and he notes that Abd Allah ibn Umm Maktum also gave the call to prayer in Madina ^{9 10}. He says Bilal climbed the Kaaba and gave the call and the mountains of Makkah heard it, and that after the Prophet was taken, Bilal stood to call the adhan and his voice caught at the mention of the Messenger's name as he looked toward the grave ¹⁰. He says Bilal asked Abu Bakr's leave and set out for Homs, after which the Sheikh prays for the lands of the Muslims, asking God to restore them as they were, to give victory to Islam and to honour the Muslims ¹¹.

He relates that Bilal gave the maghrib call in Madina, and as soon as he said Allahu akbar the people of Madina left their work and their market, as though history had returned ¹². He says that sobbing and weeping were heard in Madina at the mention of the Prophet's name in the call, and that the Companions were deeply attached to him ¹³.

Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy recounts that Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (may God be pleased with him) offered Bilal ibn Rabah marriage into his family by giving him his sister, and that Bilal said he would seek God's guidance (istikhara) before answering (needs_source: the exchange is garbled in the automatic transcript) ¹⁴.

He recounts that the Companions asked Bilal to give the call to prayer at al-Aqsa; when he did, it moved everyone present to tears and brought the Prophet to their minds (needs_source) ¹⁵. He recounts that the Prophet told Bilal that he had heard Bilal's footsteps ahead of him in Paradise (needs_source: parts of the saying are unclear in the transcription) ¹⁶.

The sheikh says Islam made Khabbab ibn al-Aratt (may God be pleased with him) equal, in everything, to the son of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) (needs_source: the list of names is as the sheikh gives it) ¹⁷.