Story of Bilal ibn Rabah RadiyaAllahu Anh.

 Story of Bilal ibn Rabah RadiyaAllahu Anh. 

Bilal was born in Mecca, Western Arabia. His mother was abducted as a child and sold as a slave. Bilal was known for his hard work and loyalty to his master, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, a leader in Mecca and one of the archenemies of Islam. Bilal’s presence in the household of Umayyah gave him the opportunity to hear the comments made by the leaders of Quraish (tribe in Mecca) about Prophet Muhammad. These comments were a mixture of envy and hatred as well as a confession of Muhammad’s integrity and honesty.

When Bilal was finally convinced of what he had heard of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, he declared to join the faith of Islam. He was known to be the first slave convert in Islamic history. This step itself was not an easy one, Muslims were subjected to ridicule and harassment and at times even persecution as soon as their conversion to Islam was identified.

Similarly, Bilal suffered terribly due to his acceptance. He was beaten mercilessly, dragged around the hills of Mecca and subjected to long periods without food or water. His owner, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, used all sorts of torture on Bilal to make him change his mind. He would bring him out at the hottest part of the day and throw him on his back in the open valley and have a great rock put on his chest; then he would say to him, ‘You will stay here till you die or deny Muhammad and worship al-Lat and al-’Uzza" (gods worshipped by the people of Mecca).

Our great hero’s response amidst his suffering was only one word – “Ahad (He is One, He is One)” which means, ‘God is One.’ He said nothing else, but to him this was sufficient to give him all the spiritual support needed to bear the effects of the torture he was exposed to.

A man the society had made captive, who was forced to live, serve and die as a slave, who had no family, wealth, lineage or supporters. As soon as he heard about the message of Islam, it gave him hope, strength, and purpose. It became a revolutionizing message for him and his life forward.

News of the slave who cried out "God is One!" even amid torture soon reached Prophet Muhammad and his companions. Abu Bakr, Prophet Muhammad’s closest friend and a wealthy trader was sent to investigate and set Bilal free.

At the time slavery was a worldwide, entrenched institution. The laws of Islam sought to emancipate slaves; to free a slave was regarded as an act of piety and an expiation for sins.

Umayyah and his men got tired of torturing Bilal. He was asked to say something nice in favor of their gods to let him go, but to Bilal, torture in its worst form was better than even those few appeasing words. When Umayyah despaired Bilal’s reversion to disbelief, he accepted Abu Bakr’s offer.

Emancipated, Bilal instantly became one of the closest and most trusted and distinguished companions of Prophet Muhammad. After the migration to Madinah, and when the institution of Adhan (call to prayer) was founded, it was Bilal who was given the honor to be the first mu’ezzin (caller to prayer) in Islam.

Bilal had an echoing high-pitched mesmerizing voice. The moment people heard Bilal's call to prayer, they came running to the mosque for prayer.

Later, upon the victorious entry to Mecca, it was Bilal again who was asked to ascend and stand on top of the Kabah (a sacred structure; location used as a direction to prayer) to perform the call to prayer.

Bilal ibn Rabah is one of the most inspirational and illustrious names in Islamic history. He is honored by approximately 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide. His life story reflects the deep love, determination and conviction he had in God and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). His story also demonstrates Islam’s respect for human equality, kindness, anti-racism, and social equity.

Indeed, God does not measure people by their skin color, nationality, social status nor race, but by the measure of their character, taqwa (piety) and their actions.