If anyone has ever stood for truth and justice and challenged the people of power, no matter in what age the person had been, he has faced brutal forms of repression and persecution. Similar is the case with Islam as its very inception was met with stiff resistances from the people of power in Makkah. It is well-known how the Sahaba were persecuted and tortured just for believing in one True God. Nearly all the Sahaba were physically tortured, however those who belonged to the lowest strata of the society, who hardly enjoyed any protection, were the ones who were at the receiving end and suffered the most inhumane and unbearable torture.
Bilal Ibn Rabah, also known as Bilal al Habashi, is one name which is very common when it comes remembering those who were physically abused for their belief in Allah in lieu of giving up the false practices and idol worship prevalent at that time. Bilal was a black Ethiopian slave and remained as one of the most trusted and loyal companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). Bilal’s father was Rabah and his mother’s name was Hamamah and they came to Arabia as slaves and Bilal was born in the valleys of Makkah. Both his parents were the slaves of Umayyah Ibn Khalaf, who was a rich man from the tribe of Quraish and therefore he was born in slavery and served his master from the very beginning.
He was the first among the slaves of Africa to accept Islam and his melodious voice and special place for him in the heart of the Messenger of Allah made him earn the honour of being the first muezzin (the one who calls for prayer) of Islam. After the construction of the mosque in Medina, people were discussing as to how they should call the believers for prayers. Abdullah Ibn Zaid Ibn Abd Rabbihi went to the Messenger of Allah with his story that he saw Adhan in his dream. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) approved of it and said that he should go to Bilal and communicate to him as he had the most beautiful and mesmerising voice. This special treatment of Bilal by the Messenger of Allah corroborates the pluralistic and anti-racial attitude of Islam.
He was a man of upright character and did not forsake his religion even when death became apparent as Umayyah was hell-bent on killing him. Since childhood Umayyah brainwashed Bilal and used to tell him every time that he must obey him. He always reminded him by saying, “I am your owner, and you are my slave, you must obey me because your god has been made from wood and mine is from gold. This is the god’s will.”
Bilal was mesmerised the moment he heard the teachings of Islam which the Messenger of Allah brought. As the whole of the Makkah was talking about the Messenger of Allah and the new deen he brought with him with disgust and awe, it so happened that Bilal heard his master expressing angst and fear over the real implications of the message. He heard Umayyah saying, “We must not let Muhammad freely disturb the city. Muhammad treated our idols with disrespect.” Muhammad says, “There is only one God and everybody must worship him.” “Do you know what this means? It means that I, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, the noble person of Makkah and Bilal al-Habashi, the ignorant black slave must have the same god …. Is that possible?”
The very thought of One God seemed very rationale to Bilal and few days later he decided to become a Muslim and went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) and declared his faith. The secret meetings with the Messenger of Allah changed Bilal completely and he began to abhor the idol worship and started expressing anger and anguish over his inability to recognise the true God for such a long time.
It is reported that one day he went to Ka’ba and said while looking at the idols kept there, “Oh! You unable idols! How can you defend yourselves? Woe is to me that I worshipped these idols and fell crying at their feet.” He even spat on one of the idols and then said in anger, “Oh, you unable god! You do not deserve worship! You become extinct some day. You do not deserve for me to spend my time with you in this manner!”
Then came the fateful day when Umayyah got to know about Bilal’s conversion to Islam. Umayyah unleashed his barbarism in the hot burning sands of the desert when the sun was at its peak. He threw Bilal away and placed a huge stone on his chest and even brought a torch close to Bilal’s body to burn his flesh. He shouted “Bilal,” and said, “O’ you unlucky slave, are you willing to repent, or do I burn your body by the fire?” However Umayyah’s anger turned into absolute shock when he went close to Bilal and heard his voice repeating incessantly “Ahad” “Ahad” (absolute oneness).
Umayyah’s anger did not subside even at this. He tied a rope to Bilal’s neck and made the children drag him on the hot sands of the desert. It was Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) who came for the rescue of Bilal and ransomed Bilal by giving a huge amount of money to Umayyah. The tables however turned when the Muslims migrated to Medina and in the Battle of Badr, Bilal vent out all his anger and killed his former master Umayyah. He fought all the major battles along with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) and remained steadfast at all the times.
It was Bilal who had the honour to call Adhan for the first time in Makkah. When the Muslims liberated Makkah, Bilal was called to give Adhan. There are however some dispute as to whether he climbed on top of the Ka’ba and gave Adhan or he did not climb the Ka’ba.
The story of Bilal has innumerable lessons for posterity and it gives courage and strength to stand up for what one believes, no matter what cost one has to pay for it.