Bilal:African prophet / Islam's 7th convert

Akheneton1 · (#1 (**permalink**))

Bilal ibn Rabah: African Prophet of Islam

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Bilal ibn Ribah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In Muslim tradition Bilal ibn Ribah was an Ethiopian born in Mecca in the late 6th century, whom Muhammad chose as his muezzin, and was the first black convert to Islam. He was known for his beautiful voice with which he called people to their prayers. His name can also be spelled as, "Bilal ibn Riyah" or "ibn Rabah" and sometimes is known as "Bilal al-Habashi" or "Bilal the Ethiopian". He died 638 - 642 when he was just over sixty years old.

Early life

Very little is known about Bilal's early life. Everything that is known comes from Muslim sources. He was of very humble parentage, and was one of the first inhabitants of Mecca to accept early Islamic revelation.

Genealogy

His father was called "Riyah" also spelled as "Ribah", and his mother "Jumanah", also spelled as "Hamamah". His agnomen was "Abu Abdillah" and "Abu Umar". Narrators described him as very dark in complexion, slender, very tall, thick-haired and with a sparse beard.

Life as a slave

He was a slave owned by Umayah ibn Khalaf and/or Umayah's son Safwan ibn Umayyah of Jumah, aQuraish subtribe. Among his occupations was to tended herds of camels.

He heard of Muhammad when his master talked to his guests with anxiety, rage, and malice in his voice. He also overheard them say

"Muhammad was never a liar, magician, or mad, but we have to describe him this way until we turn away from him those who rush to his religion."
He understood that his master had three main reasons for disliking Muhammad:

1) He opposed the traditional religion of Quraish

2) They were afraid that Quraish economical status would diminish if people were to stop coming to Mecca to worship the idols

3)That the disliked the pride of Banu Hashim for having a prophet from their tribe.

When he heard Muhammad preach, he decided to convert to Islam.

Bilals's master, Umayah ibn Khalaf considered the acceptance of Islam by one of the Banu Jumah slaves as a shock. Umayah reportedly said "It does not matter. Indeed the sun this day shall not set but with the Islam of this stray slave." and began to torture Bilal in order to force his apostasy. Reportedly, he was stripped naked and hid on hot coals to make him renounce his religion, but he refused.

According to Ibn Ishaq, Bilal's master reportedly, "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" (pre-Islamic goddesses)."

Other sources state that he "was made to lie down naked on the burning sand of the Arabian desert; a heavy stone was put on his chest which made breathing difficult for him. And as if it was not enough, some heavily built persons used to jump upon the stone, trying to crush him to death. Still the only sound heard from Bilal was "Ahad! Ahad! (One God! One God!)"

Bilal remained under the rock, and by sunset they raised him up and put a rope around his neck took him around the mountains and streets of Makkah. Bilal kept saying " One ... One."

This torture was repeated every day. They said that they would set him free on condition that he said the name of Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza. But he answered, "One ... One" They said to him, "Say as we say." He answered them "Indeed my tongue is not good at that."

One of them said "Tomorrow, speak well of our gods, say, My lord is Al-Lat and Al Uzza,' and we'll leave you alone." Bilal shook his head and said, "One... One.". Umayah ibn Khalaf kicked him and shouted, "What bad luck has thrown you upon us, O slave of evil! By Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza, I will make you an example for slaves and masters."

Later Abu Bakr went to them while they were torturing him and shouted at them,

"Have you no fear of Allah that you treat this poor man in such a way -- how long do you intend continuing like this!"
With a sneer, Ummaya replied, "It is you who have corrupted him -- save him from it!"

Abu Bakr said"Are you killing a man because he says, 'Allah is my Lord?" Then he shouted at Umayah ibn Khalaf, "Take more than his price and set him free."

Since Umayah accepted the offer reasoning that selling him was more profitable to them than his death. Abu Bakr payed them. They said "Take him, for by Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza if you had refused to buy him except for one ounce of gold, would have sold him to you."'

Abu Bakr answered "By Allah, if you had refused to sell him except for a hundred ounces, I would have paid it.".

Abu Bakr took Bilal home with him where he was cared for, nursed back to health and permitted to practice Islam freely. Muhammad later freed him completely.

Living with Muhammad

Adhan

Muslim tradition supplies the story of how the adhan came to be used to announce the times of the five daily prayers. In 2 ah, a Muslim named Abd Allah ibn Zaid had a vision in which he tried to buy a wooden clapper to summon people to prayer. But the man who had the clapper advised him to call out to the people instead and to cry(as per the Shia madhhab of Islam):

God is most great! God is most great!
God is most great! God is most great!
I testify that there is no god but God.
I testify that there is no god but God.
I testify that Muhammad is the Apostle of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the Apostle of God.
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to salvation! Come to salvation!
Come to the best of all deeds!
Come to the best of all deeds!
God is most great! God is most great!
There is no god but God.
There is no god but God.
According to Ibn Ishaq, the eighth-century biographer of the Prophet, Ibn Zaid went to Muhammad with his story and Muhammad, approving, told him to ask an Ethiopian named Bilal, who had a marvelous voice, to call the Muslims to prayer. As Ibn Ishaq told the story (in Albert Guillaume's translation):

When the Apostle was told of this he said that it was a true vision if God so willed it, and that he should go to Bilal and communicate it to him so that he might call to prayer thus, for he had a more penetrating voice. When Bilal acted as muezzin, Umar I, who later became the second caliph, heard him in his house and came to the Apostle... saying that he had seen precisely the same vision. The Apostle said 'God be praised for that!'

Though slightly different versions of the story exist, all agree that Islam's first muezzin was Bilal.

Later on, some people suggested that this honour should be given to someone else, because Bilal could not pronounce the Arabic letter 'shin' properly and instead used the letter 'sin'. Muhammad said:

"The 'sin' of Bilal is 'shin' in the hearing of God."
Meaning that God does not see the physical manifestation; He appreciates the purity of heart. Bilal felt deep love for Muhammad, he is quoted as reciting some lines of poetry in his own language, Ethiopian, in the praise of the Prophet of Islam. Hassan bin Thabit al-Ansari has translated it into Arabic:

"When noble traits are described in our country, thou art pointed out as a model among us."

Migration

In 622, the year of the Hijra, Bilal also migrated to Medina and over the next decade accompanied Muhammad on all military expeditions, serving, tradition says, as the Prophet's mace-bearer and steward, but also as a muezzin revered by Muslims for his majestically sonorous renditions of the adhan. Bilal also carried Muhammad 's spear, which was used from 624 onward to point the direction of prayer.

He was present at Battle of Badr where he killed the man that tortured him earlier, Umayah ibn Khalaf. He was also present in all of the major events and battles, including the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of Khandaq.

Bilal's finest hour came in January, 630, on an occasion regarded as one of the most hallowed moments in Islamic history. After the Muslim forces had captured Makkah, the Prophets muezzin ascended to the top of the Ka'ba to call the believers to prayer - the first time the call to prayer was heard within Islam's holiest city.

After Muhammad

There is are contradictory reports about what happened to Bilal after the death of Muhammad in 632.

General view

What seems clear is that at some point Bilal accompanied the Muslim armies to Syria.

After Muhammad's demise, Usama ibn Zaid continued a expedition paused military expedition to Syria, as commanded by Muhammad. However, more sources need to be referred to establish in this article if that is the armies Bilal accompanied.

Sunni view

Some Sunni sources say that after Abu Bakr gained power after Muhammad, Bilal acted as Abu Bakr's muezzin but subsequently declined to serve his successor, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, in the same capacity.

Other Sunni authors say Muhammad's death signaled the end of Bilal's career as a muezzin, and that he called the faithful to prayer only twice more in his life - once in Syria, to honor the visiting 'Umar, and a second time, in Medina, when he was specifically asked to do so by the Prophet's grandsons.

Shia view

Shia claim that he stopped reciting the adhan and moved to Syria due to Alis right being usurped and Muhammad's will being ignored, and that the conflicting stories are made to cover up this fact.

The author of Isti'ab writes:

"When the Prophet died, Bilal wanted to go to Syria. Abu Bakr told him to remain in his (personal) service.
It is written in Kamil Baha'i that Bilal did not say adhan or iqamah for Abu Bakr, and did not pay allegiance to Abu Bakr as a caliph.

Shaykh Abu Ja'far al-Tusi has narrated in lkhtiyar al-Rijal a report that Bilal refused to pay allegiance to Abu Bakr; and 'Umar caught hold of his dress made of hide and said:

"Is this the reward of Abu Bakr; he emancipated you and you are now refusing to pay allegiance to him?".
Bilal said:

"If Abu Bakr had emancipated me for the pleasure of Allah, then let him leave me alone for Allah; and if he had emancipated me for his service, then I am ready to render him the services required. But I am not going to pay allegiance to a person whom the Messenger of God had not appointed as his caliph."
Umar then dealt harshly with him and said,

"You should not remain here among us."
That is why after the Prophet's death, Bilal could not remain in Medina; and migrated to Syria. (ref)

The source does not specify "dealt harshly".

Some of Bilal poetry on this subject is as follows:

By Allah! I did not turn towards Abu Bakr,
If Allah had not protected me,
hyena would have stood on my limbs.
Allah has bestowed on me good
and honoured me,
Surely there is vast good with Allah.
You will not find me following an innovator,
Because I am not an innovator, as they are.

Death

Bilal died there between 638 and 642, though the exact date of death and place of burial are disputed.

The Sunni scholar Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti in his "Tarikh al-Khulaf" writes:

He (Bilal) died in Damascus in 17 or 18 AH, but some say 20 AH, or even 21 AH when he was just over sixty years old. Some said he died in Madinah, but that is wrong. That is how it is in al-Isabah and other works such as the Tahdhib of an-Nawawi. (ref)
Shia state that Bilal died in Damascus around 20 AH, and was buried in 'Bab Saghir, and that his grave in Damascus is visited by thousands of devoted Muslims every year.(ref)

Legacy

Yet if there is some disagreement concerning the hard facts of Bilal's life and death, his importance on a number of levels is incontestable. Muezzin guilds, especially those in Turkey and Africa, have traditionally venerated the original practitioner of their noble profession, and African Muslims as a whole feel a special closeness and kinship to him; he was an Ethiopian, after all, who had been exceptionally close to the Prophet, and is a model of steadfastness and devotion to the faith. The story of Bilal, in fact, remains the classic and most frequently cited demonstration that in the Prophet's eyes, the measure of a man was neither nationality nor social status, but piety.

Bilal was devoted to the Ahl ul-Bayt and used to publicly show his support for them.

The Shia Imam Jafar al-Sadiq is recorded as having said:

"May God bless Bilal! He loved us, the family of the Prophet, and was one of the most pious servants of Allah."

also http://www.afghanland.com/islam/bilal.html

http://www.islamonline.com/cgi-bin/n...service_id=756

http://www.alinaam.org.za/fazaail/bilalstory.html ( short story about Bilal )

http://www.alinaam.org.za/library/hist_bio/bilaal.htm

http://anwary-islam.com/companion/s-bilal.htm

Omaar · (#2 (**permalink**))

Akheneton

First of all, Bilal WAS NOT a prophet!

Secondly, there were other slave converts besides Bilal like Zaid bin Haritha.
There were also Persian, Arab, and Roman slave converts whose race are rarely mentioned.

Third, are you a Muslim?

Akheneton1 · (#3 (**permalink**))

Omaar wrote:

Quote:

Akheneton

First of all, Bilal WAS NOT a prophet!

Secondly, there were other slave converts besides Bilal like Zaid bin Haritha.
There were also Persian, Arab, and Roman slave converts whose race are rarely mentioned.

Third, are you a Muslim?

Quote:

When I saw your name, I knew you were going to come in here with negative bullshyt even while calling me 'anti-Islamic' in the other thread. I read Bilal was a "prophet", either way he is a significant figure in the history of Islam ( I never said Zaid bin Haritha, Muhammeds, adopted son, was not).He wasthe first Muazzin ( whatever that means ) of Islam and I never said he was the first or only slave convert, f**king idiot, I said he was Islam's 7th convert, or at least that's what one of the articles state. I am well aware that Persians, Turks, Romans(?) were also enslaved by your beloved Arabs, just f**k off Omaar.Stop trying to discredit the man,I never said he fathered Muhammed, he is a respected historicalfigure of your religion.No I am not a Muslim.

flow-unclever · (#4 (**permalink**))

Important points

1. Bilal was never a prophet and he never called himself a prophet.

2. Our master Bilal was held in higher esteem in Arabian historical accounts well before majority of Africans knew anything about him.

3. In addition to our master Bilal thousands of black africans accepted islam in the early days including kings and noblemen.

4. Our master Bilal is spoken greatly of because of the religious rank he attained in islam.It is a high rank indeed but it is not the rank of a prophet (wherever you read this claim it is an inaccurate claim). And he attained this rank based on how well he met the islamic ideal of associating no partners to his Creator (Allah) and worshipping Him as the only god worh of worship.

5. Are there any Christian hostirical accounts which speak fondly of black companions of Prophet Jesus peace be upon him?

Regards

----------------------------------------------

First of all, Bilal WAS NOT a prophet!

Secondly, there were other slave converts besides Bilal like Zaid bin Haritha.
There were also Persian, Arab, and Roman slave converts whose race are rarely mentioned.

Third, are you a Muslim?

Quote:

When I saw your name, I knew you were going to come in here with negative bullshyt even while calling me 'anti-Islamic' in the other thread. I read Bilal was a "prophet", either way he is a significant figure in the history of Islam ( I never said Zaid bin Haritha, Muhammeds, adopted son, was not).He wasthe first Muazzin ( whatever that means ) of Islam and I never said he was the first or only slave convert, f**king idiot, I said he was Islam's 7th convert, or at least that's what one of the articles state. I am well aware that Persians, Turks, Romans(?) were also enslaved by your beloved Arabs, just f**k off Omaar.Stop trying to discredit the man,I never said he fathered Muhammed, he is a respected historicalfigure of your religion.No I am not a Muslim

Omaar · (#5 (**permalink**))

First of all, watch your language when discussing Muslim subjects during the Holy Month.

Second of all, if you're not a Muslim why are you even concerned with Bilal and his status in Islam?

!I strongly suggest you find another subject to abuse your illusions with and leave Islamic history alone.

Akheneton1 · (#6 (**permalink**))

Omaar wrote:

Quote:

First of all, watch your language when discussing Muslim subjects during the Holy Month.

Second of all, if you're not a Muslim why are you even concerned with Bilal and his status in Islam?

!I strongly suggest you find another subject to abuse your illusions with and leave Islamic history alone.

Quote:

Omaar, I would f**king slap you if we ever met up in real life. I'm sick of your shyt. Bilal was an African, just like Desmond Tutu or any African of any religion. I started the thread to honor the man because I admire him and his devotion to his religion, Ieven admire and respectthe prophets Mohammed and Yeshua but I am neither a Christian nor a Muslim.Maybe I made a mistake in calling him a 'prophet', I was loose on that casual definition and meanthe was asignificant person in Islam and a great man.I wish I could f**king kill you sometimes. I will continue to read about world history because I don't want to be ignorant ( which I am ), you don't have ownership of 'Islamic history'.You're not even a good Muslim, I don't think you qualify as a person ( this is the idiot in the other thread talking about owning slaves or seeing nothing wrong w/ 40 year old men and 17 year old girls in modern timesetc. )

Omaar · (#7 (**permalink**))

Slap me??

I doubt if you could even reach me son....

Now I've asked you once, but I'm not gonna continue to ask you to watch your foul mouth both when adressing me and when discussing Islamic issues in the Holy Month.

If you truly admire Bilal you would pay homage by honoring his wishes by refraining from aggressive and vulgar speech, threats, and starting conflicts during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

flow-unclever · (#8 (**permalink**))

Ok now that everyone has offered his own explanation there is no need to insult one another or hate one another. When we reduce ourselves to insulting one another a very important aspect is lost Bilal was a spiritual and peaceful black man who would have not liked to have his name associated with this kind of abuse between those who wish to discuss him.

If we cannot keep it civilised better to discuss other important issues such as which is the best garage tune out there.

Regards

Akheneton1 · (#9 (**permalink**))

Although Omaar is a fool and I was provoked by his offensive and horrible nature, I was in the wrong! I should not be using inaapropriate and foul language and making threats in a discussion about Bilal or Islamic issues, especially during your holy month of Ramdan. I was dead wrong for that muchand I sincerely apologise!

nefertit · (#10 (**permalink**))

Akheneton1, you're a gentleman to apologize.niceone.gifAlso, wonderful post!clp)

The Last African · (#11 (**permalink**))

It was a nice read,Akenheton 1. Thanks