Bilal ibn Rabah

c. 580 - 640 CE

An Ethiopian slave in Mecca tortured on the burning sands under a boulder for accepting Islam. He answered every blow with one word: 'Ahad, ahad', One, One. Abu Bakr bought his freedom. He became the Prophet's muezzin, calling the adhan for the first time from the roof of the Kaaba on the day of conquest.

Life

Bilal ibn Rabah was born in slavery to an Ethiopian mother and an Arab father in Mecca, owned by Umayya ibn Khalaf of the Banu Jumah. He accepted Islam early. When Umayya discovered it, he dragged Bilal onto the burning desert sands at midday, laid a huge boulder on his chest, and demanded he renounce his faith.

Bilal answered every blow with one word: ahad, ahad, "One, One." He would not renounce. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq passed by, saw the scene, purchased Bilal from Umayya on the spot at a price far above the market, and freed him.

The Prophet ﷺ chose Bilal as the first muezzin of Islam. His voice, deep and resonant, called the adhan five times a day in Medina for the rest of the Prophet's life. On the day of the conquest of Mecca in 8 AH, the Prophet ordered Bilal to climb to the roof of the Kaaba and call the adhan from atop the sanctuary that had, ten years earlier, watched him tortured on its sands.

After the Prophet's death, Bilal could not bring himself to give the adhan. He said his heart broke each time he began. He left Medina and settled in Syria. He gave the adhan only twice more: once when Umar visited Jerusalem, and once in a dream vision of the Prophet.

Stories

Each story below is drawn from the classical Islamic historical sources.