(20, Muharram, Death
anniversary)
Bilal al-Habashi (AD 580-640) was an African of Ethiopian heritage companion of
Islamic Last Prophet(Peace be upon him), born in Mecca , His father's name was
Rabah and his mother's name Hamamah. He was among the emancipated slaves freed
by Abu Bakr and was known for his voice with which he called people to their
prayers. His name can also be known as, "Bilal ibn Rabah" and he is sometimes
known as "Bilal al-Habashi" or "Bilal the one from Habesha today's Ethiopia". He
remained constantly in the company of Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) and was in
charge of his (Peace be upon him) needs He is also regarded as one of the
Ashaabus-suffah. Last Prophet (Peace be upon him), approving the method for
calling to prayers, and asked Bilal, who had a marvelous voice, to call the
Muslims to prayer (the Adhan). So Islam's first muezzin was Bilal. Last
Prophet(Peace be upon him) mentions that he is Sayyidul Muazzineed (leader of
the Muazzins).
One of the slaves of Umayyah ibn Khalaf, a terrible foe of Islam and Last
Prophet (Peace be upon him), was named Bilal. Bilal learned about Last
Prophet(Peace be upon him) and his teachings and became Muslim, but kept his
belief in secret. However, his master Umayyah came to know that he had opted to
be a Muslim. So he started punishing him. He ordered his slaves to make him lay
on the hot sand and put heavy stones on his body so that he could not move.
Hadhrat Bilaal was harassed and beaten the day long and during the night He was
tied in chains and lashed. On the next day, he was again made to lie on the hot
desert sands which cause even greater injuries to the body of Bilal. Hadhrat
Bilal used to be beaten by many people. When one would get tired, another would
take his place. Sometimes it was Abu Jhal's turn and sometimes Umayyah bin
Khalaf and others. Each of them would beat him until they got tired but no mercy
was spared for the slave whom they so brutally injured After such punishments,
news of this slave reached some of Last Prophet(Peace be upon him)'s companions
who told Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) of the slave. Last Prophet(Peace be
upon him) then sent Abu Baker. He asked Umayyah bin Khalaf, 'Do you not fear
Allah? How long will you carry out this practice on this poor person?" Umayyah
bin Khalaf retorted that, 'since you have instigated him ,by teaching Islam to
him, so you free him." Hadhrat Abu Bakr answered, "Yes, I will free him. I have
a black slave who is even stronger than him and who is in your religion. Will
you accept this slave in exchange for him?" Umayyah bin Khalaf accepted the
offer. Hadhrat Abu Bakr exchanged the slaves and thus bought Hadhrat Bilaal and
freed him .
Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) later, in Medina, learned of Bilal's unique way
of praying and unique voice with which he spoke from the soul and as a result of
this Bilal became the first muezzin. Hadhrat Bilal used to give the Fajr Adhaan
from the roof of the house of a lady from the tribe of Banu Najjaar. Her home
was joined to the Masjid. From the time of Sehri he used to sit on the roof
waiting for the time of Fajr. Whenever Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) went to
Musjid-e-Qubaa, then Bilaal would give the Adhaan and when hearing him, the
people living around the area knew that Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) was in
the area. Hadhrat Bilal was the Muazzin of Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) and
his treasurer. If anyone came to Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) with any
necessity then he used to ask Hadhrat Bilal to carry out this task who would
then make sure to get the necessary item and fulfill the need on behalf of Last
Prophet(Peace be upon him).
Later on, some people suggested that this honor should be given to someone else,
because Bilal could not pronounce the Arabic letter 'sheen' properly and instead
used the letter 'seen'. It is reported that Last Prophet(Peace be upon him)
said, "The 'seen' of Bilal is 'sheen' 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 Last Prophet(Peace be upon him), and he is quoted as
reciting some lines of poetry in his own language, in praise of Last
Prophet(Peace be upon him). One day at the time of Fajr, Last Prophet(Peace be
upon him) asked Hadhrat Bilaal, 'O Bilaal, Show me one action that you have done
after accepting Islam, whose virtue is above all other actions, because I have
heard your footsteps in Jannat'. Hadhrat Bilaal explains that I have not done
any action whose virtue is more than the others. But it is true, that during the
day or night, whenever I made Wudhu, I made it my duty to read some Nafl Salaats,
and from amongst the Salaats I read, I verily read Tahiyyatul Wudhu (Salaat
after Wudhu)" when Nabi (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) heard this, he said that
it was because of this action that he had attained such status.
In 622, the year of the Hijra, Bilal migrated to Medina and over the next decade
accompanied Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) on all his military expeditions.
Bilal also carried Last Prophet(Peace be upon him)'s spear, which was used from
624 onward to point the direction of prayer. He fought in the Battle of Badr, in
the aftermath of which he killed his former master, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, in spite
of the protestation of Umayyah's capturer and long-time friend Abdur Rahman bin
Awf. Bilal was also present in all of the major events and battles, including
the battles of U Last Prophet(Peace be upon him) Uhud and Battle of the Trench.
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
Mecca, Last Prophet(Peace be upon him)'s muezzin ascended to the top of the
Kaaba to call the believers to prayer, - the first time the call to prayer was
heard within Islam's holiest city, however this was never proven and many
dispute the fact that it would be against the faith to actually have climbed the
Kaaba, no matter how big the conquest.
After the death of Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), Usama ibn Zayd
continued a military expedition to Syria, as commanded by Last Prophet(Peace be
upon him) Bilal accompanied the army . After Last Prophet(Peace be upon him)'s
death, Bilal never called Adhan. But when Caliph Umar visited Jerusalem, other
Sahaba requested Umar to ask Bilal for one more last Adhan, and when Bilal did
it, It was a very emotional moment for all of the Sahaba. One day as he was
sleeping at his home in Damascus he saw Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon
him) in a dream. Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) asked, "Why is it
that you don't come to visit me." As soon as Hadhrat Bilaal woke he set out for
the city of Medinah. Upon his arrival in Medinah the grandsons of Holy Prophet
Mohammad (peace be upon him), Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain came to visit him.
Hadhrat Bilal had deep love and affection for them and was overjoyed when he met
them. Upon the request of the grandsons of Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon
him), he recited the Azaan for the last time. The People of Medina were
surprised to hear his voice. They were reminded of Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace
be upon him), when in those days Hadhrat Bilal used to recite the Azaan five
times a day. Upon hearing his voice all the people both men and women came out
of their houses in tears and the sound of their grief reverberated across the
city of Medinah.
HADHRAT Bilal passed away in the 20th year after Hijrat in Damascus and there he
is buried near 'Babus sagheer' by 20 Muharram, his blessed age was 63 years.
When Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) proclaimed prophet hood, he was
30 years old. He spent the remaining 33 years of his life in the assistance of
Islam, persecuted severely for admitting his Islam and despite this, he
continued to announce boldly, 'Ahad, the One Allah!'. He participated in the
battles and endured both hunger and pain. He was not only a Muazzin, but was
granted the status of being the leader of the Muazzins. May Allah Ta'aala be
pleased with him forever, Aameen. Bilal's grave is now in the outskirts of
Amman, Jordan, in a village called Bader. There is also another tomb in Damascus
believed to be his. After the day of judgment he will enter in Jannat-Ul Firdos
along with Last prophet(peace be upon him).
Though there are some disagreements 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 Last Prophet(Peace be upon him), 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 Last Prophet(Peace
be upon him)'s eyes, the measure of a man was neither nationality nor social
status nor race, but piety.