Bilal The Voice of Islam

Bilal ibn Rabah (ra) was born into slavery in Makkah. His mother Hamamah was an Abyssinian enslaved woman. He was owned by Umayyah ibn Khalaf of the clan of Banu Jumah, one of the most powerful and most hostile men among Quraysh.

By every measure the world uses to judge people, Bilal had nothing. No clan, no wealth, no status, no protection. In the tribal society of Arabia, he was counted as nothing.

But Bilal had a voice unlike anyone had ever heard in Makkah. Deep, resonant, carrying across great distances. And he had a heart that would carry something even further.

He was among the earliest people to accept Islam, when the entire Muslim community could be counted on one hand. And when Umayyah ibn Khalaf found out, the worst began.

Umayyah ibn Khalaf wanted Bilal to deny Islam. He tried everything to break him.

At the height of the midday heat, when the sun turns the desert sand into a burning surface, Umayyah would drag Bilal out and force him to lie down on the scalding ground. Then he would place a massive boulder on his chest so heavy Bilal could barely breathe.

He demanded: "Deny Allah! Say what I tell you to say!"

Bilal could not argue. He could barely speak under the weight of the rock. But from his chest, with every breath, came one word repeated:

"Ahad! Ahad!"

One. One. Allah is One.

No matter what they did, that was all he would say. The word became his shield. The truth became his strength. And no boulder on earth was heavy enough to make him set it down. (Ibn Hisham, Seerah al-Nabawiyyah)

Abu Bakr (ra) went to Umayyah ibn Khalaf and paid a high price to purchase Bilal's freedom. Then he freed him immediately, for the sake of Allah alone.

Someone said to Abu Bakr: "Why did you not negotiate a lower price?" Abu Bakr (ra) replied simply: "I did this only for Allah."

When the Qur'an was revealed about this act of freeing the enslaved:

"And what would make you realise what the steep path is? It is freeing a slave." (Qur'an 90:12-13)

Bilal walked out free. For the first time in his life, no one owned him except Allah.

He went straight to the Prophet ﷺ. He never left his side.

In Madinah, the early Muslim community needed a way to call people to prayer. Various ideas were discussed. Then a companion named Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Abd Rabbih came to the Prophet ﷺ and described a dream in which he had heard words of a call to prayer.

The Prophet ﷺ confirmed the dream was true and commanded that Bilal be taught these words to call the people, because Bilal had the most powerful and far-carrying voice among all the companions.

And so Bilal ibn Rabah became the first muadhdhin in the history of Islam.

His voice rang out over Madinah for the first time: "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!"

The man who had been silenced under a rock in the desert now summoned an entire community to stand before Allah. (Sunan Abu Dawud 498-499; Ibn Hisham, Seerah al-Nabawiyyah)

In the year 8 AH, the Prophet ﷺ led ten thousand Muslims into Makkah. The city that had tortured and expelled the early believers opened without battle. The Prophet ﷺ entered humbly, head bowed, reciting words of gratitude to Allah.

He entered the Ka'bah and cleared it of the idols. Then he gave a command:

He called for Bilal.

Bilal climbed to the roof of the Ka'bah the most sacred structure in Makkah and gave the adhan.

His voice carried across the city that had once watched him tortured in its desert. Some of the Makkans watching were outraged. Some wept. Some stood in stunned silence.

And the words "Allahu Akbar!" rang out from the top of the Ka'bah for the first time in history. (Ibn Hisham, Seerah al-Nabawiyyah; Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya)

When the Prophet ﷺ passed away, Bilal (ra) could not bring himself to give the adhan anymore. The voice that had announced every prayer for years went silent. He left Madinah for Syria, saying he could not remain in the city where the Prophet ﷺ was no longer alive.

Years later, Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) visited Syria and the Muslims there begged Bilal to give the adhan one more time.

He stood and called: "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!"

The companions present wept so hard they could barely stand. Umar (ra) wept. Everyone wept. The voice that had called them to prayer for so many years with the Prophet ﷺ still among them carried all of that memory in a single call.

Bilal (ra) said he would not give the adhan regularly again after the Prophet ﷺ was gone. He remained in Syria until he died, reunited with his Prophet ﷺ only in the next world. (Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya)