Bilal ibn Rabah
Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ بِلَال بِن رَبَاح | |
---|---|
Mu'azzin and Secretary of Treasure of The Islamic State of Medina | |
Title | Sayyid al-Muʾaḏḏin |
Died | March 2, 640 | (aged 59)
Father | Rabah |
Mother | Hamamah |
Wife |
|
Religion | Islam |
Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ (
Birth and early life
Bilal ibn Rabah was born in Mecca in the
Bilal's appearance
In his book, Bilal ibn Rabah, Muhammad Abdul-Rauf states that Bilal "was of a handsome and impressive stature, dark brown complexion with sparkling eyes, a fine nose and bright skin. He was also gifted with a deep, melodious, resonant voice. He wore a beard which was thin on both cheeks. He was endowed with great wisdom and a sense of dignity and self esteem."
Conversion to Islam
When Muhammad announced his prophethood and started to preach the message of Islam, Bilal renounced idol worship, becoming one of the earliest converts to the faith.[11]
Persecution of Bilal
When Bilal's slave master, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, found out, he began to torture Bilal.
Bilal's emancipation
News of the persecution of Bilal reached some of Muhammad's companions, who informed him. Muhammad sent
Bilal in Madina
In the newly formed Islamic state of Madina, Bilal had become a prominent contributing member of the Muslim society taking on important roles.
Adhan
Muhammad chose Bilal as the first
Sunni view
The majority of mosques around the world recite the Athan according to the Sunni tradition. A dream was seen by Abdullah ibn Zaid where an angel in the form of a man wearing a green garment taught the words of the adhan. Muhammad then instructed Abdullah to teach those words to Bilal because he had a louder voice than him.
It is narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah [17] that Abdullah ibn Zaid said the following:
The Messenger of Allah was thinking of a horn, and he commanded that a bell be made and it was done. Then 'Abdullah bin Zaid had a dream. He said: "I saw a man wearing two green garments, carrying a bell. I said to him, 'O slave of Allah, will you sell the bell?' He said; 'What will you do with it?' I said, 'I will call (the people) to prayer.' He said, 'Shall I not tell you of something better than that?' I said, 'What is it?' he said, 'Say:
- Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar; (Allah is The Most Great, Allah is The Most Great)
- Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah, Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah; (I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, I bear witness that there is no god except Allah.)
- Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah; (I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah, I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah)
- Hayya 'alas-salah, Hayya 'alas-salah; (Come to the Prayer, Come to the Prayer)
- Hayya 'alal-falah, Hayya 'alal-falah; (Come to the prosperity, Come to the prosperity)
- Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar; (Allah is the Most great, Allah is the Most Great)
- La ilaha illallah (There is no god except Allah)."
'Abdullah bin Zaid went out and came to the Messenger of Allah, and told him what he had seen. He said, "O Messenger of Allah, I saw a man wearing two green garments carrying a bell," and he told him the story. The Messenger of Allah said, "Your companion has had a dream. Go out with Bilal to the mosque and teach it to him, for he has a louder voice than you." I ('Abdullah) went out with Bilal to the mosque, and I started teaching him the words and he was calling them out. 'Umar Al-Khattab heard the voice and came out saying, "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I saw the same (dream) as him." (Hasan) Abu 'Ubaid said: "Abu Bakr Al-Hakami told me that 'Abdullah bin Zaid Al-Ansari said concerning that: 'I praise Allah, the Possessor of majesty and honor, A great deal of praise for the Adhan. Since the news of it came to me from Allah, So due to it, I was honored by the information. During the three nights. Each of which increased me in honor.'"
Shia view
Shias, in contrast, do not accept Abdullah ibn Ziyad's story.[18] They state that the Adhan was revealed to Muhammad just as the Qur'an al-Majid was revealed to him.[18] Shias believe that the Adhan could not be left to the dreams or reveries.[18] Furthermore, Sayed Ali Asgher Razwy states, "If the Prophet could teach the Muslims how to perform prostrations, and how, when, and what to say in each prayer, he could also teach them how and when to alert others before the time for each prayer." According to the Shia traditions, the angel who taught Muhammad how to perform ablutions preparatory to prayers and how to perform prayers also taught him the Adhan.[18]
Treasury
Bilal rose to prominence in the Islamic community of Medina, as Muhammad appointed him minister of the
Military campaigns during Muhammad's era
He participated in the
His piety
Bilal was among the
At the time of the Fajr prayer the Prophet (ﷺ) asked Bilal, "Tell me of the best deed you did after embracing Islam, for I heard your footsteps in front of me in Paradise." Bilal replied, "I did not do anything worth mentioning except that whenever I performed ablution during the day or night, I prayed after that ablution as much as was written for me."
After Muhammad
Shia view
After Muhammad died in 632 CE, Bilal was one of the people who did not give
Bilal replied, "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."[2] Similarly, al-Isti'ab, a Sunni source, states that Bilal told Abu Bakr: "If you have emancipated me for yourself, then make me a captive again; but if you had emancipated me for Allah, then let me go in the way of Allah."
This was said when Bilal wanted to go for Jihad. Abu Bakr then let him go."[2][29]
The following is a poem by Bilal on his refusal to give Abu Bakr bay'ah:
- 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.[2]
Being exiled from Medina by Umar and Abu Bakr, Bilal migrated to Syria.[2]
Abu Ja'far al-Tusi, a Shia scholar, has also stated in lkhtiyar al-Rijal that Bilal refused to pay allegiance to Abu Bakr.[2]
Sunni view
In the Sīrat Abī Bakr Al-Ṣiddīq that compiled many narrations and compiled historical circumstances regarding the rule of Caliph Abu Bakr, Bilal accompanied the Muslim armies, under the commands of
Sufi view
Death
The Sunni scholar al-Suyuti in his Tarikh al-khulafa wrote: "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 Medina, but that is wrong. That is how it is in al-Isabah and other works such as the Tahdhib of an-Nawawi."[33]
When Bilal's wife realized that death was approaching Bilal, she became sorrowful.[34] It is documented that she cried and said, "What a painful affliction!"[34] However, Bilal objected to his wife's opinion by stating, "On the contrary, what a happy occasion! Tomorrow I will meet my beloved Muhammad and his faction (hizb)!"[34]
He is believed to have been buried in the Bab al-Saghir cemetery, Damascus.[35][36] However, there exists another shrine,[37] believed to be the burial of Bilal, near a small village called al-Rabahiyya, in Amman, Jordan.
Descendants and legacy
The descendants of Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi are said to have migrated to the land of Ethiopia in East Africa.[38] The Imperial family of Mali in West Africa also claims descent from 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. Mu'azzins, especially those in Turkey and Africa, have traditionally venerated the original practitioner of their profession. The story of Bilal is the most frequently cited demonstration of Islam's views of measure people not by their nationality nor social status nor race, but measuring people by their Taqwah (piety).[additional citation(s) needed]
In 1874, Edward Wilmot Blyden, a former slave of African descent, wrote: "The eloquent Adzan or Call to Prayer, which to this day summons at the same hours millions of the human race to their devotions, was first uttered by a Negro, Bilal by name, whom Mohammed, in obedience to a dream, appointed the first Mu'azzin. And it has been remarked that even Alexander the Great is in Asia an unknown personage by the side of this honoured Negro."[39]
See also
- List of non-Arab Sahabah
- Zayd ibn Harithah
- Keita Dynasty
- List of expeditions of Muhammad
- Bilal: A New Breed of Hero, a 2015 animated film about Bilal's life.
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Slavery in Islam." BBC News. BBC, 2009. Web. 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-920675-07-7Pg. 35-36
- ^ "الإصابة في تمييز الصحابة، لابن حجر العسقلاني، ترجمة هالة بنت عوف الزهرية، موقع صحابة رسولنا". Archived from the original on 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
- ISBN 0810861615.
- ^ Robinson, David. Muslim Societies in African History. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.
- Levtzion, Nehemia, and Randall Lee Pouwels. The History of Islam in Africa. South Africa: Ohio UP, 2000. Print.
- ^ ISBN 1467899666Pgs. 235-238
- ISBN 978-0-19-750130-6.
- ISBN 0892590084Pg.5
- ^ ISBN 0404563066Pg. 59
- ^ ISBN 1466924160Pg. 23
- ^ "Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 150". sunnah.com.
- OCLC 495469456.
- ^ Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 1, p. 339-340
- ^ Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 3, p. 232
- ISBN 0810861615. Quote: "Bilal, ..., was the first mu'azzin."
- ^ "Sunan Ibn Majah - The Book of the Adhan, Hadith #1". sunnah.com.
- ^ a b c d e Razwy, Ali A. A Restatement of the History of Islam & Muslims 570 to 661 CE. Stanmore, Middlesex, U.K.: World Federation of K S I Muslim Communities Islamic Centre, 1997. Print. Pg. 553
- ^ a b Charbonneau, Joshua (Mateen). The Suffering of the Ahl-ul-bayt and Their Followers (Shi'a) throughout History. Washington, D.C.: J. M. Charbonneau, 2012. Print.
- ^ Lings, pp. 138–139
- ^ "Sahih al-Bukhari: Volume 5, Book 59, Number 287". Usc.edu. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ "Sahih al-Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 53, Number 359". Usc.edu. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ "Witness-pioneer.org". Witness-pioneer.org. 16 September 2002. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "Sahih al-Bukhari: Volume 5, Book 59, Number 286". Usc.edu. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ "Sahih Bukhari Vol. 2, Book 21, Hadith 250". sunnah.com.
- ^ Shustari, Nurullah, Majalisu'1-Mu'minin (Tehran, 1268 AH) p. 54; and also see Ibn Sa'd, op. cit., vol. III:1, pg. 169.
- ISBN 978-964-438-921-4Pg. 307
- ISBN 0415966914Pg. 109
- ^ Abdullah, Ysuf. al-Isti'ab. Print. Pg.150
- ISBN 9960-9849-1-5
- ^ "Lyrics, Translation, and Explanation of "Bhar do Jholi"". 25 December 2014.
- ^ Akram, Muhammad (February 24, 2012). "BILAL - E - HABSHI (RadiAllahTalaAnhu): Bilal Ibn Rabah Al-Habashi".
- ^ Rijal: Narrators of the Muwatta of Imam Muhammad." Bogvaerker. N.p., 08 Jan. 2005. Web. 2013.
- ^ ISBN 1859641865Pg.313
- ^ "Bab al-Saghir Cemetery (Goristan Ghariban)". Madain Project. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "Tomb of Bilal ibn Rabah (Bilal, the Ethiopian)". Madain Project. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "Shrine of Bilal ibn Rabah". Madain Project. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ISBN 0061746606Pg. 92
- ^ "Mohammedanism and The Negro Race." Fraser's Magazine, July Dec. 1875: 598-615. Print.
Further reading
- H.M. Ashtiyani. Bilâl d’Afrique, le muezzin du Prophète, Montréal, Abbas Ahmad al-Bostani, la Cité du Savoir, 1999 ISBN 2-9804196-4-8(in French)
- İbn Sa'd. et-Tabakâtü'l-Kübrâ, Beyrut 1960, III, s. 232
- Avnu'l-Ma'bud. Şerh Ebû Dâvud, III,185, İbn Mâce, Ezan, 1, 3
- А. Али-заде. Билал аль-Хабаши // Исламский энциклопедический словарь. – М.: Издательский дом Ансар, 2007. — 400 с. ISBN 5-98443-025-8(in Russian)