Bilal's Courage

Bilal ibn Rabah was a man from Abyssinia who lived in Makkah. He was one of the first people to believe in the message of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). But Bilal was not a rich or powerful man — he was enslaved by a cruel master named Umayyah ibn Khalaf. (Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, 1/317) When Umayyah found out that Bilal had become a Muslim, he was furious. He would drag Bilal out into the burning desert sand in the middle of the day, when the sun was at its hottest, and place heavy rocks on his chest. "Give up your faith!" Umayyah would shout. But Bilal, even with the weight pressing down on him and the scorching sand beneath him, would simply say one word: "Ahad, Ahad" — meaning "One, One," speaking of his belief in the One God. (Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, 1/318) No matter how much he suffered, Bilal refused to give up what he knew was true. His voice never wavered, and his heart stayed strong. Then one day, Abu Bakr, the closest friend of the Prophet (peace be upon him), passed by and saw what was happening. Abu Bakr could not bear to watch Bilal suffer. He went to Umayyah and paid a large sum of money to set Bilal free. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3544) When Bilal was freed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) welcomed him with open arms. Later, when the Muslims built their first masjid in Madinah, the Prophet chose Bilal to be the very first person to call the people to prayer. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 604) His beautiful, strong voice would ring out across the city, calling everyone to worship. The same voice that had whispered "Ahad" under those heavy rocks now soared over the rooftops, and everyone who heard it remembered his courage.