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Sahaba / Tabi‘eenPhase 4a · Muhajirun, Ansar, Tabi‘eenMajor figure

Bilal ibn Rabah (RA)

بلال بن رباح

d. c. 20 AH in Damascus date disputed

An Abyssinian-born enslaved man tortured in Makkah for his faith, freed by Abu Bakr, and appointed the first mu'adhdhin of Islam.

Biography

Bilal was tortured by his master Umayyah ibn Khalaf, who laid a rock on his chest in the desert heat, while he repeated 'Ahad, Ahad' (One, One). Abu Bakr bought and freed him; Umar said 'Abu Bakr is our master and he freed our master', meaning Bilal (Sahih Bukhari).

He became the Prophet's mu'adhdhin in Madinah. The Prophet ﷺ heard his footsteps ahead of him in Paradise and asked about his deed; Bilal mentioned praying after every ablution (Sahih Bukhari). He later moved to Syria and died around 20 AH.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

No specific verses cited for this node.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 1149 Sahih

    'O Bilal, tell me your most hopeful deed, for I heard your footsteps ahead of me in Paradise.'

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3755 Sahih

    'Umar said: 'Abu Bakr is our master and he freed our master', meaning Bilal.

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Sahih Bukhari reports.

Further references

  • Sahih Bukhari (Umar: 'freed our master')
  • Sahih Bukhari (Bilal's footsteps in Paradise)

Connections

Linked with