Short life stroy of Bilal Ibn Rabah (Bilal Habshi)
20th Muharram: Wisaal of Hazrat Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu (Part 1)
Sayyid al-Mu’azzineen (Leader of the Mu’azzins), Imam al-Aashiqeen, The great devotee, faithful companion and Mu’azzin of the Beloved Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam, Hadrat Sayyiduna Bilal al-Habashi Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu is a famous and exalted Sahabi who accepted Islam in its early days in Makkah al-Mukarramah.
His birthplace is Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and this is why he is known as Habshi (the old name for Abyssinia is Habsh). The Kaafirs of Makkah persecuted him severely when he accepted Islam. A few of the tortures that he went through include the following;
Hadrat Bilaal Radi Allahu Anhu 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 Bilaal Radi Allahu Anhu, who was loved by Allah Ta’ala.
In the sweltering heat under the Arabian skies, Hadrat Bilal’s love for Allah shone brighter than the sun itself. So strong was it that he could not conceal it despite the punishment and torture afflicted on him by his cruel master.
There were times when a large boulder would be placed upon his chest as he lay on the scorching sand, his ribs being crushed under the weight. Yet the words ‘Ahad! Ahad! (There is only one Allah!)’ were constantly repeated by Hadrat Bilal, so strong was his faith and love.
When Hadrat Abu Bakr Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu came to know about the pain and anguish which he underwent at the hands of the Kuffaar, he bought him and set him free. After this, Rasulallah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam, out of love and joy, embraced Hadrat Bilal and held him to his heart. Hadrat Mawlana Rumi Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu says:
“Beloved Mustafa embraced Bilal and held him against his chest. The ecstasy Bilal felt! Who can ever imagine that?
Hazrat Bilal Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu was known for his beautiful voice and was given the honour by the Holy Prophet Muhammad SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam of being the first Mu’azzin of Islam. He called the Adhaan and he was the Mu’azzin of Masjid al-Nabawi as long as he remained with Rasulullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam.
One day at the time of Fajr, Rasulullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam asked Hadrat Bilaal Radi Allahu Anhu, ‘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 Jannah’. Hadrat Bilaal Radi Allahu Anhu 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 Salaah, and from amongst the Salaah I read, I verily read Tahiyyatul Wudhu (Salaat after Wudhu)” when beloved Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam heard this, he said that it was because of this action that he had attained such status.
The great devotee and Muazzin of Rasulallah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam, the courageous and beloved Abyssinian passed away in the 20th year after Hijrah in the middle of reading Adhan in Damascus, Syria between the years 638 and 642 (AD) at the age of 60 or 63 and there he is buried near ‘Bab as-Sagheer’.
Let us all Make Fatiha in our homes today For The Esaale Thawaab Of This Great Personality By Reciting At least:
3 x Surah Ikhlaas
1 x Sura al-Faatiha
For Gaining Countless Blessings In This World, In Our Graves And In The Aakhirah