Stories of the Companions
Bilal bin Rabah
بِلَال بْنُ رَبَاحٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ
The First Muezzin of Islam
Bilal bin Rabah RA was a slave from Habasyah (Ethiopia) who was cruelly tortured by his master because of his persistence in embracing Islam, only saying "Ahad, Ahad" (The Almighty) in the midst of the torture. He was released by Abu Bakr RA and then chosen directly by the Prophet ﷺ as the first muezzin in Islam because of his melodious and firm voice. His story became an enduring symbol of equality in Islam — that a person's nobility is measured by piety, not social status or skin color.
1Slaves Tortured for Monotheism
Bilal bin Rabah, a slave of Habasyah, was among the first to believe. His master, Umayyah bin Khalaf, tortured him in the heat of the desert with a large stone on his chest to make him apostate, but Bilal only said, "Ahad, Ahad" (The Almighty). Abu Bakr then bought it and released it.
📖 QS Al-Ikhlas: 1 · QS Al-Lail: 17–21
2The First Muezzin of Islam
Because of his melodious and loud voice, Bilal was made the first muezzin of Rasulullah ﷺ. He gave the call to prayer in Medina, and at Fathu Makkah climbed to the top of the Kaaba for the call to prayer — a sight that undermined the ignorant conceit that a black former slave was glorifying the House of Allah.
📖 QS Al-Hujurat: 13
3Sworn in Heaven
The Prophet ﷺ reported that he heard Bilal's voice in heaven, because Bilal always performed ablution and prayed two rak'ahs of sunnah prayers every time his ablution was broken. After the death of the Prophet ﷺ, he could no longer bear the call to prayer because he was crying. His story is a symbol of the glory of piety above race and skin color.
📖 HR Bukhari no. 1149