Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the earliest Muslims in Mecca. He was of Abyssinian (Ethiopian) family and was held as a slave, and he was tortured for believing in One God (﷾). Freed for the sake of Allah (﷾), he became the Prophet's (ﷺ) caller to prayer.
This guide tells his journey of faith. It shows how he held on to Allah (﷾) when he had nothing else. It also shows how Islam honoured him for his faith, not for his colour or his past.
At a glance
- Of Abyssinian family, he grew up enslaved in Mecca.
- One of the early believers, he held firm under torture, saying "One, One."
- Abu Bakr bought his freedom for the sake of Allah (﷾).
- The Prophet (ﷺ) chose him to make the call to prayer, the adhan.
- The Prophet (ﷺ) heard his footsteps in Paradise.
- When Mecca was opened to Islam, he called the believers to prayer at the Kaaba.
- Before 610
He grows up in Mecca, enslaved, the son of an Abyssinian mother. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of MuhammadIbn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir
- Early years
He believes in the Prophet's (ﷺ) message and holds firm under torture: "One, One." Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
- Early years
Abu Bakr buys his freedom. Sahih al-Bukhari 3754
- 622
He moves to Medina with the believers, before the Prophet (ﷺ) arrives. Sahih al-Bukhari 3925
- c. 622–623
The call to prayer begins, and the Prophet (ﷺ) chooses Bilal to make it. Sahih al-Bukhari 604Sunan Abi Dawud 499
- 630
Mecca is opened to Islam. He goes into the Kaaba with the Prophet (ﷺ) and calls the city to prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 4289Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
- c. 640
He dies in Syria. Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir
Dates are in the Common Era. Early dates are approximate.
One, One
Bilal grew up in Mecca, held as a slave. His mother, Hamamah, was from Abyssinia. Mecca then worshipped many idols. When the Prophet (ﷺ) began to call people to worship Allah (﷾) alone, Bilal believed, and he became one of the earliest Muslims. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of MuhammadIbn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir
For this he was made to suffer. The early biography of the Prophet (ﷺ) tells how his owner would take him out in the hottest part of the day. He would lay him on his back in the burning valley and have a great rock put on his chest. Bilal was told he would stay there until he died, or until he denied Muhammad (ﷺ) and worshipped the idols. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
Bilal gave one answer: Ahad, Ahad. One, One. Allah (﷾) is One. He had no tribe to protect him, no money and no power. All he had was his faith, and he would not give it up. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of MuhammadQur’an 112:1
Freed for the sake of Allah (﷾)
Abu Bakr, the Prophet's (ﷺ) closest friend, saw what was being done to Bilal and bought his freedom. The early biography says Abu Bakr spent his wealth freeing believers who were persecuted for their faith. He asked for nothing in return except the pleasure of Allah (﷾). Sahih al-Bukhari 3754Ibn Ishaq, The Life of MuhammadAbu Bakr al-Siddiq
Years later, Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say that Abu Bakr was their chief, and he had freed their chief, meaning Bilal. The man who had once been tortured in the heat of Mecca was now called a chief by the believers. Sahih al-Bukhari 3754
The first voice of the adhan
Bilal was among the believers who moved to Medina. This move, in 622, is called the Hijra. After it, the believers would gather for prayer by guessing the time, because there was no call to prayer yet. They talked about how to call people, and Umar suggested that a man should call them. The Prophet (ﷺ) told Bilal to stand and call the people to prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 3925Sahih al-Bukhari 604
Another companion, Abdullah ibn Zayd, saw the words of the call in a dream and told the Prophet (ﷺ). The Prophet (ﷺ) said it was a true vision and made those words the call to prayer. He told Abdullah to teach them to Bilal, because Bilal's voice was louder and carried further. Sunan Abi Dawud 499
So Bilal became the first mu'adhdhin (muezzin), the one who makes the adhan, the call to prayer. Day after day he called out that Allah (﷾) is the greatest and that there is no god but Allah (﷾). It was the same truth he had held on to under the rock in Mecca. The call he first made is still heard five times a day all over the world. Sahih al-Bukhari 604Sunan Abi Dawud 499
Honoured for his faith
The idol-worshippers of Mecca told the Prophet (ﷺ) to send away some of the believers who sat with him. They said this so that those believers would not grow bold against them. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas remembered that six of them were there that day, and Bilal was one of them. Then Allah (﷾) revealed: Sahih Muslim 2413
Send not away those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His face.
In Islam a person is not weighed by wealth, family or colour. Bilal was a Black man of Abyssinian family who had been held as a slave, and Allah (﷾) honoured him for his faith. The Qur'an says that Allah (﷾) made people into nations and tribes so that they would know one another, and then: Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir
Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.
Footsteps in Paradise
One day, at the time of the dawn prayer, the Prophet (ﷺ) spoke to Bilal. He had heard Bilal's footsteps ahead of him in Paradise. So he asked Bilal to tell him which deed in Islam he had done that he hoped for most. Sahih al-Bukhari 1149
Bilal said he had done nothing he hoped for more than this. Whenever he made wudu (the washing before prayer), by day or by night, he prayed afterwards. He prayed as much as Allah (﷾) had written for him. It was a small, quiet habit, kept for Allah (﷾) alone, and it brought him the good news of Paradise. Sahih al-Bukhari 1149
The call at the Kaaba
In 630 the Prophet (ﷺ) came back to Mecca, the city that had driven the believers out. It was opened to Islam with almost no fighting, and the Prophet (ﷺ) forgave its people. He went into the Kaaba, the House that Abraham had built for the worship of the One God (﷾), and Bilal went in with him. Afterwards Bilal showed another companion the place where the Prophet (ﷺ) had prayed inside. Sahih al-Bukhari 4289Qur’an 2:127Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
The early historians record that the Prophet (ﷺ) told Bilal to give the call to prayer there. They say he climbed onto the roof of the Kaaba to make it. Once he had lain in that same valley under a rock, saying "One, One." Now his voice called the whole city to worship Allah (﷾), the One. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of MuhammadIbn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir
Bilal lived on after the Prophet (ﷺ), and he died in Syria around the year 640. Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir
What we can learn
Bilal's journey is a lesson in what truly matters to Allah (﷾).
- Hold on to Allah (﷾) when it costs you. Under the rock he had one word, and it was enough.
- Your worth is your faith. Islam honoured him for his faith, not for his colour, his family or his past.
- Small deeds done for Allah (﷾) are great. A short prayer after each wudu brought him the good news of Paradise.
- Use your gifts for Allah (﷾). His voice became the call that still gathers believers to prayer.
Whenever you hear the adhan, you hear the words Bilal first called out in Medina. They say that Allah (﷾) is the greatest, and that there is no god but Allah (﷾).