Hayatus Sahabah - The Lives of the Sahabah - Part 1 of 3

THE LIVES OF THE SAHABAH (Vol-I) 299
The Mu'addhin Hadhrat Bilaal bin Rabaah
SEiW Endures Hardships and Difficulties
The First Person to Make his Islaam Public with
~aiulullaah
Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Mas'ood SGM narrates that seven persons were the
first to make their conversion to Islaam public. These were Rasulullaah @%,
Hadhrat Abu Bakr %&W>, Hadhrat Ammaar BWj, his mother (Hadhrat
Sumayya @!w), Hadhrat Suhayb @GW, Hadhrat Bilaal UGW and Hadhrat
Miqdaad Sw. While Allaah protected Rasulullaah k%& through his uncle and
Hadhrat Abu Bakr B,Gw through his tribe, the others were captured by the
Mushrikeen and made to wear coats of steel armour and left to swelter in the
sun. Each one of them besides Hadhrat Bilaal ?&Gw were compelled to do as
the Mushrikeen wanted. For the pleasure of Allaah, he thought nothing of
himself. Because the people regarded him as an inferior being, they used to
capture him and hand him over to youngsters who would pull him through the
streets of Makkah. All the while, he kept saying, "Ahad! Ahad! (Allaah is One!)" (I)
The Hardships Hadhrat Bilaal sNI&5 Endured for
the Sake of Allaah
A narration of Mujaahid states that the other Muslims were made to wear coats
of steel armour and then left to swelter in the sun. They therefore suffered
terribly from the combined heat of the sun and the scorching armour. When
night fell, Abu Jahal would come to them with his spear and start taunting and
threatening them.
Another narration of Hadhrat Mujaahid states that the Mushrikeen used to lead
Hadhrat Bilaal %&w through the two mountains of Makkah with a rope around
his neck. (3)
Hadhrat Urwa bin Zubayr ?i5UW narrates that Hadhrat Bilaal @GW was a slave
of a lady from the Banu Jumh tribe. The Mushrikeen used to torture him on the
burning sands of Makkah, making him lie flat on the hot sand (and place a heavy
rock on his chest) so that he should commit Shirk. However, he would
continuously say, "Ahad! Ahad!" When Waraqa (bin Naufal, the cousin of Hadhrat
Khadeeja WZ@!kS) would pass as Hadhrat Bilaal %'JZw was being tortured, he
would say, "Ahad, Ahad, 0 Bilaal (Allaah is certainly One). (Addressing the
Mushrikeen, he would say) By Allaah! If you kill this man, I shall definitely make
his grave a place of attracting Allaah's blessings and mercy." (4)
Hadhrat Urwa WGw narrates that when Waraqa bin Naufal used to pass by
(1) Ahmad and lbn Majah as quoted in A/ Bidaaya wan Nihaaya (Vo1.3 Pg.28). The narration is also
reported by Haakim (Vo1.3 Pg.284), Abu Nu'aym in Hilya (Vol.1 Pg.149), 1bn Abi Shayba as quoted
in Kanzul Ummaal(Vol.7 Pg.14) and Ibn Abdil Barr in fstiaab (Vol.1 Pg.141).
(2) ~ b Nu'aym u in Hilya (Vol. 1 Pg. 140).
(3) Ibn Sa'd (Vo1.2 Pg.166).
(4) Zubayr bin Bakkaar as quoted in fsaaba (Vo1.3 Pg.634).