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Bilal ibn Rabah

بلال بن رباح

One of the first to declare Islam, tortured for it in Makkah, and the muezzin of the Prophet ﷺ.

SahihSee it in the Atlas
Known as
Muezzin of the Messenger ﷺ
Died
20 AH, most say

Life

His mother was Hamama; the reports differ on whether he was from Abyssinia or born in the Hijaz. He was among the first seven to declare their Islam openly, and his masters tortured him for it, laying him in the sun in iron armour, while he kept repeating that God is One. Abu Bakr bought him and set him free; the reports give different prices.

He emigrated to Madinah, fought at Badr, and was the Prophet's ﷺ muezzin; at the conquest of Makkah he called the adhan from the top of the Ka'ba. The Prophet ﷺ told him he had heard his footsteps ahead of him in Paradise, and Bilal said the deed he hoped most from was praying after every purification.

After the Prophet ﷺ died he went to Syria to fight. When 'Umar came to al-Jabiya, the people asked Bilal to call the adhan, and many wept. Most reports say he died in Damascus in 20 AH, in his sixties; others give 21 AH, or Darayya or Aleppo.

Evidence

Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari 1149

Grades
GraderVerdict
al-BukhariSahih (included by al-Bukhari in his Sahih) (Sahih)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي حَيَّانَ، عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ لِبِلاَلٍ عِنْدَ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ ‏ "‏ يَا بِلاَلُ حَدِّثْنِي بِأَرْجَى عَمَلٍ عَمِلْتَهُ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ، فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ دَفَّ نَعْلَيْكَ بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ مَا عَمِلْتُ عَمَلاً أَرْجَى عِنْدِي أَنِّي لَمْ أَتَطَهَّرْ طُهُورًا فِي سَاعَةِ لَيْلٍ أَوْ نَهَارٍ إِلاَّ صَلَّيْتُ بِذَلِكَ الطُّهُورِ مَا كُتِبَ لِي أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ دَفَّ نَعْلَيْكَ يَعْنِي تَحْرِيكَ‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:At the time of the Fajr prayer the Prophet (ﷺ) asked Bilal, "Tell me of the best deed you did after embracing Islam, for I heard your footsteps in front of me in Paradise." Bilal replied, "I did not do anything worth mentioning except that whenever I performed ablution during the day or night, I prayed after that ablution as much as was written for me

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Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari 3754

Grades
GraderVerdict
al-BukhariSahih (included by al-Bukhari in his Sahih) (Sahih)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ، أَخْبَرَنَا جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ كَانَ عُمَرُ يَقُولُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ سَيِّدُنَا، وَأَعْتَقَ سَيِّدَنَا‏.‏ يَعْنِي بِلاَلاً‏.‏

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah:`Umar used to say, "Abu Bakr is our chief, and he manumitted our chief," meaning Bilal

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Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari 3924

Grades
GraderVerdict
al-BukhariSahih (included by al-Bukhari in his Sahih) (Sahih)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ، سَمِعَ الْبَرَاءَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا مُصْعَبُ بْنُ عُمَيْرٍ وَابْنُ أُمِّ مَكْتُومٍ، ثُمَّ قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا عَمَّارُ بْنُ يَاسِرٍ وَبِلاَلٌ رضى الله عنهم‏.‏

Narrated Al-Bara:The first people who came to us (in Medina) were Mus`ab bin `Umair and Ibn Um Maktum. Then came to us `Ammar bin Yasir and Bilal

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