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Throughout this time of yr, Muslims worldwide are observing the month-long follow of Ramadan, by which they abstain from foods and drinks from dawn to sundown. It’s only when the fourth name to prayer (adhan) is recited on sundown that the quick may be damaged, marking a singular and relieving second for thousands and thousands of Muslims who’ve anticipated all of it day.
Whereas the decision to prayer is a de facto sound and on a regular basis actuality in lots of Muslim international locations, the adhan originates in a treasured story by which one of many earliest Muslim figures, a Black man, rose to prominence from enslavement: The story of Bilal ibn Rabah, Islam’s first-ever caller to prayer (muezzin).
Bilal ibn Rabah was born or introduced into enslavement in Mecca in the course of the late sixth century, in line with Professor Abdul Karim Bengura in an article on “African Roots and Transnational Nature of Islam” (2015). Different sources, akin to Edward Curtis IV, professor of non secular research on the Indiana College Faculty of Liberal Arts, declare that Bilal – a tall and good-looking man with a skinny beard – was of Ethiopian origin or that his mom could have been an Abyssinian princess.
Bilal’s adolescence was marked by hardship and oppression. His standing as an enslaved particular person meant that he was usually subjected to merciless remedy by the hands of the Arab clans that traditionally inhabited and managed the town of Mecca, the Quraysh.
Bilal gave up idolatry and have become one of many first followers of Islam after Muhammad introduced prophethood and started to unfold the phrase.
It isn’t clear when precisely Bilal transformed to Islam, however this choice sparked derision and anger amongst the Quraysh who subjected the Abyssinian to torture, particularly by the hands of Arab chieftain Umayya bin Khalaf and different nobles, as per “The Name of Bilal: Islam within the African Diaspora (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks)’’ by Curtis.
Bilal refused to surrender Islam and repeated “ahad, ahad” (“one, one”), which refers back to the existence of 1 God, whilst Umayyah gave the command to put a sizzling boulder on Bilal’s chest.
Accordingly, Bilal, who endured bodily and psychological torment from the Meccans but refused to revoke his newly discovered religion, was let out by the companion and adviser of the prophet, Abu Bakr.
Bilal turned one of many prophet’s fixed companions. As a result of energy and melody of his voice, he was additionally appointed Islam’s first-ever muezzin, establishing the follow of calling trustworthy Muslims to wish 5 occasions day by day from the tops of minarets (towers which are generally part of mosques).
Touched by Bilal’s energy and resilience, the prophet additionally appointed him treasurer, and on this position, Bilal gave cash to less-advantaged people who couldn’t help themselves, together with widows, orphans, and vacationers. Furthermore, Bilal fought alongside the Prophet in lots of battles and conflicts, ultimately finding and killing Umayya, his former tormenter.
Bilal’s journey from enslavement to changing into the Prophet’s companion was not with out its challenges, nonetheless. As a former enslaved particular person, he confronted skepticism and criticism from Meccans and members of the Arab neighborhood.
In “Islam and Blackness’’ (2022), Georgetown College Islamic research professor Jonathan A.C. Brown describes how Meccans would mock Muslims for having “nobody higher” than Bilal for the decision to prayer, racistly calling the religious determine a “crow.”
Bilal would additionally face challenges and denial of marriage as a result of his pores and skin coloration and former standing.
Brown explains assertively that, “In Arabia on the daybreak of Islam, the worst scenario to be in was that of an outsider, to be marginal, whether or not one was a captive taken close to Antioch or from Ethiopia. Blackness was seen as considered one of its potential markers.” Nonetheless Bilal’s unwavering religion and dedication to the teachings of Islam in the end received over his critics and earned him a spot of honor within the early Muslim neighborhood.
In accordance with the “Name of Bilal,” he relocated to Syria in the course of the reign of Umar, the second caliph, and joined the navy effort to overcome the Levant. He handed away between the years 638 and 642 C.E., which was little greater than ten years following the Prophet’s passing and is claimed to have been buried in Syria on the Bab al-Saghir cemetery.
Bilal’s legacy of perseverance continues to encourage folks to this present day. His steadfastness and resilience within the face of adversity function a strong reminder of the significance of standing up for one’s personal beliefs, even within the face of overwhelming odds.
Furthermore, Bilal’s pivotal position within the early Muslim neighborhood can’t be overstated.
Within the 1982 article, “From Black Muslim to Bilalian: The Evolution of a Motion,” Vassar School faith and Africana research professor Lawrence H. Mamiya connects Bilal’s story to the intersection of Muslim and Black id in america.
One of many late scholar’s interviewees asserts: “[…] The truth that Bilal was an African slave means that there’s identification with that a part of our historical past and oppression. There may be an African root. But additionally, Bilal was an essential determine in Islamic historical past. It signifies that we have now a declare, a stake within the very beginnings of Islam.”
His story can also be all of the extra important for the Muslim neighborhood worldwide, which is the fastest-growing non secular group on the planet and whose racial affiliations are numerous from one nation or continent to the following.
Bilal’s story serves as a testomony to not solely Muslims but additionally the Black neighborhood to the facility of resilience and the power of people to rise above their circumstances and make a long-lasting affect. That instance reverberates to this present day and is etched within the annals of historical past.
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