Bilāl ibn Rabāh
Bilāl ibn Rabāh al-Habaschī ( Arabic بلال بن رباح الحبشي, DMG Bilāl b. Rabāḥ al-Ḥabašī ) was one of the companions ( sahāba ) of the Prophet Mohammed , the founder of Islam . He probably came from East Africa and was a slave to Umayya ibn Chalaf . He was one of the foreigners of non-Arab descent ( muwallad ) born in Mecca .
He is said to have been one of the first men to profess Islam; According to other reports, he was among the first seven people to join Mohammed in Mecca. During the Meccan period of prophecy, Muslims , especially those living in Mecca as patrons or slaves of the Quraysh , were persecuted by their polytheistic patrons. Eventually Bilal was ransomed from slavery by Abū Bakr after enduring unbearable torture. He became a close confidante and servant of the Prophet.
After Muhammad's emigration ( hijra ) to Medina , not least because of his beautiful voice, he became the prayer-caller ( muezzin ), Adhan of the Medinan community. In the Battle of Badr he killed his rival and former patron Umayya ibn Chalaf and his son. He also took part in other battles - Uhud , trench battle .
When Mecca was conquered, Mohammed instructed him to call to prayer from the roof of the Kaaba ; some could not hide their displeasure about the fact that a black servant of all people called the Muslims to prayer on this historic occasion. According to representations of the biography of the prophets (Sira) and Koran exegesis ( tafsir ), this is said to have been the reason for the revelation of the following verse of the Koran:
“You people! We created you (by letting you descend from a male and a female), and we have made you into associations and tribes so that you know each other (due to the genealogical relationships). The noblest among you is God who is most pious ... "
After the Prophet's death he continued to work as a prayer caller under Abu Bakr, but gave up this office under ʿUmar b. al-Chattāb with reference to the following prophetic saying:
"Your most excellent act is jihad in the way of God."
With this argument, Bilal moved to Syria and is said to have said: "I want to fight to my death."
He died between 638 and 642, according to conflicting reports, either in Damascus , or Aleppo, or in Darāyā , near Damascus. Numerous anecdotes and legendary reports arose around his figure ; Ibn ʿAsākir dedicates a fifty-page biography to him in his City History of Damascus.
To this day, many male slaves in Mauritania are named Bilal after him .
See also
literature
- Encyclopaedia of Islam . New Edition. Vol. I. 1215. Brill, Leiden
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bilāl ibn Rabāh |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bilāl ibn Rabāh al-Habaschī (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Muslim |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 6th century or 7th century |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | uncertain: Abyssinia |
| DATE OF DEATH | 7th century |
| Place of death | Syria |