بِلَالُ بْنُ رَبَاح
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Bilal ibn Rabah
The first mu'adhdhin · Early Muslim · Muhajir
may Allah be pleased with him
Of Abyssinian descent; enslaved in Makkah before Islam · Makkah, Madinah and Syria
Enslaved in Makkah and punished publicly for accepting Islam, he was bought and freed by Abu Bakr. In Madinah he became the first to call the adhan, and his voice is the one the community's daily prayer began with.
Known for
The first mu'adhdhin
He called the adhan for the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah.
He was tortured in Makkah and did not recant
The reports describe him repeating one word under punishment: Ahad — One.
Abu Bakr bought his freedom
He called the adhan at the Ka'bah after Makkah was opened
In 8 AH, when the Muslims entered Makkah, he called the prayer from the Ka'bah itself.
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
Makkah
Bilal was of Abyssinian descent and was enslaved in Makkah. When it became known that he had accepted Islam, he was punished in the open, in the heat, in front of people — partly to break him and partly as a warning to anyone else considering it.
He did not recant. The sources report him saying one word through it: Ahad, Ahad — One, One.
Abu Bakr bought him and set him free.
Madinah and after
In Madinah, when the Muslims settled on calling people to prayer with a human voice rather than a bell or a horn, it was Bilal who was asked to call it. He remained the Prophet's ﷺ mu'adhdhin.
When the Muslims entered Makkah in 8 AH, he called the adhan at the Ka'bah — in the city where he had been enslaved and punished for that same belief.
He later moved to Syria. The sources give somewhat different accounts of when and where he died, commonly around 20 AH.
How the sources describe him
Immovable under pressure
A voice that carried further than others
When the words of the adhan were settled, the reports have the Prophet ﷺ directing that Bilal be the one to call them, because his voice reached further.
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He was the Prophet's ﷺ mu'adhdhin in Madinah.
He bought Bilal out of slavery in Makkah and freed him.
Full timeline
- The Makkan years, before the Hijrah
Punished in Makkah, then bought and freed by Abu Bakr
- The early Madinan years
Becomes the first to call the adhan, in Madinah
- 8 AH
Calls the adhan at the Ka'bah
- Commonly reported as around 20 AH approximate, reports differThe sources differ on the year and place of his death.
Dies in Syria
Part of
Sources & review
In reviewBased on the listed sources. See something to correct? Tell us.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyahالسيرة النبوية
Classical biography · Ibn Hisham, from the recension of Ibn Ishaq
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Siyar A'lam an-Nubalaسير أعلام النبلاء
Classical biography · Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
References follow the citation detail available in the source material.
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