A Slave who’s His Footstep were being heard from Jannah

There was a slave whose his name never been said by anyone in Quraysh era yet his sandals was already heard from the Jannah (heaven). His name is Bilal Ibn Rabah (may Allah bless him). Bilal was born in Makkah around 40 years before hijriya (Islamic Calendar). His father’s name is Rabah and his mother’s name is Hammamah; a black-woman slave in Makkah. Bilal was born and raised as a slave to Ummayah. Bilal knew nothing for his life but being a good slave to his master yet Bilal was treated as a good that can be bought and sell.

Every day, Bilal was herding Ummayah’s goats around Makkah. Bilal was doing his job sincerely. One day, when Bilal was doing his job herbing the goats, he met Rasulullah (peace be upon him). The Prophet asks for the goat’s milk, Bilal offers him milk from a goat’s that Ummayah gave to him. The Prophet was milking the goat and gives the milk to His sahabah (companion) and also to Bilal. After that, the Prophet asks Bilal to be his sahabah. Bilal nodded his head and commit to be the Prophet’s sahabah and convert to Islam.

Since Ummayah knows about the news of Bilal, he torture Bilal under the extreme heat weather in a desert. He put the big rock on Bilal’s chest and let him die unless he denies Muhammad and worship al-Lat and al-‘Uzzah. Abu Bakr (The Prophet sahabah) heard about this news then he decided to meet Ummayah and ask him to sell Bilal. After that, Bilal did hijra (moving) to Medina. In Medina, Rasulullah asks Bilal to be muezzin. He was the first muezzin in Islam after Nabawi mosque has been build.

One day, The Prophet asks Bilal, “What are the good deeds did you do?” because the Prophet heard Bilal’s pair of sandals in Jannah. Bilal said to the Prophet, “I always pray 2 rakaah of salah after take wudu (ablution) as a blessing for I can wudu.” Bilal’s integrity and commitment makes him has a place in the Prophet’s heart. Bilal was the special person who the Prophet allowed him to be on the Ka’ba with Rasulullah, not Abu Bakr nor Ummar. 

After Rasulullah passed away, Bilal didn’t have courage to do adhaan. He always stops at “Ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah...” and crying out loud. He finds it difficult to stay in Medina after he lose the Prophet, so he decided to jihad to Sham and stay in Damaskus, Syria, for the rest of his life. Bilal Ibn Rabah, a slave who comes from nothing to someone whose his name always been said in every mosque. Bilal the muezzin, who’s his sandals, was being heard from Jannah.