Bilal The Abyssinian

This book, Bilal the Abyssinian: One Light, Many Colors, outlines the history of Bilal ibn Rabah, a former slave from Abyssinia, who became a companion of the Prophet. Islam elevated his status and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave him the happy news of being destined for heaven in the life to come.

Bilal was one of seven of the Prophet’s companions who publicly declared their acceptance of Islam at a time when Muslims were subjected to great persecution. He suffered a great deal of torture, inflicted on him by the Quraysh, yet he continued to declare “God is One; God is One”. At the Battle of Badr, the first major confrontation between the Muslims and their enemies, the Prophet adopted this slogan as the rallying cry and the battle ended with a great victory for the Muslims. During the battle, Bilal overpowered Umayyah ibn Khalaf, his former master, at whose hands he had suffered greatly.

The book explains in detail Islam’s attitude to racial discrimination, highlighting significant events that show that the Prophet took good care of many of those who were subjected to persecution, protected them and gave them their rightful status in the Muslim community. For example, Bilal was the first of the Prophet’s companions to call for prayers.