All praise is due to Allah, The Most Beneficent and The Most Merciful. We praise Him, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and the mischief of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides cannot be misguided and whomsoever Allah misguides cannot be guided. Peace and blessings be upon the final messenger, Muhammad ﷺ & upon his family and his noble companions.
- Ameen.
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Do you miss the Prophet ﷺ ?
Have you ever felt that longing and yearning for someone you haven't even met yet? Do you ever get that feeling of missing the Prophet ﷺ ?
If no, then this story I am about to share with you, will definitely put you in tears as well as give you that feeling of longing for the Prophet ﷺ.
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This is a story about the muadhdhin of the Prophet ﷺ, Bilal Ibn Rabah (RA). The story of his torture and unwavering faith is one of the famous stories in regards to the Sahabah, his Ahadun Ahad (Allah is One, Allah is One) somehow became his trademark that when we hear about him, we are refreshened with his strong built of faith.
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It was said that when the Prophet ﷺ saw Bilal (RA), after Abu Bakr (RA) took him and freed him from Umayyah Ibn Khalaf (his former master), he rose up and embraced Bilal (RA) like a parent embraces a child.
After then, Bilal became the Prophet's ﷺ muadhdhin. He had such a melodious voice that whenever he would call the adhan, the hearts of the believers would be so moved that they would come to the masjid to worship one true God, Allah.
It is also said that whenever an event of difficulty or hardship comes to the Prophet ﷺ, he would ask Bilal (RA) to call the adhan by saying, "Bilal, relieve and soothe us through salah(prayer)."
Bilal (RA) was not just a muadhdhin of the Prophet ﷺ but also a very close companion. He used to carry water for ablution and walking stick for the Prophetﷺ.
Whenever the Prophet ﷺ would perform the wudhu, he would hold his shoes in his hands and Bilal felt honored for being the only one to do this service for the Prophet ﷺ.
Indeed, the love of Bilal (RA) for the Prophet ﷺ was boundless.
When the Prophet ﷺ passed away, Bilal (RA) was in full grief. He couldn't accept the fact that the Prophet ﷺ whom he loved so dearly was no longer with him.
He asked himself: "Has the Messenger of Allah ﷺ really left us for good? Shall I not see him again until the Day of Resurrection? Since the truth of Islam will remain until the Day of Judgement, I shall continue calling the faithful to prayer."
The next morning, as he started to say the adhan: "Allahu'akbar, Allahu'akbar", his eyes started to search out the places where he saw the Prophet ﷺ only to find that he was no longer there. He then realized that he ﷺ had really returned to His Creator.
Bilal (RA) somehow controlled himself and said the next part but as he started the third part he could not control his emotions and he broke down in tears and collapsed.
In response, many believers, young and old who were listening to him in their houses burst into tears.
The sahabah rushed to the masjid only to find Bilal (RA) lying on the ground crying like a baby and was asked, "What is that matter with you, O Bilal?"
He replied with tears in his eyes: "I- I can't say the adhan."
Abu Bakr (RA) who was the Khalifa that time came and asked him, "Bilal, what is the matter with you?"
Bilal replied "I will not say the adhan now that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has gone."
Abu Bakr RA was surprised and asked, "Who will then say the call to prayer for us?"
Bilal RA said: "Find another caller to prayer."
The sahabah accepted his request and he no longer called people to prayer.
Years have passed, Bilal (RA) still continued to uphold the testimony of tawheed and took part in various expeditions.
When Palestine fell to the Muslim forces and the flag of Islam fluttered over the blessed land, 'Umar RA, who was the Ameer ul Mumineen that time, set out to Palestine. This was the time when large parts of the world were under the sway of the Muslims.
The Muslims (who had defeated empires) had now gathered in Masjid Al Aqsa. The contingent included those persecuted by the Makkan pagans, who fought at Badr, and who took the bai'ah of Ridhwan just before the conquest of Makkah.
Dhuhr prayer came when 'Umar RA saw Bilal RA and remembered the role he had played in the past.
'Umar RA had implored Bilal RA to call the adhan, he refused at first but the sahabah urged him to agree to 'Umar's RA request.
He then stood up and called the adhan in deference to the sahabah.
The moment was so emotional that even though he was old, his voice was as moving as it was before and it resounded through the still air and it moved the hearts of all those who were present.
"Allahu Akbar .. Allahu Akbar .."
Everyone, including 'Umar RA, the sahabah and those muslim warriors burst into tears and their sobbing reverberated throughout the masjid.
Indeed, the voice of Bilal RA has taken them all back to the days when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was still among them.
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Allahu'akbar. Subhan'Allah, does this story not move you to tears?
How beautiful must it have sounded to hear Bilal RA call the adhan? Indeed, a story like this makes us long for the Prophet ﷺ. It takes us all back to the days when Islam was at its pioneering days : magic & beautiful.
May Allah fill our hearts with love for the Prophet ﷺ and his sahabah RA, along with love for our brothers and sisters in faith and may He put in our hearts a sturdy and firm love in practising and following the sunnah of His beloved Messenger ﷺ.
Ameen. 🌸
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Series of stories regarding Bilal RA were taken from:
• Sahih Al Bukhari
• Sunan Abu Dawud
• Al Misk wal'Anbar fi Khutbu il Minbar, Al Qarni
Story was taken from Nafs Book, Umm Umar Khaled, pp. 152-153
- Stories of the Sahabah.
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The path of Islam ✨
SpiritualIslamic reminder book which contains a lot of helpul stories including the story of Iblis on how he became Shaytaan and the stories of the Prophets (May peace be upon them). - There's also a bunch of reminding stories for you to always remind yo...
