Bilal Ibn Rabah: What you may not know about famed ‘caller to prayer’

The companions of the Prophet, May Allah Exalt his Mention, are numerous and they served different purposes in the life of the prophet in service to the faith that is today followed by over a billion adherents.

Abu Hurayrah, for instance, evokes the reference of reporting the prophet’s sayings, hadith. Salman Al Faarisiy was a seeker of truth, Mus’ab bin Umayr was an ambassador plenipotentiary etc.

The name Bilal will most likely thrust to the fore three main considerations – the call to prayer, torture for his faith, the first black believer.

But there is indeed more to be learned about the life of the man who served Allah and the prophet before, during and long after the prophet. 

A general view shows the Mahmud Mosque in Zurich November 7, 2009. Switzerland's Muslim community invited for a 'Day of the open Mosque' in several Swiss cities, before a referendum initiated by the Swiss People's Party (SVP) and Federal Democratic Union party on banning the construction of new minarets on November 29.

Here are some less known facts about the man called Bilal Ibn Rabah, the famed caller to Islamic prayer.

a. He was a slave to the people of the tribe of Jumah in Makkah, his mother served as their slave girl.

b. How he came to know about the Prophet? He used to listen in on conversations between his master and others antagonizing the Prophet often.

c. How he accepted Islam? He went to the Prophet and converted much to the chagrin of his masters.

d. Besides being tortured in the sun daily, which other punishment was meted out to him? He was paraded around Makkah by boys with a rope around his neck.

e. Bilal’s refrain “One.., one” was adopted as the slogan for the Battle of Badr.

f. His ex-master Umayah ibn Khalaf was killed by Bilal during the battle. He referred to Umayah as the chief of kufr (disbelief).

g. Bilal was in the company of the prophet when he returned to Makkah after the conquest.

h. The Prophet used to describe him as one of the inhabitants of paradise.

i. After the death of the Prophet, he sought permission of Caliph Abubakar to leave Makkah seeing that he couldn’t serve anyone that the Prophet.  

j. He is reported to have relocated to Madinah under Abubakar’s time before leaving to Syria during Umar’s reign as Caliph.

k. His last call to prayer was in Syria during a visit by Umar. He got all companions present weeping as the call evoked memories of the Prophet.

l. His burial place is in the Syrian capital, Damascus. He died fighting in the cause of Allah.

Two ahadith - sayings of the Prophet that made reference to Bilal - perhaps good grounds to wrap this up - insha Allah.

One: 

It was narrated that Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I attended Eid prayers with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He started with the prayer before the khutbah (sermon), with no adhan (call to prayer) or iqamah (final call to prayer). 

Then he stood up, leaning on Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), speaking of fear of Allah (taqwa) and urging us to obey Him. He preached to the people and reminded them. Then he went over to the women and preached to them and reminded them. Then he said, ‘Give in charity, for you are the majority of the fuel of Hell. 

A woman with dark cheeks stood up in the midst of the women and said, ‘Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Because you complain too much and are ungrateful to your husbands.’ Then they started to give their jewellery in charity, throwing their earrings and rings into Bilal’s cloak.”

(Narrated by Muslim, 885) 

Two:

Abu Huraira Radhiallahu ‘anhu narrated that Allah’s Messenger Swalallahu ‘alaihi wa Salam said to Bilal Radhiallahu ‘anhu “Tell me about the most hopeful act (i.e one which you deem the most rewarding with Allah) you  have done since your acceptance of Islam because I heard the sound of the steps of your shoes in front of me in paradise.” 

Bilal said : “I do not consider any act more hopeful than that whenever I make  ablution (wudoo) at any time of night or day, I offer salah (prayer) for as long as was destined for me to offer.” 

Narrated by Al-bukhari and Muslim.  

Jumadath Thaanii 9, 1440 = February 14, 2019.

Football, betting beast, ‘sika y3 mogya’ and lottery draw on GTV

Long before Arsenal, Manchester, PSG, Real Madrid and Barcelona, we quietly supported our Accra Great Olympics, Dawu Youngsters, Abusua Dwarfs and Hearts plus Kotoko.

Then they (Europeans buoyed by satellite TV) brought us football, boys latched onto it like a drug, many got addicted and badly hooked. Those are the ones that curse and insult professionals for performances.

Me, I’m an Arsenal fan to boot, nobody will convince me otherwise, it’s either Arsenal or Arsenal. Rooted as ever like the pyramids of Egypt. But I have long abandoned abusing the club or its paid assigns for whatever reason. I have better issues in which to emotionally invest.

LEGALIZED GAMBLING AS A MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD

Permit me to share paragraphs from: "The Light of the Lights: Islamic Religious Studies," a book authored by a childhood friend, Abdul Manan Yusif. In comparing the pre-Islamic period of ignorance and vice (gambling, infanticide, tribal wars et. al.) to current times he wrote on gambling:

“Gambling is officially institutionalized in some states including Ghana. The Ghanaian government has an agency in charge of lottery (National Lottery Authority) which organizes various forms of gambling on vehalf of the government.

“There are many kiosks stating lotto positioned at every vantage point of the country staking lotto on behalf of the government.

"Many people depend on gambling as a means of livelihood and today, the number of gambling institutions like my bet, premier bet, super bet among others are increasing in the country.” Safe to say, most of these many people are young men who love football, specifically European football.

THE LOVE FOR EURO FOOTBALL AND GAMBLING UPSURGE

I know that as a scientific fact because my research at the Ghana Institute of Journalism was on the heightened interest of the youth in European Football – A case study of St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School.

The results showed that young people had fallen in love with football made overseas but back then, the research will not factor in the betting aspect, it had yet to hit town.

Roll on the years, these betting agencies continue to spring up faster than mushroom in the rainy season. With television with cable connection beaming matches as young people line up buying tickets to bet on their teams – most of them to also bet against other teams.

So in January 2019, Uganda president Yoweri Museveni ordered a progressive phasing out of soccer betting and gambling to save the youth from idleness and seeking shortcuts to making money, how one wishes it’d have been in Ghana.

But not to go too far, the menace seems to be spreading fast. Over in Congo Republic, the situation is no different. These betting canters continue to spring up with such speed that at some point it makes one cringe.

LOTTERY DRAW: THE CLOSEST WE CAME TO GAMBLING

Growing up, a rather liberal television routine meant that we watched any and everything especially on GTV. Way back, the closest we came to gambling was the Saturday afternoon national lottery draw.

Its famed advert of the lotto doctor still rings in my head. When a wife asked the husband why the lotto doctor was not rich, he replied: “he is a good Samaritan, that’s all.” Then came the bearded man exclaiming “Allah, na chi!” to wit “I swear, I have won.”

Then there was the spinning wheel and the call for ordinary people to press a button to draw the five “lucky” numbers. We watched the draw because of musical interlude. Later we tried remembering the numbers when they were announced after the main news on GTV.

Gambling back then was considered for the older persons who took hours sitting under trees and in kiosks with lotto newspapers that defied any arithmetic or calculus, a desert of numbers yet these men claim to be solving lotto – a game of chance oooo.

But thanks to football, today it is young people who crowd betting centers amid the sweltering heat in some of these places cursing at players and coaches, swearing at each other awaiting if the odds across the oceans will favour them.

What we effectively have is a gamble bubble that we must work to burst whilst lessening the spread and damage it has accumulated in it over the last few years. Something must be done before we are all done.

Jumadas Thaanii 1, 1440 H = February 6, 2018