1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:15,609 --> 00:00:17,609 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 3 00:00:17,609 --> 00:00:21,609 to present to you *Portraits from the Lives of the Companions* 4 00:00:21,609 --> 00:00:25,670 by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 5 00:00:25,670 --> 00:00:26,670 may Allah have mercy on him. 6 00:00:30,620 --> 00:00:36,219 Bilal ibn Rabah, may Allah be pleased with him. 7 00:00:52,079 --> 00:00:57,079 For Bilal ibn Rabah, the caller to prayer (muezzin) of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), 8 00:00:57,079 --> 00:01:01,079 had one of the most magnificent lives of struggle for the sake of the faith, 9 00:01:01,079 --> 00:01:05,079 and a story that time never tires of repeating, 10 00:01:05,079 --> 00:01:08,079 nor do ears ever tire of its enchanting melody. 11 00:01:08,079 --> 00:01:14,079 Bilal was born in al-Sarah about forty-three years before the Hijrah 12 00:01:14,079 --> 00:01:17,079 to a father named Rabah, 13 00:01:17,079 --> 00:01:20,079 while his mother was named Hamamah, 14 00:01:20,079 --> 00:01:24,079 an enslaved Black woman among the bondwomen of Makkah. 15 00:01:24,079 --> 00:01:28,079 For this reason, some people used to call him "the son of the Black woman." 16 00:01:28,079 --> 00:01:31,209 Bilal grew up in the Mother of Cities (Makkah), 17 00:01:31,209 --> 00:01:34,209 as a slave owned by orphans of the Banu 'Abd al-Dar, 18 00:01:34,209 --> 00:01:37,209 whose father had entrusted their guardianship to Umayyah ibn Khalaf, 19 00:01:37,209 --> 00:01:39,209 one of the chieftains of disbelief. 20 00:01:39,209 --> 00:01:43,269 When Makkah became illuminated by the lights of the new religion 21 00:01:43,269 --> 00:01:47,269 and the greatest Messenger (peace be upon him) proclaimed 22 00:01:47,269 --> 00:01:49,269 the word of Tawhid (monotheism), 23 00:01:49,269 --> 00:01:53,269 Bilal was among the foremost, earliest converts to Islam. 24 00:01:53,269 --> 00:01:57,269 He embraced Islam when there were no other Muslims upon the face of the earth 25 00:01:57,269 --> 00:02:01,269 except for him and a handful of the earliest pioneers, 26 00:02:01,269 --> 00:02:04,269 led by Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, 27 00:02:04,269 --> 00:02:06,269 Mother of the Believers, 28 00:02:06,269 --> 00:02:08,270 Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 29 00:02:08,270 --> 00:02:10,270 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, 30 00:02:10,270 --> 00:02:12,270 'Ammar ibn Yasir, 31 00:02:12,270 --> 00:02:14,270 his mother Sumayyah, 32 00:02:14,270 --> 00:02:16,270 Suhayb al-Rumi, 33 00:02:16,270 --> 00:02:18,270 and al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad. 34 00:02:18,270 --> 00:02:21,620 Bilal endured such harm at the hands of the polytheists 35 00:02:21,620 --> 00:02:23,620 as none other had faced, 36 00:02:23,620 --> 00:02:25,620 and he suffered from their cruelty, brutality, 37 00:02:25,620 --> 00:02:27,620 and the hardness of their hearts 38 00:02:27,620 --> 00:02:29,620 what no one else suffered. 39 00:02:29,620 --> 00:02:32,620 He and those vulnerable believers alongside him bore with patience 40 00:02:32,620 --> 00:02:34,620 the trials endured for the sake of Allah 41 00:02:34,620 --> 00:02:36,620 as no one else ever did. 42 00:02:36,620 --> 00:02:39,620 For Abu Bakr al-Siddiq 43 00:02:39,620 --> 00:02:41,620 and 'Ali ibn Abi Talib 44 00:02:41,620 --> 00:02:43,620 had tribal protection to defend them 45 00:02:43,620 --> 00:02:45,620 and kinfolk to shield them. 46 00:02:45,620 --> 00:02:49,620 But as for those oppressed, enslaved men and women, 47 00:02:49,620 --> 00:02:53,620 Quraysh inflicted upon them the most severe torment. 48 00:02:53,620 --> 00:02:56,620 They wanted to make them an example— 49 00:02:56,620 --> 00:02:58,620 a deterrent to anyone who might contemplate 50 00:02:58,620 --> 00:03:01,620 renouncing their idols and following Muhammad. 51 00:03:01,620 --> 00:03:04,659 Those who took charge of torturing them were 52 00:03:04,659 --> 00:03:07,659 a faction among the most merciless of Quraysh's disbelievers 53 00:03:07,659 --> 00:03:09,659 and the hardest of heart. 54 00:03:09,659 --> 00:03:11,659 Abu Jahl— 55 00:03:11,659 --> 00:03:14,659 may Allah disgrace him—bore the sin of killing Sumayyah. 56 00:03:14,659 --> 00:03:17,659 He stood over her, hurling curses and vile obscenities, 57 00:03:17,659 --> 00:03:19,659 then struck her with his spear, a fatal thrust 58 00:03:19,659 --> 00:03:21,659 that entered her lower abdomen 59 00:03:21,659 --> 00:03:23,659 and pierced through her back; 60 00:03:23,659 --> 00:03:26,659 thus she became the first martyr in Islam. 61 00:03:26,659 --> 00:03:29,689 As for the others among her brethren in faith, 62 00:03:29,689 --> 00:03:32,689 foremost among them Bilal ibn Rabah, 63 00:03:32,689 --> 00:03:35,689 Quraysh prolonged their torture relentlessly. 64 00:03:35,689 --> 00:03:38,689 Whenever the sun reached the zenith of the sky 65 00:03:38,689 --> 00:03:41,689 and the sands of Makkah scorched with blazing heat, 66 00:03:41,689 --> 00:03:43,689 they would strip them of their clothes, 67 00:03:43,689 --> 00:03:46,689 dress them in iron armor, 68 00:03:46,689 --> 00:03:49,689 bake them under the searing rays of the sun, 69 00:03:49,689 --> 00:03:52,689 lash their backs with whips, 70 00:03:52,689 --> 00:03:55,689 and order them to revile Muhammad. 71 00:03:55,689 --> 00:03:58,780 Whenever the torture became unbearable 72 00:03:58,780 --> 00:04:01,780 and their endurance was completely exhausted, 73 00:04:01,780 --> 00:04:04,780 they would outwardly yield to what was demanded of them, 74 00:04:04,780 --> 00:04:07,780 while their hearts remained firmly attached to Allah and His Messenger— 75 00:04:07,780 --> 00:04:11,780 except for Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him. 76 00:04:11,780 --> 00:04:15,780 His own life was of little consequence to him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious. 77 00:04:15,780 --> 00:04:18,819 The one who took upon himself the brunt of his torture 78 00:04:19,819 --> 00:04:22,819 was Umayyah ibn Khalaf and his henchmen. 79 00:04:22,819 --> 00:04:25,850 They would scourge his back with whips, 80 00:04:25,850 --> 00:04:28,850 and he would only utter: "Ahad, Ahad" (One, One). 81 00:04:28,850 --> 00:04:31,850 They would crush his chest with heavy boulders, 82 00:04:31,850 --> 00:04:33,850 and he would still call out: "Ahad, Ahad." 83 00:04:33,850 --> 00:04:36,850 They would intensify their agonizing torment, 84 00:04:36,850 --> 00:04:38,850 and he would only proclaim: "Ahad, Ahad." 85 00:04:38,850 --> 00:04:42,980 They tried to force him to mention al-Lat and al-'Uzza, 86 00:04:42,980 --> 00:04:44,980 yet he would mention only Allah and His Messenger. 87 00:04:44,980 --> 00:04:48,009 They would say to him, "Say what we say!" 88 00:04:48,009 --> 00:04:52,009 but he would reply, "My tongue cannot speak it." 89 00:04:52,009 --> 00:04:54,139 So they persisted in abusing him 90 00:04:54,139 --> 00:04:56,139 and went to extreme lengths in torturing him. 91 00:04:56,139 --> 00:05:00,230 Whenever that ruthless tyrant, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, 92 00:05:00,230 --> 00:05:02,230 grew weary of torturing him, 93 00:05:02,230 --> 00:05:05,230 he would place a rough rope around his neck, 94 00:05:05,230 --> 00:05:08,230 hand him over to the street ruffians and children, 95 00:05:08,230 --> 00:05:11,230 and order them to drag him through the mountain passes of Makkah 96 00:05:11,230 --> 00:05:14,230 and across its rocky valleys. 97 00:05:14,230 --> 00:05:17,259 Yet Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, 98 00:05:17,259 --> 00:05:21,259 found that torment sweet for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, 99 00:05:21,259 --> 00:05:24,259 continually chanting his sublime refrain: 100 00:05:24,259 --> 00:05:27,259 "Ahad, Ahad! Ahad, Ahad!" 101 00:05:27,259 --> 00:05:30,259 never tiring of its repetition, 102 00:05:30,259 --> 00:05:32,259 nor having his fill of its recitation. 103 00:05:32,259 --> 00:05:36,519 Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, offered 104 00:05:36,519 --> 00:05:39,519 to buy him from Umayyah ibn Khalaf. 105 00:05:39,519 --> 00:05:41,519 Umayyah demanded an exorbitant price, 106 00:05:41,519 --> 00:05:44,519 assuming that Abu Bakr would never take him. 107 00:05:44,519 --> 00:05:47,519 Yet Abu Bakr purchased him for nine ounces of gold. 108 00:05:47,519 --> 00:05:51,519 After the transaction was completed, Umayyah said to him, 109 00:05:51,519 --> 00:05:55,519 "Even if you had insisted on paying no more than a single ounce, I would still have sold him to you." 110 00:05:55,519 --> 00:05:57,519 Al-Siddiq replied: 111 00:05:57,519 --> 00:06:01,519 "Even if you had refused to sell him for less than a hundred ounces, I would still have bought him." 112 00:06:01,519 --> 00:06:05,839 When al-Siddiq informed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) 113 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:07,839 of his purchase of Bilal 114 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:10,839 and his rescue from the hands of his torturers, 115 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:13,839 the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: 116 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,839 "Let me share him with you, O Abu Bakr!"— 117 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:17,839 meaning: let me share in the cost of his emancipation. 118 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:20,839 Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, replied: 119 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,839 "I have already freed him for the sake of Allah, O Messenger of Allah." 120 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:28,129 When Allah granted permission to His Prophet (peace be upon him) 121 00:06:28,129 --> 00:06:30,129 to migrate to Madinah, 122 00:06:30,129 --> 00:06:33,129 Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, emigrated 123 00:06:33,129 --> 00:06:35,129 among those who made the Hijrah. 124 00:06:35,129 --> 00:06:38,129 He, al-Siddiq, and 'Amir ibn Fuhayrah stayed 125 00:06:38,129 --> 00:06:40,129 in the same house, 126 00:06:40,129 --> 00:06:42,129 and they were all struck down with severe fever. 127 00:06:42,129 --> 00:06:45,129 Whenever the fever subsided from Bilal, 128 00:06:45,129 --> 00:06:47,129 he would raise his voice 129 00:06:47,129 --> 00:06:50,129 and begin chanting in his sweet melody, saying: 130 00:06:50,129 --> 00:06:54,129 "Ah, would that I knew: shall I ever spend another night 131 00:06:54,129 --> 00:06:57,129 in the valley of Fakhkh, surrounded by idhkhir and jalil grass? 132 00:06:57,129 --> 00:07:01,129 And shall I ever go down one day to the waters of Majannah, 133 00:07:01,129 --> 00:07:04,129 and will the peaks of Shamah and Tafil ever appear to me again?" 134 00:07:04,129 --> 00:07:09,290 It was no wonder that Bilal yearned for Makkah and its mountain paths, 135 00:07:09,290 --> 00:07:12,290 longing for its valleys and mountains; 136 00:07:12,290 --> 00:07:15,290 for it was there that he had tasted the sweetness of faith, 137 00:07:15,290 --> 00:07:18,290 there that he found suffering sweet for the sake of Allah, 138 00:07:18,290 --> 00:07:22,290 and there that he triumphed over his own self and over Satan. 139 00:07:22,290 --> 00:07:27,740 Bilal settled in Yathrib, far from the harm of Quraysh, 140 00:07:27,740 --> 00:07:33,740 devoting himself entirely to his Prophet and beloved, Muhammad (peace be upon him). 141 00:07:33,740 --> 00:07:36,740 He would set out with him whenever he set out, 142 00:07:36,740 --> 00:07:39,740 return with him whenever he returned, 143 00:07:39,740 --> 00:07:41,740 pray with him whenever he prayed, 144 00:07:41,740 --> 00:07:44,740 and fight alongside him in every expedition he led, 145 00:07:44,740 --> 00:07:47,740 until he became more constant a companion to him than his own shadow. 146 00:07:47,740 --> 00:07:53,740 When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) built his mosque in Madinah 147 00:07:53,740 --> 00:07:58,740 and the adhan was instituted, Bilal became the first caller to prayer in Islam. 148 00:07:58,740 --> 00:08:00,930 Whenever he finished calling the adhan, 149 00:08:00,930 --> 00:08:04,930 he would stand at the door of the Prophet's house 150 00:08:04,930 --> 00:08:09,930 and call out: "Come to prayer! Come to success!" 151 00:08:09,930 --> 00:08:14,019 And when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stepped out of his chamber 152 00:08:14,019 --> 00:08:19,279 and Bilal saw him approaching, he would begin the iqamah. 153 00:08:19,279 --> 00:08:24,279 The Negus, King of Abyssinia, had gifted the greatest Messenger (peace be upon him) 154 00:08:24,279 --> 00:08:27,279 three short spears (harbah) 155 00:08:27,279 --> 00:08:30,279 of the finest treasures possessed by kings. 156 00:08:30,279 --> 00:08:33,279 The Prophet kept one for himself, 157 00:08:33,279 --> 00:08:36,279 gave one to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, 158 00:08:36,279 --> 00:08:39,379 gave one to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, 159 00:08:39,379 --> 00:08:42,379 and assigned the third spear exclusively to Bilal. 160 00:08:42,379 --> 00:08:47,379 Bilal carried it before the Prophet throughout his entire life; 161 00:08:47,379 --> 00:08:52,379 he would carry it on the two Eid celebrations and during the prayers for rain (Istisqa'), 162 00:08:52,379 --> 00:08:56,379 planting it before him as a sutrah whenever prayer was performed outside the mosque. 163 00:08:56,379 --> 00:09:00,570 Bilal fought alongside his Prophet at Badr, 164 00:09:00,570 --> 00:09:03,570 seeing with his own eyes how Allah fulfilled His promise 165 00:09:03,570 --> 00:09:05,570 and gave victory to His troops. 166 00:09:05,570 --> 00:09:10,570 He witnessed the downfall of the tyrants who used to inflict upon him the most terrible torment, 167 00:09:10,570 --> 00:09:13,570 beholding Abu Jahl and Umayyah ibn Khalaf 168 00:09:13,570 --> 00:09:16,570 lying slain, struck down by the swords of the Muslims, 169 00:09:16,570 --> 00:09:20,570 while the spears of those once tortured drew streams of their blood. 170 00:09:20,570 --> 00:09:25,980 When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered Makkah as a conqueror 171 00:09:25,980 --> 00:09:28,980 at the head of his grand battalion, 172 00:09:28,980 --> 00:09:31,980 alongside him was the caller of the heavens, Bilal ibn Rabah. 173 00:09:31,980 --> 00:09:35,179 When the Prophet entered the Sacred Ka'bah, 174 00:09:35,179 --> 00:09:39,179 only three men were in his company: 175 00:09:39,179 --> 00:09:41,179 'Uthman ibn Talhah, 176 00:09:41,179 --> 00:09:44,179 the keeper of the keys of the Noble Ka'bah, 177 00:09:44,179 --> 00:09:46,179 Usamah ibn Zayd, 178 00:09:46,179 --> 00:09:49,179 the beloved of the Messenger of Allah and the son of his beloved, 179 00:09:49,179 --> 00:09:51,179 and Bilal ibn Rabah, 180 00:09:51,179 --> 00:09:53,340 the muezzin of the Messenger of Allah. 181 00:09:53,340 --> 00:09:55,340 When the time for the Zuhr prayer arrived, 182 00:09:55,340 --> 00:10:01,340 countless thousands surrounded the greatest Messenger (peace be upon him), 183 00:10:01,340 --> 00:10:06,460 while those among the disbelievers of Quraysh who had embraced Islam, willingly or reluctantly, 184 00:10:06,460 --> 00:10:09,460 looked on at that monumental scene. 185 00:10:09,460 --> 00:10:15,529 Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called for Bilal ibn Rabah 186 00:10:15,529 --> 00:10:18,529 and commanded him to climb atop the Ka'bah 187 00:10:18,529 --> 00:10:21,529 and proclaim the word of Tawhid from above it. 188 00:10:21,529 --> 00:10:24,529 Bilal carried out the command, 189 00:10:24,529 --> 00:10:27,529 raising his resonant voice with the adhan; 190 00:10:27,529 --> 00:10:31,529 thousands of necks craned up toward him, watching, 191 00:10:31,529 --> 00:10:36,529 and thousands of tongues began repeating after him in humble awe. 192 00:10:36,529 --> 00:10:39,820 “But as for those in whose hearts is disease, it only addeth wickedness to their wickedness, and they die while they are disbelievers.” (9:125) 193 00:10:39,820 --> 00:10:43,820 Envy began to consume the hearts of the unrepentant, 194 00:10:43,820 --> 00:10:47,820 and rancor tore bitterly at their chests. 195 00:10:47,820 --> 00:10:52,039 No sooner had Bilal reached in his adhan the words: 196 00:10:52,039 --> 00:10:55,039 "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," 197 00:10:55,039 --> 00:10:58,139 than Juwayriyah bint Abi Jahl said: 198 00:10:58,139 --> 00:11:02,330 "By my life, Allah has truly elevated your renown! 199 00:11:02,330 --> 00:11:04,330 As for the prayer, we shall pray it, 200 00:11:04,330 --> 00:11:08,330 "Yet, by Allah, we do not love those who killed our loved ones." 201 00:11:08,330 --> 00:11:11,330 Her father had been killed at the Battle of Badr. 202 00:11:11,330 --> 00:11:14,419 And Khalid Ibn Usaid said: 203 00:11:14,419 --> 00:11:17,419 "Praise be to Allah who honored my father, 204 00:11:17,419 --> 00:11:19,419 such that he did not live to see this day!" 205 00:11:19,419 --> 00:11:23,419 His father had died just one day before the Conquest of Makkah. 206 00:11:23,419 --> 00:11:25,490 Al-Harith Ibn Hisham remarked: 207 00:11:25,490 --> 00:11:27,490 "Woe and grief! 208 00:11:27,490 --> 00:11:31,490 Would that I had died before seeing Bilal standing atop the Ka'bah!" 209 00:11:31,490 --> 00:11:34,649 Al-Hakam Ibn Abi al-'As exclaimed: 210 00:11:34,649 --> 00:11:36,649 "By Allah, this is indeed a monumental calamity— 211 00:11:36,649 --> 00:11:41,649 that a slave of the Banu Jumah should bray atop this Sacred House!" 212 00:11:41,649 --> 00:11:44,809 Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb was standing with them, 213 00:11:44,809 --> 00:11:48,809 and he said: "As for me, I shall say nothing. 214 00:11:48,809 --> 00:11:50,809 For if I were to utter a single word, 215 00:11:50,809 --> 00:11:55,809 these pebbles would surely inform Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah." 216 00:11:55,809 --> 00:12:02,000 Bilal continued to make the call to prayer for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, throughout his life. 217 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,029 The noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 218 00:12:06,029 --> 00:12:14,029 continuously found solace in this voice—the very voice that had been severely tortured for the sake of Allah while repeating, "Ahad, Ahad" (Allah is One, Allah is One). 219 00:12:15,159 --> 00:12:21,159 When the Supreme Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away to the Highest Companion, 220 00:12:21,159 --> 00:12:23,159 and the time for prayer arrived, 221 00:12:23,159 --> 00:12:26,159 Bilal stood up to give the call to prayer to the people, 222 00:12:26,159 --> 00:12:32,289 while the noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, lay shrouded, not yet buried. 223 00:12:32,289 --> 00:12:34,289 But as soon as he reached his words: 224 00:12:34,289 --> 00:12:38,289 "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," 225 00:12:38,289 --> 00:12:40,289 choked with tears, 226 00:12:40,289 --> 00:12:43,289 his voice caught in his throat, 227 00:12:43,289 --> 00:12:45,289 and the Muslims burst into tears 228 00:12:45,289 --> 00:12:47,289 and wept profusely. 229 00:12:47,289 --> 00:12:51,419 After that, he gave the call to prayer for only three days, 230 00:12:51,419 --> 00:12:58,539 and whenever he reached the words, "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," he wept and moved everyone else to tears. 231 00:12:58,539 --> 00:13:05,539 Thereupon, he requested Abu Bakr, the successor of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 232 00:13:05,539 --> 00:13:07,539 to relieve him from giving the call to prayer, 233 00:13:07,539 --> 00:13:10,539 as he could no longer bear it. 234 00:13:10,539 --> 00:13:13,539 He asked his permission to leave for jihad in the cause of Allah 235 00:13:13,539 --> 00:13:16,539 and to station himself on the frontlines in the Levant. 236 00:13:16,539 --> 00:13:21,539 As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, hesitated to grant his request 237 00:13:21,539 --> 00:13:24,539 and give him leave to depart from Madinah. 238 00:13:24,539 --> 00:13:26,539 So Bilal said to him: 239 00:13:26,539 --> 00:13:29,539 "If you bought me for yourself, then keep me; 240 00:13:29,539 --> 00:13:32,539 but if you freed me for the sake of Allah, 241 00:13:32,539 --> 00:13:35,539 then leave me to Him for Whom you freed me." 242 00:13:35,539 --> 00:13:37,669 Abu Bakr replied: 243 00:13:37,669 --> 00:13:40,669 "By Allah, I bought you only for Allah, 244 00:13:40,669 --> 00:13:43,769 and I freed you only for His sake." 245 00:13:43,769 --> 00:13:45,769 Bilal then said: 246 00:13:45,769 --> 00:13:48,769 "Indeed, I shall not give the call to prayer for anyone after the Messenger of Allah." 247 00:13:48,769 --> 00:13:50,799 Abu Bakr said: 248 00:13:50,799 --> 00:13:52,990 "Then so be it." 249 00:13:52,990 --> 00:13:58,990 Thus, Bilal departed from Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah with the very first expedition of the Muslims, 250 00:13:58,990 --> 00:14:01,990 and settled in Darayya, near Damascus. 251 00:14:01,990 --> 00:14:04,990 He refrained from giving the call to prayer 252 00:14:04,990 --> 00:14:08,990 until 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab visited the Levant. 253 00:14:08,990 --> 00:14:13,990 There he met Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, after a long separation. 254 00:14:13,990 --> 00:14:16,990 'Umar longed for him intensely 255 00:14:16,990 --> 00:14:19,149 and held him in profound veneration, 256 00:14:19,149 --> 00:14:23,149 to the extent that whenever As-Siddiq was mentioned in his presence, he would say: 257 00:14:23,149 --> 00:14:26,149 "Abu Bakr is our master, 258 00:14:26,149 --> 00:14:29,149 and he freed our master"— 259 00:14:29,149 --> 00:14:32,309 referring to Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him. 260 00:14:32,309 --> 00:14:38,309 While there, the Companions urged Bilal to perform the call to prayer in the presence of Al-Faruq. 261 00:14:38,309 --> 00:14:41,309 No sooner did his voice rise with the call to prayer 262 00:14:41,309 --> 00:14:43,309 than 'Umar wept, 263 00:14:43,309 --> 00:14:45,309 and the Companions wept with him, 264 00:14:45,309 --> 00:14:48,340 until their beards were soaked with tears; 265 00:14:48,340 --> 00:14:53,340 for Bilal had stirred their deep longing for the cherished days of Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah— 266 00:14:53,340 --> 00:14:55,340 oh, how blessed were those days! 267 00:14:55,340 --> 00:14:58,539 The caller of the heavens continued 268 00:14:58,539 --> 00:15:00,539 to reside in the region of Damascus 269 00:15:00,539 --> 00:15:03,629 until his appointed time of death arrived. 270 00:15:03,629 --> 00:15:07,629 As he lay on his deathbed, his wife was wailing by his side, 271 00:15:07,629 --> 00:15:09,629 crying out: 272 00:15:09,629 --> 00:15:11,730 "Oh, what sorrow!" 273 00:15:11,730 --> 00:15:14,730 But he opened his eyes each time 274 00:15:14,730 --> 00:15:16,730 and replied to her, saying: 275 00:15:16,730 --> 00:15:18,730 "Oh, what joy! 276 00:15:18,730 --> 00:15:21,730 Then he breathed his last breath, repeating: 277 00:15:21,730 --> 00:15:23,730 "Tomorrow we shall meet our loved ones— 278 00:15:23,730 --> 00:15:25,730 Muhammad and his companions! 279 00:15:25,730 --> 00:15:27,730 Tomorrow we shall meet our loved ones— 280 00:15:27,730 --> 00:15:29,730 Muhammad and his companions!" 281 00:15:30,730 --> 00:15:36,019 "Abu Bakr is our master, 282 00:15:36,019 --> 00:15:39,019 and he freed our master"— 283 00:15:39,019 --> 00:15:41,149 meaning Bilal— 284 00:15:41,149 --> 00:15:45,730 said 'Umar al-Faruq, may Allah be pleased with him.