Part 15

The swords were blazing, the killed were falling. Then Bilaal saw Umayah, who had not left even a small place on his body free of the traces of his torture. Where and how did he see him? He saw him in the arena of battle and fighting, mowing down with his sword all of the heads of Muslims he could. If he had reached the head of Bilaal then, he would have cut it off. In such circumstances as the two men met, it is not fair to ask Bilaal: Why did you not forgive him gently?

The days went by and Makkah was conquered. The Messenger (PBUH) entered it, thankful and saying, “Allah is the Greatest," at the head of 10,000 Muslims. He headed for the Ka‘bah immediately, this holy place which the Quraish had crowded with idols amounting to the number of days of the year. "The truth has come and falsehood has vanished."

Ever since that day, there has been no ‘Uzzaa, no Laat and no Hubal. Man will not bow to a rock or idol after today. People will worship no one with all his conscience but Allah, Who has no likeness, the One, Most Great, Most High. The Messenger entered the Ka*bah accompanied by Bilaal. He had hardly entered it when he faced a carved idol representing Ibraahiim (Abraham) (PBUH) prophesying with sticks.

The Messenger (PBUH) was angry and said, "May Allah kill them. Our ancestor never did prophesy with sticks. Ibraahiim was not a Jew or Christian, but he was a true Muslim and was never a polytheist." Then he ordered Bilaal to ascend to the top of the mosque and call to Prayer, and Bilaal called the Adhaan. How magnificent was the time, place, and occasion!

Life came to a standstill in Makkah, and thousands of Muslims stood like motionless air, repeating in submissiveness and whispering the words of the Adhaan after Bilaal while the polytheists were in their homes hardly believing what was happening.

Is this Muhammad (PBUH) and his poor followers who were expelled yesterday from their homes ? Is this really he, with 10,000 of his believers? Is this really he whom we chased away, fought and killed his most beloved kin and relations? Is this really he who was speaking to us a few minutes ago while our necks were at his mercy, saying, "Go, you are free!"?

But three nobles of the Quraish were sitting in the open space in front of the Ka*bah, as if they were touched by the scene of Bilaal treading their idols with his feet and sending above its heaped wreckage his voice with the Adhaan, spreading to all the horizons of Makkah, like a passing spring. These three were Abu Sufyaan Ibn Harb, who had embraced Islam only hours ago, and “Attaab Ibn Usaid and Al-Haarith Ibn Hishaam, who had not yet embraced Islam.

*Attaab, with his eyes on Bilaal crying out the Adhaan, said, "Allah has honored Usaid in that he did not hear this, or else he would have heard what would infuriate him." Al-Haarith said, "By Allah, if 1 were sure that Muhammad (PBUH) is telling the truth, I would follow him." Abu Sufyaan, the old fox, commented on their speech saying, "I am not saying a word, for if I do, these pebbles will inform about me."

When the Prophet left the Ka‘bah he saw them, read their faces instantly, and said with his eyes shining with the light of Allah and

the joy of victory, "I know what you've said,” and he told them what they had said.

Al-Haarith and*Attaab shouted, "We bear witness that you are

the Messenger of Allah. By Allah, no one heard us, so we can't say somebody informed you!”

And they welcomed Bilaal with new hearts, which enclosed the echo of the words which they had heard in the Messenger's speech just after he entered Makkah. "O people of the Quraish, Allah has removed from you the arrogance of pre-Islamic paganism, and its boasting about forefathers. People are descended from Adam, and Adam was from dust.”

Bilaal lived with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), witnessing all the battles with him, calling to Prayer and observing the rites of this great religion that took him out of darkness to light and from servitude to freedom. The stature of Islam along with the stature of Muslims was elevated. Every day Bilaal was getting closer to the heart of the Messenger of Allah, who used to describe him as "one of the inhabitants of Paradise."

But Bilaal remained just as he was, noble and humble, always considering himself "the Abyssinian who only yesterday was a slave." One day he was proposing to two girls for himself and his brother, so he said to their father, " I am Bilaal and this is my brother, two slaves from Abyssinia. We were astray and Allah guided us. We were two slaves and Allah emancipated us. If you agree on us marrying your daughters, all praise is to Allah; if you refuse, then Allah is the Greatest."

The Messenger passed away to Allah, well pleased and well pleasing, and Abu Bakr As-Siddiiq took the command of the Muslims after him. Bilaal went to the caliph (successor) of the Messenger of Allah and said to him, "O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah, I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say, ‘The best deed of a believer is jihaad in the cause of Allah."

Abu Bakr said to him, "So what do you want, Bilaal?" He said," want to defend in the cause of Allah until I die." Abu Bakr said, "And who will call the Adhaan for us?" Bilaal said, with his eyes

overflowing with tears, "I will not call the Adhaan for anyone after the Messenger of Allah." Abu Bakr said, "Stay and call to Prayer for us, Bilaal." Bilaal said, "If you emancipated me to be for you, I will do what you want, but if you emancipated me for Allah, leave me to

Whom I was emancipated for." Abu Bakr said, “I emancipated you for Allah , Bilaal."

The narrators differ. Some of them believe that he traveled and remained fighting and defending. Some others narrate that he accepted Abu Bakr's request to stay with him in Madiinah. When Abu Bakr died and “Umar succeeded him, Bilaal asked his permission and went to Syria.

Anyhow, Bilaal vowed the remaining part of his life to fight in the cause of Islam, determined to meet Allah and His Messenger

having done the best deed they love.

His melodious, welcoming, awe-inspiring voice did not call the Adhaan any more, because whenever he uttered in his Adhaan, "I bear witness that Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger of Allah," memories would stir him, and his voice would vanish under his sadness while the tears cried out the words.

His last Adhaan was during the days ‘Umar, the Commander of the Faithful, when he visited Syria. The Muslims entreated him to persuade Bilaal to call one Adhaan for them. The Commander of the Faithful called Bilaal when it was time for Prayer and pleaded with him to make the Adhaan. Bilaal ascended and did so. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) who were with the Commander of the Faithful while Bilaal was calling the Adhaan wept as they never did before, and “Umar the most strongly.

Bilaal died in Syria, fighting in the cause of Allah just as he had wanted. Beneath the dust of Damascus, today there lies the body of one of the greatest men of humankind in standing up for the creed of Islam with conviction.

(5) ABD ALLAH IBN “UMAR The Persistent and Repentant to Allah

When he was at the peak of his long life he said, " I swore the oath of allegiance to the Prophet (PBUH). I never broke my oath, nor have I turned to something else to this day. I never swore allegiance to those in civil strife, nor did I awake a sleeping Muslim."

These words are a summary of the life of that virtuous man who lived past the age of 80. His relationship with Islam and the Prophet began when he was only 13 years old, when he accompanied his father to the battle of Badr, hoping to have a place among the Mujaahiduun, but he was sent back by the Prophet due to his young age. Since that day — and even before that when he accompanied his father on his Hijrah to Al-Madiinah — that young boy who possessed premature manly merits began his relation with the Prophet of Islam (PBUH).

From that day till the day he passed away at the age of 85, we will always find him persistent, repentant, never deviating from his path, not even by a hairbreadth, never breaking the oath of allegiance which he had sworn, nor breaking a pledge he had made. The merits of ‘Abd Allah Ibn ‘Umar, which dazzle people's vision, are abundant. Among these are his knowledge, modesty, the straightness of his conscience and path, his generosity, piety, persistence in worship, and his sincere adherence to the Prophet's model. By means of all these merits and qualities did Ibn ‘Umar shape his unique personality, his sincere and truthful life.

He learned a lot of good manners from his father, “Umar Ibn AlKhattaab, and together with him, they learned from the Prophet (PBUH) all the good manners and all that can be described as noble virtues.

Like his father, his belief in Allah and His Prophet was perfect; therefore, the way he pursued the Prophet's steps was admirable. He

He was always looking at what the Prophet was doing in every matter and then humbly imitating his deeds to the finest detail. For example, wherever the Prophet prayed, there also would Ibn ‘Umar pray, and on the same spot. If the Prophet invoked Allah while standing, then Ibn*‘Umar would invoke Allah while standing. If the Prophet invoked Allah while sitting, so also would Ibn ‘Umar invoke Allah while sitting. On the same particular route where the Prophet once dismounted from his camel and prayed two rak‘ahs, so would Ibn ‘Umar do the same while traveling to the same place.

Moreover, he remembered that the Prophet's camel turned twice at a certain spot in Makkah before the Prophet dismounted and before his two rak‘ahs of prayer. The camel may have done that spontaneously to prepare itself a suitable halting place, but Ibn ‘Umar would reach that spot, turn his camel in a circle, then allow it to kneel down. After that he would pray two rak‘ahs in exactly the same manner he had seen the Prophet (PBUH) do. Such exaggerated imitation once provoked the Mother of the Believers ‘Aa'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) to say, "No one followed the Prophet's steps in his coming and going as Ibn “Umar did."