Stories
One, One
Under a rock on the burning sand, he said only: One, One.
3 min, Intro, Draft written with AI help: awaiting scholar review
Part 1 of 3
Bilal was enslaved in Makkah. His master, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, laid him on burning sand with a rock on his chest to make him renounce Islam. Bilal only repeated: "Ahad, Ahad", One, One.
Qur'an 112:1
قُلۡ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١
1 Say: “He is Allah, the One;
Lesson
Under the rock, Bilal said only: One.
Part 2 of 3
In Madinah, the Prophet chose Bilal, for his strong, beautiful voice, to make the first call to prayer. A Black man, once enslaved, became the voice that summoned the community five times a day.
Qur'an 49:13
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرࣲ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلۡنَٰكُمۡ شُعُوبࣱا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ أَكۡرَمَكُمۡ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتۡقَىٰكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرࣰ ١٣
13 O people, We have created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may recognize one another. Indeed, the most noble of you before Allah is the most righteous among you. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.
Lesson
In God's sight the noblest is the most God-conscious, not the best born.
Part 3 of 3
The Prophet told Bilal he had heard his footsteps ahead of him in Paradise, and asked what he did. Bilal's answer: whenever I make wudu', I pray after it whatever I am able to.
Lesson
For Bilal, a small, steady habit outweighed his past.
Reflect, just for you
Seen by lamplight. It gives more each time.
Under a rock on the burning sand, he said only: One, One.