Bilal al-Habashi recited the first ever call to Prayer. He endured the most unbearable of suffering for the sake of his belief for years. He was one of the Messenger’s greatest devotees. Medina had become much too constricted for him after Allah’s Messenger passed away. He possessed an unceasingly belief, love for Allah and His Messenger, and zeal. Realizing that he was about to breathe his last on his deathbed, his wife cried out, “Woe is me!” Bilal al-Habashi injected saying, “Now is not the time for sorrow. It is the time for joy and jubilation, for tomorrow I shall meet the beloved Messenger and his Companions!”

The early days of Islam were very difficult for Muslims who gathered around Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Slaves who embraced Islam were the ones who suffered most. Bilal was one spectacular hero from among them who rose to become a free believer and became the first muezzin to call Muslims to prayer.

Brief life sketch of Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ, first muezzin of Islam and a close companion of Prophet Muhammad.

Famed for his beautiful voice, Bilal is known as the first muezzin in Islam. When told to beat a fellow slave for repeating Mohammad's assertion that slaves are the equal of their masters, he refuses and is almost beaten to death himself. But Bilal is saved by the prayers of the Prophet.