|
The other day, when he came back from the desert, the signs of tiredness were
seen in his face. The black man put his knapsack down and wiped the beads of
perspiration from his forehead. The air was filled with dust churned up by the
baaing sheep running towards the fold. The black man said to himself, "Now,
perhaps I can take a rest for a while."
Since morning he had grazed the sheep under the hot sunshine of the desert,
and in the afternoon had decided to rest a few minutes, but he could not. The
heat of the desert sand and sun would not permit sleep.
He placed the sheep in the fold, and went to the water well. Just as he was
about to wash his face with the cool water, he heard loud shouts, shouts of his
Master and other people talking. Surely, something important has happened which
caused Master to shout that way!
The man's name was Bilal. Although he was from Abyssinia land, he lived in
Mecca. When he was sold to Master, he was only a small boy. Master always
reminded him, "I am your owner, and you are my slave, you must obey me because
your god has been made from wood and mine is from gold. This is the god's will."
The shouting, cursing voice always made unpleasant noise in his ears.
Bilal washed his face, took his knapsack, and started to his room. His room
was dark, four walls in the basement of the big, aristocratic house.
Bilal had not reached his room yet when he heard the shouts of his Master
raised again.
The shouts continued. The black man wanted to know what was going on, but he
was afraid of getting close enough to the Master's room to hear what Master was
saying and why he was so angry. Yet, he was irresistibly drawn toward the room.
Quietly, he stood at the door. Carefully, he listened to the talk, which
continued, with only occasional shouts from his Master Omayyad. He recognized
the voices as those of the aristocrats of Mecca. The voice of Omayyad, son of
Khalaf, who was more nervous than the others, was raised again.
He spoke with indignation, "We must not let Mohammad freely disturb the city.
He treated our idols with disrespect."
He says, 'There is only one God and everybody must worship him.'
"Do you know what this means? It means that I, Omayyad, the noble person of
Mecca and Bilal, the ignorant black slave must have the same God... Is that
possible?"
At the same time, another aristocrat interrupted Omayyad's speech and said
"Our misfortune is too great because everybody knows him. He is well-known for
truthfulness, innocence and trustworthiness."
Omayyad paused a moment and then said, "so we are compelled to say to people
Mohammad has become mad."
The others admired the thing, which Omayyad suggested. All Masters accepted
this suggestion, and the meeting ended. They all got up to go to their homes,
but before they came out of the room, Bilal had gone to his room.
Bilal's room seemed to him darker and smaller than ever. Omayyad's words did
not bring tranquility to him for a moment. He thought of the prophet of God
and... "Do people believe the aristocrat's words?" he asked himself. No.... No.
They would never accept that. Mohammad is the most innocent and most truthful
man in Mecca. Everybody knows him. When he says there is only one God and these
idols are not God, he certainly tells the truth. But why were only the
aristocrats and Masters afraid of Mohammad's religion (peace be upon him) and
his God?
That night Bilal thought much and he found out so many mysteries and could
not sleep until late.
The following day, Bilal heard that people were talking about the madness of
Mohammad (peace be upon him). He dared to speak several times to give the people
understanding of who had scattered falsehood among them, but nobody believed
him.
The days passed one after another. Every day there was news that another one
added to God's Messenger's followers. And also every day Bilal heard about them
that they were hurt or injured or killed.
Bilal became heavy - hearted. He was not able to do anything about it, and
sadness turned to anger. Many times he told himself, "I will revenge these
cruelties." Then it was reported that Ammar's father and mother had been
martyred on the rack.
Bilal knew Ammar. He was one of the innocent and honest youth in Mecca. Bilal
also knew Abu Jahl, the Master of Ammar very well.
Abu Jahl was one of the aristocrats of Mecca who was famous for cruelty and
meanness. But in spite of this, he could not force Ammar to quit God's Messenger
and his religion.
In spite of this despairing news, one day Bilal, coming back from the desert,
reached his decision. Instead of going to Master's house, he went directly to a
house where God's Messenger dwelled.
Mohammad (peace be upon him) was a tall man, with a face shining with faith.
When Bilal saw him, his heart became quiet. He felt that he had found his loss.
Mohammad's words (peace be upon him) were so hope giving for him that he did
not want to leave. He concluded a promise with Mohammad, God's prophet (peace be
upon him) and converted to Islam.
These comings and goings continued, the words of Mohammad (peace be upon him)
had changed Bilal. He did not have endurance to see the idols anymore because he
had heard the truth from Mohammad (peace be upon him) and now he realized real
God.
One morning, when Bilal left the house of God's Messenger, he went to kaaba.
Nobody was there. He looked at the idols-the golden idols, the small wooden
idols and the stone idols.
"Oh! You unable idols!" he shouted. "How can you defend yourselves? Woe is me
that I worshipped these idols and fell crying at their feet."
Later he moved forward and spat at the face of one big idol and shouted, "oh,
you unable gods! You do not deserve worship! You become extinct some day. You do
not deserve for me to spend my time with you in this manner!"
Bilal left kaaba and returned to his master's house. When Bilal entered the
house, he heard the shouts of Omayyad and his friends, but heedless of them, he
went to his own room. For him nothing was more pleasurable than to bill and coo
his newfound God, the One Who had given him power to curse the idols and spit on
the big idol.
But in the room where Omayyad and his friends were sitting the door burst
open and a man rushed into the room, went directly to Omayyad and whispered
something into his ear. Omayyad's face flushed red with anger.
"Are you sure you have seen it exactly?" Omayyad asked the man.
"Yes, I am sure," was his reply.
"Have you seen him with Mohammad?" shouted Omayyad.
In a weak voice with head bowed, the man answered "yes, my master." Then
pausing some moments, "And it is worse than that. I saw him spit on the big
idol."
"His mouth will soon be a place for the snakes." Omayyad shouted, unable to
control his rage.
Omayyad's friends were soon aware of the meaning of these words as his shouts
continued into the night.
Next day Mecca's people saw Omayyad and his friends drag the bound Bilal to
the city square.
Bilal remained quiet with shining black eyes looking to the sky.
All the people - young and old - followed them, anxious to know what destiny
was waiting for Bilal.
The sun had reached the middle of the sky creating beads of perspiration on
the black, naked body of Bilal. The white of Bilal's eyes had become red from
the heat. He looked around at the people who stared wide - eyed back at him. He
fell on the hot sands. Omayyad pushed aside the people and with a fiery torch
stood over his head. Bilal closed his eyes, which only served to further
infuriate Omayyad.
"Bilal," came the shout of Omayyad, "O' you unlucky slave, are you willing to
repent, or do I burn your body by the fire?"
Bilal did not answer. He did not open his eyes. Omayyad's anger increased. He
brought the torch forward to Bilal's body. The stench of burning flesh permeated
gradually to everybody's nostrils. Omayyad was shocked as he heard Bilal's
resonant voice split the silence
"Absolute Oneness... Absolute Oneness..."
Omayyad anger flared. "Shut your mouth, you impudent slave!
"Absolute Oneness... Absolute Oneness..."
Bilal had learned these words from the prophet (peace be upon him) and Ammar.
The shouts of Bilal caused tumult among the people. Omayyad, while giving Bilal
lashed, shouted, "I will not let him disobey my order! You must respect our
idols!"
But Bilal's voice continued:
"Absolute Oneness... Absolute Oneness..."
One from among the crowd asked, "What does Absolute Oneness mean?"
A man answered, "He means unique God."
Bilal opened his eyes. He saw Ammar. He smiled. He remembered Ammar's father
and mother. He shouted with a loud voice, "Absolute Oneness... Absolute
Oneness..."
Omayyad's anger increased. But no matter how much he tortured Bilal, he heard
nothing except "Absolute Oneness."
That day passed. The torture continued for days. But now Bilal went without
any fear to the house of honorable Messenger freely and listened to his words.
One day Omayyad, with the assistance of Oghbeh, one of the masters and
aristocrats of Mecca, fell upon Bilal's unclothed body and pushed him into the
hot sands again. Then Omayyad ordered a container to be prepared full of boiling
water and sank Bilal into the boiling water. This time he suffered pain more
that in the past, but again only the voice of "Absolute Oneness" was raised.
It was ordered that a big stone be brought. They tied Bilal's hands and feet
and put the stone, which took four men to lift, on his chest. Then some of
people told him, "If you want to be free, just show respect to the idols as we
do now."
Bilal ridiculed them, "My tongue does not know your words."
Bilal's arms were only "Absolute Oneness... Absolute Oneness..."
Whenever Bilal said these words, Omayyad became intensely angry. He tied
Bilal's neck with a rope and made children and ignorant people drag him naked on
the hot sands of the city.
Bilal resisted Omayyad so much, until he was bought and freed finally by Abu
Bakr.
The days in Mecca came to an end. Bilal and the other followers went to
Medina by order of the prophet, who joined them there.
Bilal's patience, forbearance, and faith in God and creed to the prophet
caused him to be chosen by the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) to call to
prayer the people in Medina.
When Bilal went to the housetop and said the prayer call, all the Moslems of
Medina went to the mosque and prayed with the Messenger of God (peace be upon
him).
One day, the people of Medina heard the prayer call, while there was much
time left to pray. The people ran, confused toward the mosque. Everybody was
waiting to know what had happened. When all were gathered, they realized that
the enemy had set out of Mecca and were near Medina.
By order of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) each person immediately
made ready to defend himself. Everyone took up his arms and when the Islam corps
was ready, they set out of Medina to the place where the enemy was. The corns of
blasphemy approached them, and from the opposite side, the prophet and his
followers with the motto of "Absolute Oneness... Absolute Oneness... God is the
greatest" came toward the enemy. Bilal's black face shown in the midst of them.
The fight began.
When the corns of blasphemy beard the shouts of "Absolute Oneness... Absolute
Oneness...", a fear came upon them. The voices of Ammar and Bilal rang in their
ears. Color drained from the face of Omayyad.
Bilal looked at every side to find Omayyad in the battlefield. Suddenly they
stood face to face. Omayyad had lost himself. Bilal shouted, "I will not be
quiet until colored my sword with your dirty blood!"
Moments later, when the enemy was defeated, Omayyad's body was among those of
the enemy. Bilal's shout was as thunder as he moved away from the body of
Omayyad and went to be at the side of the others to kill God's enemies with each
stroke of his sword.
|
No comments have been added yet. To add a comment, login to your membership account. |
| 
Comments