It pained him extremely to learn that a true believer should...

It pained him extremely to learn that a true believer should suffer in such a manner. He also felt pity for the poor man He told Abu Bakr to purchase Bilal from Ummayya and set him free. This was done. In similar ways the Prophet had many slaves set free. He insisted that slaves be treated fairly and kindly. By his own conduct he also set such examples. When Bilal first came before the Holy Prophet, he praised the Holy Prophet in two poetic lines of his native language.

The Prophet asked Hassan bin Thabit to translate it in Arabic. He translated it in words which means: “When in the world, the virtues are described, thou art mentioned as the model of virtues in our midst.” Among the slaves from Africa, Bilal was the first to accept Islam. He had a strong faith in Allah and a great love for the Prophet. He had a pure character. Soon he earned high respect of the Prophet and other great Muslims of the time.

The Prophet liked Bilal's sweet voice and made him the first Muazzin -The Caller To The Prayers. All through his life Bilal remained a close companion of and was with him at every occasion. When the Prophet died he was very saddened. Thereafter all his life he looked grieved and very solemn. He had gone to Madina when the Prophet had migrated. After the death of the Prophet he did not feel happy to stay in Madina. He sadly discontinued giving 'adhan' and migrated to Damascus, Syria.

He died there after about eight (or ten) years. His grave is still existing in the famous Muslim graveyard in Damascus. People still go to his grave to pay respect and salute him. [^1]: In some books the name of his father is given as “Riyah” and of his mother as “Jumana”.…