The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 196
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 196 like a furnace, Umaiyyah would take him out and strip him of his clothes. He would lie him down then place very large burning rocks on his breast and say, “Worship Lāt and ‘ Uzzā, and abandon Muḥammad, or I shall punish you to death. ” Bilāl knew little Arabic. He would only respond saying: “Aḥad, Aḥad” , meaning, “Allāh is one, Allāh is one. ” This response would further infuriate Umaiyyah and he would tie a rope around his neck and hand him over to the miscreants of Makkah who would drag him throughout the stony streets of Makkah until his body would become drenched in blood. But no word except ‘Aḥad, Aḥad’ would come to his tongue. When Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra saw the persecution of this slave, he purchased him for a hefty price and set him free. Abū Fukaih ra was the slave of Ṣafwān bin Umaiyyah. In the same manner, these people would force him to the burning ground and place such heavy stones upon him that his tongue would come out. ‘ Āmir bin Fuhairah ra was also a slave. He was also tortured much on account of his acceptance of Islām. Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra purchased him and employed him to tend his sheep. Lubainah was a bondmaid of the Banū ‘Adiyy. Prior to his acceptance of Islām, ‘ Umar would continuously beat her until fatigue would overtake him. After catching his breath he would begin to beat her again. She would only respond saying, “O ‘Umar! If you do not accept Islām, Allāh shall not leave this cruelty without retribution. ” Zunairah ra was a concubine of the Banū Makhzūm. Abū Jahl beat her so mercilessly that she lost her sight. Abū Jahl would point to her and tauntingly say, “If Islām was true, would it be that she received it, while we were left deprived?” Ṣuhaib bin Sinān Rūmī ra , though was no longer a slave, and was relatively well-off, was beaten by the Quraish to the extent that he would lose his senses. This is the same Ṣuhaib ra who was appointed Imāmu ṣ -Ṣalāt by Ḥaḍrat ‘ Umar ra after he was wounded, and it is he who led the funeral prayer of Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra. 1 Khabbāb bin Al-Arat was now, no longer a slave, but was a free man and a blacksmith. Once, the Quraish took hold of him and placed him, on the sizzling coal of his very own furnace while someone stood upon his breast so that he could not turn over. He was stood upon until the burning coal was smothered beneath him. Khabbāb ra mentioned this occurrence to 1 * Usdul-Ghābah, Volume 2, p. 436, Bābu Ṣuhaib bin Sinān ra , Dārul-Fikr, Beirut (2003) * Al-Kāmilu fit-Tārīkh, By Imām ‘Izz-ud-Din ibnil-Athīr, Volume 4, p. 665, Bābu Dhikri Ta‘dhībil- Mustaḍ‘afīna minal-Muslimīn, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Arabī, Beirut, First Edition (1998)