Life of Muhammad — Page 14
sa 14 slaves converted to Islam were dragged through the streets of Mecca over hard and hot sands and stones ( Musnad , Vol. 5, p. 110). The slaves who believed came from all communities. Bil a l ra was a negro, S uhaib ra a Greek. They belonged to different faiths. Jabr ra and S uhaib ra were Christians, Bil a l ra and ‘ Ammar ra , idol-worshippers. Bil a l ra was made to lie on hot sand, loaded with stones, and boys were made to dance on his chest, and his master, Umayya bin Khalf, tortured him thus and then asked him to renounce Allah and the Prophet sa and sing the praises of the Meccan gods, L a t and ‘ Uzz a. Bil a l ra only said, A h ad, A h ad … (God is One). Exasperated, Umayya handed Bil a l ra over to street boys, asking them to put a cord round his neck and drag him through the town over sharp stones. Bil a l's ra body bled, but he went on muttering, A h ad, A h ad … Later, when Muslims settled in Medina and were able to live and worship in comparative peace, the Holy Prophet sa appointed Bil a l ra a Mu ’ adhdhin, the official who calls the worshippers to prayers. Being an African, Bil a l ra missed the (h), in the Arabic Ashhadu (I bear witness). Medinite believers laughed at his defective pronunciation, but the Prophet sa rebuked them and told them how dear Bil a l ra was to God for the stout faith he showed under Meccan tortures. Ab u Bakr ra paid ransom for Bil a l ra and many other slaves and secured their release. Among them was S uhaib ra , a prosperous merchant, whom the Quraish continued to belabour even after his release. When the Holy Prophet sa left Mecca to settle down in Medina, S uhaib ra wanted to go with him. But the Meccans stopped him. He could not take away from Mecca, they said, the wealth he had earned in Mecca. S uhaib ra offered to surrender all his property and earnings and asked whether they would then let him go. The Meccans accepted the arrangement. S uhaib ra reached Medina empty-handed and saw the Prophet sa , who heard him and congratulated him, saying, "This was the best bargain of your life. "