Sayyedna Bilal — Page 8
8. SAYYEDNA BILAL promising faith in human dignity is the central theme of Islam. This was an anathema to the haughty Meccans whose power rested solely on the exploitation of the weak. They looked upon this as a natural way of life, handed down to them by their forefathers. However, there were individuals who possessed an uncanny ability to see the truth and also had dauntless courage to declare it openly. Bilal was one of these super-sensitive courageous souls. . The whole of Arabia, with exceptions here and there, believed in the polytheistic form of religion. In the Kaaba alone, the sacred place of the whole Islamic world and the house of worship built by. Abraham and his son Ishmael, there were 360 idols. . It seems that for every day of the lunar year, Meccans had an idol. . Every year people belonging to various tribes came to Mecca for Hajj. This was the time for complete peace in the country. Traders came from Abyssinia, Syria and Palestine. Their clothing needs were supplied largely by Yemen and Syria. At that time, besides clothes, spices, animals and slaves were also put up for sale. . People who accepted Islam in the beginning were generally the weak and helpless. They had virtually no supporters or sympathizers. So the infidels got away with torturing them brutally. With ropes strung round their legs they were dragged on the stony ground of the desert. They stripped poor. Muslims naked and threw them on the burning sand and often red embers, and heavy stones were placed on their bodies. They forced them to stand under the