Banner of Hazrat Bilal (ra) at the Conquest of Mecca
On the day of the Conquest of Mecca, when the Messenger (sa) of Allah entered the Ka‘bah, Hazrat Bilal (ra) also accompanied him.
Hazrat Ibn Umar (ra) narrates, “The Holy Prophet (sa) arrived at Mecca on the day of the Conquest of Mecca and sent for Uthman bin Talha (ra). He opened the door of the Ka‘bah and the Holy Prophet (sa), Hazrat Bilal (ra), Hazrat Usama bin Zaid (ra) and Hazrat Uthman bin Talha(ra) went inside and then closed the door behind them. They stayed there for some time and then came out.” Hazrat Ibn Umar (ra) added, “I quickly went to Hazrat Bilal (ra) and enquired from him [what happened inside]. He replied, ‘The Holy Prophet (sa) prayed in the Ka‘bah.’ I asked, ‘Where?’ He replied, ‘Between these pillars.’” Hazrat Ibn Umar (ra) would say, “I forgot to ask how many rak‘aat [units of prayer] he had offered.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Salat, Bab al-Abwab wa al-Ghalaq li al-Ka‘bah wa al-Masajid, Hadith 468)
Hazrat Bilal (ra) would later tell people where in the Ka‘bah the Holy Prophet (sa) had prayed.
It is narrated by Hazrat Ibn abi Mulaikah (ra), “On the day of the Conquest of Mecca, the Messenger of Allah (sa) ordered Hazrat Bilal (ra) to call the Azan from the rooftop of the Ka‘bah. Hence, Hazrat Bilal (ra) called the Azan from the rooftop.”
(Ibn Sa‘d, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Bilal bin Rabah [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2017] 177)
Whilst mentioning Hazrat Bilal (ra) in relation to the Conquest of Mecca, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) states:
“Hazrat Abbas (ra) took Abu Sufyan and went to the Holy Prophet (sa) during a gathering. The Holy Prophet (sa) saw Abu Sufyan and said, ‘Woe unto you! Do you still not believe that God is One?’ Abu Sufyan replied, ‘Why would I not believe? If there was another god, would he not have helped us?’ Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘Woe unto you! Do you still not believe that Muhammad (sa) is the Prophet of Allah?’ He replied, ‘Regarding this, I am still unsure.’ Hazrat Abbas (ra) said to Abu Sufyan, ‘O unfortunate soul! Pledge your allegiance; through this, you and your nation will be saved!’ Abu Sufyan replied, ‘Very well, I will do so.’ On the insistence of Hazrat Abbas (ra), he performed the Bai‘at [pledge of initiation] on that occasion, but his heart was not fully convinced by it. However, later on, he became a true Muslim. Nevertheless, he performed Bai‘at, upon which Hazrat Abbas (ra) said that now, he ought to ask for his people to be spared, otherwise they would be destroyed. At that moment, the hearts of the muhajireen were apprehensive. They were originally from Mecca and believed that once the honour of Mecca was destroyed, it could not be restored. Despite having been subjected to extreme torture [in Mecca], they still prayed for a peaceful resolution.
“In contrast however, the Ansar were filled with great zeal and passion. The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘What have you come to ask for?’ In reply, Abu Sufyan said, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah! Will you not show mercy to your people? You are indeed merciful and benevolent. Moreover, I am your relative, your brother and I should be honoured in some way as well, as I have now entered Islam.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘Very well! Go and make an announcement in Mecca that whoever enters the house of Abu Sufyan shall be granted protection.’ He replied, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah! My house is of a limited size, how many people could it possibly accommodate? This is such a large city; how can its inhabitants all be accommodated in my home?’ The Holy Prophet (sa) then said, ‘Very well! Whoever enters the Ka‘bah will be given refuge.’
“Abu Sufyan replied, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah! Some people will still remain [without protection].’ The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘Alright! The one who throws down his weapons will be left in peace.’ Abu Sufyan replied, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah! Some people will still remain.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘Alright! Whoever closes the doors of their home will be given refuge as well.’ Abu Sufyan replied, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah! The poor people living on the streets will be killed.’ The Holy Prophet(sa) said, ‘Very well! Prepare a flag for Bilal (ra) and bring it to me.’ Abi Ruwaiha (ra) was a companion, and when the Holy Prophet (sa) formed bonds of brotherhood in Medina between the Muhajireen and the Ansar, he established a bond of brotherhood between Abi Ruwaiha(ra) and Bilal (ra). Perhaps Bilal (ra) was not present at the time or due to some other reason. Nevertheless, the Holy Prophet (sa) had a flag made for Bilal (ra) and gave it to Abi Ruwaiha (ra) and said, ‘This is the flag of Bilal (ra). Go forth into the city and announce that whoever stands under the flag of Bilal (ra) will be granted refuge.’ Abu Sufyan said, ‘This is sufficient. Mecca will now be saved.’ He then requested permission to leave. The Holy Prophet(sa) said, ‘You may go! Since the leader has already accepted defeat, now whether or not the people of Mecca learn of [the conquest of Mecca] it makes no difference.
“Abu Sufyan entered Mecca anxiously and continuously said, ‘O People! Close the doors to your homes. O People! Throw away your weapons. O People! Enter the Ka‘bah. Bilal’s (ra) flag has been raised aloft, go and stand underneath it.’ In the meantime, people started closing their doors. Some started entering the Ka‘bah and others cast their weapons outside. Meanwhile, the Islamic army entered the city and people gathered under the banner of Bilal (ra).”
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) further states:
“The most extraordinary point worth noting from this incident is the flag of Hazrat Bilal (ra). The Holy Prophet (sa) arranged a flag for Hazrat Bilal (ra) and said that whoever stands beneath the standard of Bilal (ra) shall be granted refuge. Even though the Holy Prophet (sa) was the leader, he raised no flag for himself. After him, in terms of the level of sacrifices offered, was Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), yet no flag was raised for him either. Following him in terms of the leaders from among the Muslims was Hazrat Umar (ra), yet he too had no flag raised. The worthiest after him was Hazrat Uthman (ra), the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet (sa), yet for him also, no flag was raised. Thereafter was Hazrat Ali (ra), who was his cousin and son-in-law, but again, he also had no flag raised for him. Then, Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Auf (ra), regarding whom the Holy Prophet (sa) stated that as long as he lives, there shall be no discord among the Muslims, yet despite this, he too was not granted a flag. The Holy Prophet (sa) did not even raise a flag for Hazrat Abbas (ra), his uncle, and who, at times, would even speak boldly in front of the Holy Prophet (sa) of which he would never be displeased by, and yet, he too was not granted a flag. Furthermore, all the other chieftains and people of great eminence were present. There was Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (ra), the son of a chieftain and who was very well-known himself. Hazrat Amr bin As (ra), another son of a chieftain was present, as well as the children of other chiefs, yet none of them had a banner raised. A flag was only prepared and granted to Hazrat Bilal (ra). What was the reason for this? This was because when a skirmish was about to break out in the vicinity of the Kab‘ah, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) saw that the ones who were about to be killed were his brethren. Thus, he went to the Holy Prophet (sa) saying, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah, will they [i.e. the Muslims] kill their own brothers?’ At that point he had forgotten about the injustices committed against them and overlooking this aspect only saw that they were his brethren. Hazrat Umar (ra) who would usually say, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah, kill these disbelievers [of Mecca]’, but when the Holy Prophet (sa) decided to forgive them all, even Hazrat Umar (ra) would have thought to himself that it was better that our brothers were pardoned. And despite having committed great injustices against them, Hazrat Uthman (ra) and Hazrat Ali (ra) would also have been thinking the same. Even whilst the Holy Prophet (sa) was pardoning them, a thought may have arisen that among them were his uncles, brothers, sons-in-law, relatives and dear ones; thus, if he was to pardon them, it would be better as his relatives would be saved. However, there was only one person who had no relatives in Mecca; he did not wield any influence in Mecca; who had no helper in Mecca and who was tortured in a state of utter helplessness. Neither was Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) subject to this [torture], nor Hazrat Ali (ra), Hazrat Usman (ra) or Hazrat Umar (ra). In fact, the Holy Prophet (sa) himself did not suffer affliction in the same manner.”
Hazrat Bilal (ra) was the only one to suffer atrocities of such nature. Here too, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) has not rejected the notion that they suffered injustices; rather, he is stating that no one experienced the same kind of torture that Hazrat Bilal (ra) went through.
Whilst describing some of the details of the torture carried out against Hazrat Bilal (ra), Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) says:
“Hazrat Bilal (ra) was made to lay naked on the burning sand. We can see for ourselves that we cannot walk barefoot in the months of May and June, yet he was made to lay unclothed in burning sand. Then children wearing shoes with nails would jump up and down on his chest telling him, ‘Say, there are more gods other than the One God, say Muhammad (sa) is a liar.’ When they would beat him constantly, Hazrat Bilal (ra) would respond only this much in his own way of speaking, ‘As-hadu allaa ilaaha illallah. As-hadu allaa ilaaha illallah.’ meaning, ‘How can I utter this after witnessing that God is One, and no matter how much you may torture me, after learning that Muhammad (sa) is the true Messenger of Allah, how can I call him a liar?’ Thereupon the children would beat him even more. He was treated in this manner in the summer months, i.e. the months of intense heat. During the winter months, they would tie his feet with rope and drag him in the stony streets and his skin would be wounded. They would drag him telling him to say, ‘Muhammad (sa) is a liar and there are other gods besides God.’ His response, however, was, ‘As-hadu allaa ilaaha illAllah. As-hadu allaa ilaaha illallah.’
“Now that the Islamic army, numbering 10,000, was ready to enter Mecca, Bilal (ra) must have thought that today would be the day for retribution against those who used to stamp on his chest with their shoes and that he would be recompensed for the cruel beatings and torture he endured. However, when the Holy Prophet (sa) declared that all those who either entered the home of Abu Sufyan, entered the Holy Ka‘bah, laid down their arms or closed the doors of their homes would be forgiven, the thought may have crossed Bilal’s (ra) mind that the Holy Prophet (sa) was pardoning his own kith and kin, which was indeed a noble deed, but how would he receive retribution? The Holy Prophet (sa) knew that on that day, there was only one person who could be pained by him forgiving these people, and that was Bilal (ra), as these people were not his family or tribesmen. The pain he was made to endure was not endured by anyone else. Thus, the Holy Prophet (sa) decided that he would seek retribution for Bilal’s (ra) pain, but he would do so in a manner that upheld the dignity of his prophethood, whilst at the same time remaining mindful of Bilal’s sentiments. The Holy Prophet (sa) instructed that Bilal’s (ra) flag should be raised and the chieftains of Mecca, who used to stamp on Bilal’s chest with their shoes; who used to tie a rope to his feet and drag him; who used to make him lay on burning sand, should be informed that if they wish to save their own lives, as well as the lives of their wives and children, they must come and stand under the flag of Bilal (ra).
“It is my belief that since the creation of this world and since man has entered a stage of his development where he has been in a position of strength to be able to seek retribution against another for an injustice committed against them, never has anyone sought retribution in such a magnificent manner. When Bilal’s (ra) flag was pitched in the grounds in front of the Holy Ka‘bah, the circumstances were very different to how they used to be. The chieftains of Mecca who used to crush Bilal (ra) under their feet, demanding from him to declare Muhammad (sa), the Messenger of God, as a liar, the same chieftains would have come running, holding the hands of their wives and children, to seek refuge under the flag of Bilal (ra) in order to save their lives.
“Just think of the love and devotion Bilal’s heart and soul must have felt for the Holy Prophet(sa) in that moment. He must have thought to himself, ‘I did not know whether I would ever obtain retribution from the disbelievers, or whether I would even have the ability to do so. Now, I have been able to take retribution in a manner whereby every person who used to stamp down on my chest, their heads have been lowered beneath my feet.’”
This was his retribution; those who used to stomp on Bilal’s (ra) chest with their shoes were now made to lower their heads at the feet of Bilal (ra).
“This retribution was far more magnificent than the retribution of Joseph (as) because Joseph (as) forgave his brothers for the sake of his father.” The person for whose sake he forgave them was his father, and the people who he forgave were his brothers. “The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) forgave his uncles and his brothers only after they submitted at the feet of a [former] slave. Thus, the retribution of Joseph (as) is of no comparison.”
(Sair-e-Ruhani, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 24, pp. 268-273)
It is stated in Introduction to the Study of the Holy Quran:
“Abu Sufyan (ra) asked the Holy Prophet (sa) whether the Meccans would be safe if they did not take up arms. The Holy Prophet (sa) replied in the affirmative. He said that every person who closed the door to their home would remain safe. Hazrat Abbas (ra) said to the Holy Prophet (sa) that Abu Sufyan was a very proud person and what he wanted to ask was whether his honour would be duly regarded.” This is an additional detail mentioned here with reference to Hazrat Abbas (ra). “The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘Very well, whoever enters the home of Abu Sufyan would also be granted security. Whoever enters the Ka‘bah, lays down their arms, closes the doors to their homes, or enters the home of Hakim bin Hizam would also be granted security.’ After this, the Holy Prophet (sa) called Abi Ruwaiha – a bond of brotherhood had been established between him and the [former] Abyssinian slave, Bilal (ra). The Holy Prophet (sa) said, whoever came and took refuge under the flag of Abi Ruwaiha would be granted amnesty. He also instructed Bilal (ra) to announce that whoever stood under the flag of Abi Ruwaiha would be granted security.” The part where Hazrat Bilal (ra) makes an announcement is an addition to the earlier account.
“This commandment of the Holy Prophet (sa) was full of profound wisdom. The people of Mecca used to tie a rope to Bilal’s (ra) feet and drag him through the streets. The streets and plains of Mecca were not a peaceful place for Bilal (ra), but were a place of torture; a place where he was humiliated and mocked. The Holy Prophet (sa) thought that on this day, Bilal’s (ra) heart must be inclined towards seeking retribution; it is necessary that this extremely loyal companion should be granted his retribution; however, it was also necessary for this retribution to be in accordance with the pristine teachings of Islam. Thus, the Holy Prophet (sa) did not seek retribution for Bilal (ra) by severing the heads of his enemies with the sword, rather he handed a flag to his brother and commissioned Bilal (ra) to announce that all those who stood under his brother’s flag would be saved. How glorious and beautiful this retribution was; as Bilal (ra) made this announcement in a loud voice, that ‘O people of Mecca, come stand under my brother’s flag so that you may be granted protection’, the feelings of retribution must have subsided from his heart. He must have felt that there could have been no retribution more magnificent and beautiful than the retribution arranged for him by the Holy Prophet (sa).”
(Dibachah Tafsir-ul-Quran, Anwar al-Ulum, Vol. 20, p. 340)
Mentioning Hazrat Bilal’s (ra) patience and his condition at the time of the Conquest of Mecca, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) states:
“Such were the hardships that Bilal (ra) was made to endure.” The persecution he faced at Mecca has been mentioned earlier. “However, on the occasion of the Conquest of Mecca, do you know how the Holy Prophet (sa) took retribution against the disbeliever and bestowed honour upon this [former] Abyssinian slave on whose chest the chieftains of Mecca would stamp on? At the Conquest of Mecca, the Holy Prophet (sa) handed Bilal (ra) a flag and announced, ‘O leaders of Mecca! If you wish to safeguard your lives, take refuge under the flag of Bilal (ra).’ In other words, the Holy Prophet (sa) announced to Mecca that the only means to guarantee the protection of their lives was to submit before Bilal (ra), upon whose chest the chieftains of Mecca would stamp on; even though Bilal (ra) was a [former] slave and they were the chiefs.”
(Aindah Vohi Qaumein Izzat Paeingi Jo Mali-o-Jani Qurbanion Mein Hissah Lein Gi, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 21, p. 164)
Thus, whether the flag was handed to Bilal’s brother and Bilal(ra) was appointed to stand next to him, or in the instance of handing the flag to Bilal(ra), the end result was ultimately the same. Despite a small difference in the details of how the events unfolded, the same point is inferred and the conclusion is the same nonetheless.