Foremost Believer From Among the Abyssinians
The Holy Prophet (sa) stated, “Bilal is سَابِقُ الْحَبَشَۃ” i.e., the foremost believer from among the Abyssinians.
(Ibn Sa‘d, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Bilal bin Rabah [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2017] 175)
Hazrat Anas (ra) narrates that the Messenger (sa) of Allah said, “There are four people who have taken the lead in accepting Islam. أَنَا سَابِقُ الْعَرَبِ (i.e., I am the foremost believer from among the Arabs). سَلْمَانُ سَابِقُ الْفُرْسِ (i.e., Salman is the foremost believer from among the Persians). بِلَالٌ سَابِقُ الْحَبَشَۃِ (i.e., Bilal is the foremost believer from among the Abyssinians). صُہَیْبٌ سَابِقُ الرُّوْمِ (i.e., Suhaib is the foremost believer from among the Romans).”
(Shamsuddin adh-Dhahabi, Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala, Vol. 1, Bilal bin Rabah [Beirut, Lebanon: Mu‘assisat al-Risalah, 2014] 349)