8 Facts About Bilal Ibn Rabah (RA)
1. Bilal Ibn Rabah (RA) was kept as slave
An Abyssinian, Bilal (RA) was kept as slave in Makkah. He (RA) was a slave of Ummayah bin Khalaf.
2 His master was a virulent enemy of Islam
Ummayah couldn’t tolerate the fact that Islam was being spread. Yet, Bilal (RA) his Ethiopian slave, converted into a Muslim.
Ummayah bin Khalaf was planning either to kill Him or to make him change his religion. But believe of Bilal (RA) on Allah didn’t let him fear from His master. He got succeeded in his plannings and sent Him for a punishment.
3. The inhuman punishment
In the Arabian Desert, Bilal (RA) was laid under the sparkling sun on the hot sand. Then, heavyweight hot rocks were placed on his body to make the situation worse.
He was burning due to the hot sand from the back of His body whereas, the upper body was burnt by the hot pieces of rocks. Also, He wasn’t able to move due to the weight of rocks.
4. The nights of lashes:
His believe made His master angrier. Bin Khalaf started lashing Him every night. He was tortured alternatively by Ummayah bin Khalaf and Abu Jahl.
5. Abu Bakr (RA)
Bilal (RA)’s punishment ended and He started living a free life as Abu Bakr (RA) bought him from Ummayah.
6. Bilal RA was the first Muezzin of Islam
Allah Almighty rewarded Him for His patience and He was made the Muazzin for the Mosque of Prophet (PBUH).
7. The death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):
After the death of Prophet (PBUH), Bilal (RA) wasn’t able to continue living in Madinah. He left Madina but returned after few days when He saw Prophet (PBUH) in a Dream demanding Him to pay a visit.
8. The request of Hasan and Hussain (RA):
When Bilal (RA) moved back in Madina, Hussain and Hasan (RA) requested Him to give Azan. After few years, Bilal (RA) finally left Madinah forever.
He died in Damascus in 20 AH. His tomb is located in Bab al Saghir, a graveyard in Damascus.
International recognition of Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage
As previously reported, following the results of the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in Busan, Republic of Korea, ten outstanding architectural monuments of Tashkent modernism of the second half of the 20th century received international recognition at once.
This was the result of the state policy pursued by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev aimed at preserving, studying and popularizing the national cultural heritage.
The UNESCO World Heritage List includes: the Jemchug Residential Building, the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan, the Peoples’ Friendship Palace, the State Museum of Art of Uzbekistan, the Tashkent State Circus building, the Central Exhibition Hall of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan, the National Palace of Cinema of Uzbekistan, the Chorsu market, the Cosmonauts metro station, and the Sun Heliocomplex.
These monuments represent a harmonious blend of modernist ideas and Central Asian architectural traditions.
Gayane Umerova, Chairman of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation and Chairman of the National Commission for UNESCO, stressed that the inclusion of these sites in the World Heritage List returns an important part of the modern architectural history of Uzbekistan to the international context of the heritage of the 20th century and the world modernist movement, and also imposes a long-term responsibility to preserve these buildings with maximum professional care, to ensure their integral role in the life of the city and to pass on knowledge about them to future generations.
B. Khudoyberdiyev, UzA
