Authentic
Sahih al-Bukhari 3754
`Umar used to say, "Abu Bakr is our chief, and he manumitted our chief," meaning Bilal.
أَبُو بَكْرٍ سَيِّدُنَا، وَأَعْتَقَ سَيِّدَنَا. يَعْنِي بِلاَلاً.
بِلَال
Bilal: meaning of the name
Boy Arabic origin Bilāl
Companion“That which moistens and refreshes”, water that quenches thirst; the first muezzin of Islam
Bilal in Islam
Bilal ibn Rabah, a slave of Abyssinian origin, was tortured in Mecca for his faith and kept repeating “Ahad, Ahad” (“One, One”); Abu Bakr bought and freed him. The Prophet ﷺ made him the first muezzin of Islam. ʿUmar used to say: “Abu Bakr is our master, and he freed our master”, meaning Bilal (al-Bukhari 3754).
Meaning of the name Bilal
Bilal comes from the root b-l-l of moisture and freshness (balal): the word means what moistens, water that quenches thirst, and by extension what does good. Lexicographers also relate bill, “what is permitted, what heals”. The name is inseparable from Bilal ibn Rabah, the voice of the call to prayer.
- In Arabic
- بِلَال بلال
- Transliteration
- Bilāl
- Root
- ب ل ل
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Arabic
Is Bilal in the Quran?
No: neither the name Bilal nor its root appears in the Quran. A name can be beautiful and permissible without coming from the Quran.
In the hadiths
Authentic
Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2458
Bilal, narrate to me which act at the time of morning prayer you did in Islam for which you hope to receive good reward, for I heard during the night the sound of your steps before me in Paradise. Bilal said: I did not do any act in Islam for which I hope to get any benefit but this that when I…
مَا عَمِلْتُ عَمَلاً فِي الإِسْلاَمِ أَرْجَى عِنْدِي مَنْفَعَةً مِنْ أَنِّي لاَ أَتَطَهَّرُ طُهُورًا تَامًّا فِي سَاعَةٍ مِنْ لَيْلٍ وَلاَ نَهَارٍ إِلاَّ صَلَّيْتُ بِذَلِكَ الطُّهُورِ مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لِي أَنْ…
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Bilal in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.
Read the rules for choosing a name
This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.
Writing Bilal in each language
- French
- Bilal, Bilel, Bilâl
- English
- Bilal, Belal
- Spanish
- Bilal
- Turkish
- Bilal
- Arabic
- بِلَال