Hammād ibn Salamah narrated—through Thābit—from Anas, in a hadith traced back to the Prophet ﷺ: “I entered Paradise and heard a soft rustling. I asked, ‘What is that?’ It was said, ‘Bilal.’” (1)
ʿUmārah ibn Zādhān reported—through Thābit, from Anas—that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The forerunners are four: I am the forerunner of the Arabs, Salmān is the forerunner of the Persians, Bilal is the forerunner of the Abyssinians, and Suhayb is the forerunner of the Byzantines.” (2)
Al-Masʿūdī transmitted—from al-Qāsim ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān—who said: “The first person ever to give the call to prayer was Bilal.” (3)
Ibn al-Munkadir reported—from Jābir—who related that ʿUmar declared: “Abu Bakr is our master; he freed Bilal, our master.” (4)
ʿUmar ibn Ḥamzah narrated—from Sālim—that a poet once praised Bilal ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar, reciting:
“Bilal, son of ʿAbd Allah, is the finest Bilal …”
Ibn ʿUmar retorted, “You have lied; rather, Bilal of the Messenger of Allah is the finest Bilal.”
(1) Reported by Ahmad, Musnad, 3:179 and 263 through several chains from Humayd, from Anas; also by Ahmad, 3:372 and 390; by Abu Nuaym, Hilyat al-Awliya, 1:150 through Abd al-Aziz; and by al-Bukhari, Sahih, nos. 3679 (Book of the Virtues of the Companions: chapter on the merits of Umar b. al-Khattab), 5226, and 7024, all of them through Muhammad b. al-Munkadir from Jabir b. Abd Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said: “I saw myself entering Paradise. There I found al-Rumaysa, the wife of Abu Talha. I then heard footsteps and asked, ‘Who is this?’ They answered, ‘This is Bilal.’ I saw a palace with a maiden in its courtyard and asked, ‘Whose is this?’ They said, ‘It belongs to Umar.’ I wanted to enter and look at it, but I remembered your sense of honour (ghayra). Umar said, ‘Would I be jealous of you, O Messenger of Allah?’ ” See also the narration immediately preceding it.
(2) The chain is weak because of Umara b. Zadhan’s poor retention. Abu Nuaym records it in Hilyat al-Awliya 1:149, 185, and al-Hakim, Mustadrak, 3:285, who remarked that Umara is its sole transmitter; al-Dhahabi concurred.
(3) Reported by Ibn Saʿd, al-Tabaqat al-kubra, 3/1:167.
(4) Reported by al-Bukhari, Sahih, no. 3754 (Book of Merits: chapter on the merits of Bilal); by Ibn Saʿd, 3/1:166; and by Abu Nuaym, Hilyat al-Awliya, 1:147. Al-Hakim (3:284) declared it authentic and al-Dhahabi agreed; see also al-Tabarani, al-Muʿjam al-kabir, no. 1015.