STF251913 The Muezzin Balil on the Kaaba at Mecca, from the \'Siyer-i Nebi\' (gouache on paper) by Turkish School, (16th century); Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, Turkey; (add.info.: Turkish epic of the life of Mohammed written by Mustafa, son of Yusef of Erzurum in c.1388; illustrated during reign of Murad III and completed in 1595; Bilal ibn Rabah (580??40 AD) also known as Bilal al-Habashi, Bilal ibn Riyah, and ibn Rabah was one of the most trusted and loyal Sahabah (companion) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was born in Mecca and is considered as the first muezzin, chosen by Muhammad himself. Born as a slave, Bilal was among the emancipated slaves freed by Abu Bakr due to the Islamic teachings of slavery. His father Rabah was an Arab slave and his mother Hamamah was a former princess of Abyssinia captured and enslaved. Life of the Prophet; Mohammed (c.570-c.632); proclamation of prayer; ); Bildarchiv Steffens; Turkish, out of copyright.