Husayn al-Ju'fi said: The kunyah of Bilal bin Rabah was Abu Amr, and his mother's name was Hamamah. He reached the age of sixty-seven years, and he was buried near Bab al-Saghir in the cemetery of Damascus.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Ishaq that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) bought Bilal from Umayyah bin Khalaf. He took part in the Battle of Badr alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He was black-skinned. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) gave Umayyah bin Khalaf a slave and took Bilal in exchange for him. His mother's name was Hamamah, and both of them accepted Islam. His kunyah was Abu Abdullah. He died in Damascus in the year 20 AH, and according to another report in the year 18 AH.

Mudrik bin Awf al-Ahmasi said: I passed by Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was in the mosque, and I asked: "O Abu Abdullah! Why are you sitting here?" He said: "I am waiting for the sun to rise."

Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari said: The kunyah of Bilal bin Rabah was Abu Abd al-Karim; according to one view it was Abu Abdullah, and according to another Abu Amr. He was the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

Ibn Ishaq said: The name of the mother of Bilal bin Rabah was Hamamah, and the name of his sister was Ghufrah, in relation to whom Umar bin Abdullah al-Madani is called "Mawla Ghufrah" (the freed slave of Ghufrah).

Amr bin Maymun narrates from his father that a brother of Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) used to present himself as an Arab and claim to be one of them. He proposed marriage to an Arab woman, and those people said: "If Bilal comes, we will marry you." The narrator said: So Bilal came and said: "I am Bilal bin Rabah, and this is my brother. He is a bad man in character and religion. Now, if you wish, marry him, and if you wish, leave it." They said: "Whoever you are the brother of, we will certainly marry him." So they married him. This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it; and narrations are also reported from this brother of Bilal.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the first to make their Islam public were seven people: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, Ammar, his mother Sumayyah, Suhayb, al-Miqdad and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with them). As for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Allah protected him through his uncle Abu Talib; and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), He protected through his people. But the rest were seized by the polytheists, who clad them in coats of iron armour and made them stand in the scorching sun. Every one of them (under the severity of the torment) said what they wanted, except Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), for he cared nothing for his own life for the sake of Allah, and he had no standing in the eyes of his people either. So they handed Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) over to the boys, who would drag him around the mountain passes of Makkah, while Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) kept saying (with his tongue): "Ahad, Ahad" (Allah is One, Allah is One). This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is our master, and he freed our master (Bilal)." This hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it!

It is narrated from Yahya bin Sa'id that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), while describing the virtues of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), mentioned his qualities and then said: "And this is our master Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), one of the good deeds of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) freed seven people who were being tortured in the path of Allah (for accepting Islam); among them were Bilal and Amir bin Fuhayrah (may Allah be pleased with them both). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.