It is narrated from Sayyiduna Wathilah bin al-Asqa' (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of the black people are three: Luqman, Bilal, and Mihja', the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." 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 Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The forerunners (the vanguard of Islam) are four: I am the forerunner of the Arabs, Salman of Persia, Bilal of Abyssinia, and Suhayb is the forerunner of the Romans." Umarah bin Zadhan is alone in narrating this hadith from Thabit.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What an excellent man Bilal is! He is the master of the mu'adhdhins (callers to prayer), and none but a mu'adhdhin will follow him; and on the Day of Resurrection the mu'adhdhins will have the longest (most prominent) necks of all people." Husam is alone in narrating this hadith.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day in the morning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "O Bilal! By what deed did you precede me into Paradise? Last night I entered Paradise and heard the sound of your footsteps ahead of me. Then I came to a square, lofty palace of gold, and I asked: 'Whose palace is this?' They said: 'A man from the Ummah of Muhammad.' I said: 'I am Muhammad; whose palace is this?' They said: 'An Arab's.' I said: 'I am an Arab; whose is it?' They said: 'A man of Quraysh.' I said: 'I am of Quraysh; whose is it?' They said: 'Umar bin al-Khattab's.'" At this Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! Whenever I have given the adhan, I have always prayed two rak'ahs (voluntary prayer) after it, and whenever I have happened to lose my ablution, I have performed ablution right then. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is because of this." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was staying at Ukaz, and I asked: Who is with you in this matter (the religion)? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Two men: Abu Bakr and Bilal." So I accepted Islam, and I found myself the fourth person to have accepted Islam. This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

Muhammad bin Umar said: Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) died in the year 20 AH.

Mus'ab bin Abdullah al-Zubayri narrates that Bilal bin Rabah (may Allah be pleased with him) died in the year 20 AH in Damascus, a city of al-Sham. Mention of the virtues of Sayyiduna Abu al-Haytham bin al-Tayyihan al-Ashhali (may Allah be pleased with him).

Muhammad bin Ishaq narrates that, from the Ansar, of Banu Abd al-Ashhal, Abu al-Haytham bin al-Tayyihan (whose name was Malik, and who was their ally) took part in both the first and the second Pledge of al-Aqabah. He was a naqib (chief representative), he took part in the Battle of Badr, and he had no offspring.

Muhammad bin Umar narrates from his shaykhs that the name of Abu al-Haytham bin al-Tayyihan was Malik. He belonged to the tribe of Baliyy bin Amr bin al-Haf bin Quda'ah, and he was an ally of Banu Abd al-Ashhal. Abu al-Haytham bin al-Tayyihan and As'ad bin Zurarah (may Allah be pleased with them both) were among the very first of the Ansar in Makkah to accept Islam and to meet the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) before their people, and they came to Madinah with the good news of Islam. Abu al-Haytham was among the seventy of the Ansar who took the Pledge of al-Aqabah, and he was one of the twelve nuqaba' (chief representatives); there is no disagreement about this. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established brotherhood between him and Uthman bin Maz'un (may Allah be pleased with him). Abu al-Haytham (may Allah be pleased with him) took part in the battles of Badr, Uhud, al-Khandaq and all the battles alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is reported from Salih bin Kaysan that Abu al-Haytham bin al-Tayyihan (may Allah be pleased with him) died during the caliphate of Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him).