Saying · c. 615 CE (Meccan period)
أَحَدٌ أَحَدٌ
Ahadun Ahad! Ahadun Ahad! (One! One!)
Repeated throughout his torture, affirming the Oneness of Allah.
Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi was a slave owned by Umayyah ibn Khalaf. He refused to give up Islam, no matter how he was tortured. He was handed over to gangs of youths, who put a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets of Makkah. He was also pinned under a rock in the scorching sun, and his owner Umayyah took part in torturing him. Through it all, Bilal kept repeating "Ahadun Ahad" (One, One), declaring that Allah is One.
Bilal's steadfastness under torture became a symbol of unwavering faith. He was later rewarded by being chosen as the Prophet ﷺ's official muezzin, the one who calls the adhan (call to prayer).
Other events recorded in 7 BH. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
أَحَدٌ أَحَدٌ
Ahadun Ahad! Ahadun Ahad! (One! One!)
Repeated throughout his torture, affirming the Oneness of Allah.
أَكْفُرُ بِاللَّاتِ وَالْعُزَّى وَأُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ
I reject al-Lat and al-Uzza, and I believe in Allah.
Heard and later reported by Amr ibn al-As.
The rocks were so hot you could literally cook raw meat on them.
A later recollection by Amr ibn al-As describing the severity of Bilal's torture under the sun.
Bilal was tortured by the people of Makkah and by Umayyah ibn Khalaf in particular, but he never even gave them one word to please them.
A later recollection by Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, nephew of Aisha, many years after the events.