The Slave From Abyssinia

Consumed completely by a word
He managed through his many pains
In spite of which was only heard
That word, now coursing through his veins:

"Ahad! Ahad!", was all he said,
Enduring at Umayyah's hands
For every chilling night with dread,
A day upon the burning sands.

Yet not one mite did he relent
To rocks that pinned his body down,
Or lashes that were freely spent
To bit by bit his spirit drown.

"Ahad! Ahad!", was all he said,
And when he couldn't breathe the word,
He raised his finger up instead;
Then doubled was the wrath incurred.

When Abu Bakr heard about
Umayyah's rabid mania,
He quickly set to helping out
The slave from Abyssinia.

Umayyah turned him down at first,
But as he saw the ransom grow,
His greed outweighed his mindless thirst
To break his slave; he let him go.

And so secured the mighty sum
Bilal bin Rabah's safe release;
With every drought Umayyah come
The rains of Abu Bakr ease.

If the drought were to defeat you,
Know: your rains await to greet you.