Walid speaks about Bilal and his importance to African-American Muslims

Bilal the son of Rabaah was one of the early accepters of Islam in during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad. He was an ex-slave from Ethiopian lineage, who rose to be the first caller to prayer in Islamic history as well as serving as a charity collector and shop keeper for Prophet Muhammad.

Many African-American Muslims have a special affinity for Bilal due to the history of slavery.

The following lecture discusses Bilal's biography as well as some of the similiarities between his life and African-American Muslims. This may hold high interest for those who wonder why so many African-Americans have reverted Islam without the help of external propagation efforts.

Cut and paste the following to listen:
http://media.putfile.com/From-Bilal-to-Bilalian