Animated Bilal movie tells story of companion

OnIslam Staff

Photo credit: onislam
A screenshot from the movie about the prominent Companion.

CAIRO – A new animation movie telling the story of Prophet Muhammad’s (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) companion Bilal ibn Rabah (may Allah be pleased with him) has been announced in Dubai.

“A thousand years ago, one boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior is abducted with his sister and taken to a land far away from home,” the description of the movie was mentioned on producers’ YouTube Channel.

“Thrown into a world where greed and injustice rule all, Bilal finds the courage to raise his voice and make a change. Inspired by true events, this is a story of a real hero who earned his remembrance in time and history.”

The new movie was first announced last Monday in Dubai by a group of Saudi professionals who have been working on the movie over the past ten years.

Produced by Barajoun Entertainment, the film was released in English to target American audience, being a story of a slave who turned to be a master in his people after Islam.

Voices in the film are played by some famous American artists including Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, the Game of Thrones star.

“The movie tells the story of a real superhero, an African slave who was brought to Arabia 1,000 years ago and fought for his freedom,” Akinnuoye-Agbaje said last January after signing up to voice the lead character.

“He became an inspiration to generations and we’re retelling his story 1,000 years later.”

American star Will Smith has also expressed support for the movie, traveling to Dubai to cooperate with the Saudi producers.

Producers said the movie would be released in the final quarter of 2015.

Bilal ibn Rabah is one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad. His father and his mother were both actually prominent people before they became slaves. His father, Rabah, was actually an Arab and was not from Abyssinia. His mother, whose name was Hamamah, was actually a princess in Abyssinia. And they were both taken as slaves on the year of the elephant, the same year in which Prophet Muhammad was born.

Born in Makkah, the freed Ethiopian slave after accepting Islam was inseparable from the Messenger himself.

His virtuous character and beautiful soul were coupled with a delightful voice that the Prophet honored by making him the first caller of Adhan (call to prayer) in Islam.

17-10