Ahmaud Arbery
Ahmaud Arbery was murdered on February 23, 2020. Ahmaud or Ahmad is an Arabic word meaning Most Praiseworthy. It was one of the names of Prophet Muhammad. God’s peace and blessings be upon him. The convicted killers of Ahmaud Arbery, three white males, descended from those who fought for Confederacy. Ahmaud on the other hand was a direct descendant of Bilali Muhammad. This is the story of Bilali Muhammad. Ahmaud’s ancestor Bilali Muhammad was born in 1770 where Mansa Musa’s Mali Empire once stood. It was a seat of great Islamic and African civilization. Timbuktu in Mali still has hundreds and thousands of manuscripts in its libraries. He was from the Fulani tribe of Africa which is known for its Islam. Bilali Muhammad was a teenager when he was captured and brought to America as a slave. While enslaved on the rice plantations of Sapelo Island in Georgia, he started rebuilding his life. Bilali Muhammad used his faith in Allah, the God Almighty, to turn his pain into power. He practiced Islam on the Island establishing perhaps the first Muslim community in America. He became an Imam to other Muslims enslaved in the island. He eventually rose to become the main leader of Sapelo Island in the absence of a pragmatic slave owner. His education, his mastery of languages, and his rice cultivation skills, all helped him protect slaves he led. He also wrote a 13 page book about the basics of Islam. This book is now held at the Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia. He probably wrote the book for his children. As common with the Fulani Africans Muhammad and his wife Phoebe had many children, 12 sons and 7 daughters. His children knew Arabic, English, French and their Fula language. The book written in Arabic is sort of living Islam 101, basics of faith, mehods and rules of ablution and prayer. The slave owner trusted Bilali Muhammad enough to let him built a mosque on the island. Today a church stands in Sapelo Island, Georgia. Curiously it faces East and they call it a prayer house. Men sitting on one side and women sitting on the other. It is led by one of the dissendents of Bilali Muhammad. It also has old graves facing Mecca although Bilali Muhammad grave is not found. This is the story of Ahmaud’s ancestor, Bilali Muhammad. May Allah bless our brother in faith. May he be in the best place in Jannah. In gardens, with flowing water, where he will roam free. Free forever. Forever, salam. In peace with peace.
