Who is Muhammad Bilal from The Glory Field and what is their importance?

Muhammad Bilal is the first character introduced in The Glory Field. Muhammad is also the first documented member of the Lewis family. Muhammad Bilal is the son of a farmer. His family is probably part of a large village who all contribute to the well-being of one particular tribe. At the opening of the narrative he is shackled at the ankles in the belly of a slave ship on the coast of Sierra Leone.