not about establishing justice and
truth. They used to get into fights and
even full0fledged wars based on petty
tribal quarrels, being forced to live by
the above social axiom. They viewed
non-Arabs as lesser and labelled them
‘ajami (non-Arab) i.e. those who are
verbally handicapped. Based on their
language and lineage, they viewed
non-Arabs as inferior. Tribalism, racism,
and nationalism fragmented the
human race and protracted their differences.
This was just a smokescreen
that Shaytan used as he enjoyed the
theater.
Allah Most High enjoins us to unite
as brothers and sisters in faith. It can
easily be seen from various Islamic
acts of worship that Allah wants us to
cast aside superficial differences and
join together like bricks in a castle
wall. He says: “All believers are but
brothers” (49:10).
Allah Himself explains the reason for
this diversity. He says: “O mankind,
We have created you from a male and
a female, and made you into races
and tribes, so that you may recognize
one another” (49:13). Aside from the
reason, as was mentioned in the beginning,
it also serves as a sign of His
qudra (power).
With his deep and divinely inspired
insight, the noble Prophet a changed
the meaning of the pre-Islamic axiom
while keeping the original wording.
The Messenger of Allah a said,
“Help your brother, whether he is an
oppressor or is oppressed” (Bukhari).
The people were confused as they
knew that the Prophet a had abolished
tribalism and promoted justice
and equality. He explained himself
saying that helping the oppressor can
be achieved by stopping him from
oppressing others.
In a very strong hadith, the Messenger
of Allah a said in the middle of
the days of Tashreeq: “O people, your
Lord is One, and your father is one.
There is no virtue for an Arab over a
non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an
Arab, and neither for a white-skinned
person over a black-skinned person,
nor for a black-skinned person
over a white-skinned person, except
by righteousness.” The Prophet a
then asked: “Have I delivered the
message?” They replied in the affirmative.
In this sermon, known as the
Farewell Address, the Prophet a outlined
the religious and ethical credo
of Islam. Racial equality was one of
them. Delivering such a fundamental
message in such an emphatic way
should leave no doubt that Islam, in
its foundation, is against any type of
prejudice based on tribe, skin color,
or language. It is quite possible that
this sermon is the first constitution
that preached racial equality.
In our current setting, we as Muslims
have truly forgotten this fundamental
concept of Islam. We have been
ensnared by racist narratives and
taken the Satanic bait. We go right or
become leftist and forget the middle
path, attaching ourselves to politically
charged movements and chanting
the narrative and counter-narrative
slogans as a form of virtue signaling.
Instead of trying to figure out if 2 + 2
equals 3 or 5, we should realize that
we have had the answer all along.
It does not take a sociologist to see
that Muslims have many deep-rooted
racist views lurking within. We seem
continued on page 30
12 May – June 2021 | AL-MADINAH