Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Race and Tribe: Difference between revisions

Many passages of the Qur'an and the hadith call for the equality of all peoples in Islam. Yet at the same time, Islamic scriptures contain agitation against the Jews which would be considered today to be anti-Semitism (see [https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Islamic_Antisemitism Islamic anti-Semitism]), and the Arabs and their language are given a superior place in the eyes of Allah and the tradition. Derogatory descriptions of black people, Ethiopians in particular, are found in sahih hadiths. Furthermore, overt racism against black people and Arab supremacism - the latter in the form of doctrine - are found in the works of many highly regarded Islamic scholars. All in all the picture of race, ethnicity, and what may be called "race-relations" is a complicated on in the Islamic tradition.  

==Race and Tribe in scripture==

that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: '''"Whoever cheats the Arabs, he will not be included in my intercession, and my love shall not reach him."'''  <br>Grade: Da'if (Darussalam)}}{{Quote|{{Muwatta|45||17}}|Yahya related to me from Malik from Ismail ibn Abi Hakim that he heard Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz say, "One of the last things that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said was, ''''May Allah fight the jews and the christians.''' They took the graves of their Prophets as places of prostration. '''Two deens shall not co-exist in the land of the Arabs.''''"}}{{Quote|{{Tabari|9|p. 69}}|'''Arabs are the most noble people in lineage, the most prominent, and the best in deeds.''' We were the first to respond to the call of the Prophet. We are Allah’s helpers and the viziers of His Messenger. We fight people until they believe in Allah. He who believes in Allah and His Messenger has protected his life and possessions from us. As for one who disbelieves, we will fight him forever in Allah’s Cause. Killing him is a small matter to us.}}{{Quote|Ibn Sa'd, Vol. 1, p. 12| Ali Ibn Abi Talib, said: Verily the Prophet said: God divided the earth in two halves and placed (me) in the better of the two, then He divided the half in three parts, and I was in the best of them, then '''He chose the Arabs from among the people''', then He chose the Quraysh from among the Arabs, then He chose the children of ‘Abd al-Muttalib from among the Banu Hashim, then he chose me from among the children of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, and from them he chose me.<ref>Ibn Sa'd, Abu Abd Allah Muhammad. Kitab al-Tabaqat, vol i. Translated in English by S. Moinul Haq, Kitab Bhavan, 1784, Kalan Mahal, Daraya Ganj, New Delhi, India, 1972, p12.</ref>}}{{Quote|Ibn Taymiyya, Vol. 31, pp. 376-377|"A man married a maid-slave who bore him a child. Would that child be free or would he be an owned slave?" "Her child whom she bore from him would be the property of her master according to all the Imams (heads of the four Islamic schools of law) because the child follows the (status) of his mother in freedom or slavery. If the child is not of the race of Arabs, then he is definitely an owned slave according to the scholars, but the scholars disputed (his status) among themselves if he was from the Arabs - whether he must be enslaved or not because '''when A'isha (Muhammad's wife) had a maid-slave who was an Arab, Muhammad said to A'isha, `Set this maid free because she is from the children of Ishmael.''''"}}

{{Quote|{{Bukhari|9|87|161}}, {{Bukhari|9|87|162}}, {{Bukhari|9|87|163}}|Narrated `Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "'''I saw (in a dream) a black woman with unkempt hair''' going out of Medina and settling at Mahai'a, i.e., Al-Juhfa. '''I interpreted that as a symbol of epidemic''' of Medina being transferred to that place (Al-Juhfa).}}{{Quote|{{Muslim|10|3901}}|Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) reported: There came a slave and pledg- ed allegiance to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) on migration; he (the Holy Prophet) did not know that he was a slave. Then there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: '''Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slaves''', and he did not afterwards take allegiance from anyone until he had asked him whether he was a slave (or a free man)}}{{Quote|{{citation|author=Ibn Ishaq|page=243|editor=A. Guillaume|trans_title=The Life of Muhammad|title=Sirat Rasul Allah|publisher=Oxford University Press|ISBN= 0 19 636033 1|year=2004}}|I have heard that it was of him that the apostle said, ''''Whoever wants to see Satan let him take a look at Nabtal b. al-Harith!' He was a sturdy black man with long flowing hair, inflamed eyes, and dark ruddy cheeks.''' He used to come and talk with the Prophet and listen to him. He would carry what he had said to the hypocrites. Nabtal said, 'Muhammad is all ears. If anyone tells him something he believes it.' Allah sent down concerning him: 'To those who annoy the Prophet and say that he is all ears, say, 'Good ears for you.' For those who annoy the Apostle there is a painful punishment."}}{{Quote|{{citation|pages=471-472|title=The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet|url=https://archive.org/details/TheSealedNectar-Alhamdulillah-library.blogspot.in.pdf/page/n399/mode/2up|author=Saifur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri|page=399|publisher=Darussalam|year=1996|edition=1st}}|He [the prophet] sent Khalid bin al-Walid in Ramadan 8 A.H., to '''a spot called Nakhlah ‎where there was a goddess called Al-‘Uzza''' venerated by the Quraish and Kinanah . . . On ‎his return, the Prophet asked him if he had seen anything there, to which Khalid gave a ‎negative answer . . . He went back again and there '''he saw a black woman, naked with torn ‎hair. Khalid struck her with his sword into two parts.''' He returned and narrated the story ‎to the Prophet, who then confirmed the fulfillment of the task.‎}}{{Quote|{{citation|pages=471-472|title=The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet|url=https://archive.org/details/TheSealedNectar-Alhamdulillah-library.blogspot.in.pdf/page/n399/mode/2up|author=Saifur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri|page=400|publisher=Darussalam|year=1996|edition=1st}}|Sa’d bin Zaid Al-Ashhali was also sent in the same month and '''on the same mission to Al-‎Mushallal to destroy an idol, Manat''', respected by both Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj tribes. '''Here ‎also a black woman, naked with messy hair appeared wailing and beating on her chest. ‎Sa’d immediately killed her''' . . .‎}}{{Quote|{{Muslim|5|2334}}|'Ubaidullah b. Abu Rafi', the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), said: When Haruria (the Khwarij) set out and as he was with 'Ali b. Abu Talib (Allah be pleased with him) they said," There is no command but that of Allah." Upon this 'Ali said: The statement is true but it is intentionally applied (to support) a wrong (cause). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him described their characteristics and I found these characteristics in them. They state the truth with their tongue, but it does not go beyond this part of their bodies (and the narrator pointed towards his throat). '''The most hateful among the creation of Allah is one black man among them (Khwarij). One of his hand is like the teat of a goat or the nipple of the breast.''' When 'Ali b. Abu Talib (Allah be pleased with him) killed them, he said: Search (for his dead body). They searched for him, but they did not find it (his dead body). Upon this he said: Go (and search for him). By Allah, neither I have spoken a lie nor has the lie been spoken to me. 'Ali said this twice and thrice. They then found him (the dead body) in a rain. They brought (his dead) body till they placed it before him (Hadrat 'Ali). 'Ubaidullah said: And, I was present at (that place) when this happened and when 'Ali said about them. A person narrated to me from Ibn Hanain that he said: I saw that black man.}}{{Quote|{{Tabari|2|p. 11}}|Shem, the son of Noah was the father of the Arabs, the Persians, and the Greeks; Ham was the father of the Black Africans; and Japheth was the father of the Turks and of Gog and Magog who were cousins of the Turks. Noah prayed that the prophets and apostles would be descended from Shem and kings would be from Japheth. '''He prayed that the African’s color would change so that their descendants would be slaves to the Arabs and Turks.'''}}{{Quote|{{Tabari|2|p. 21}}|'''Ham [Africans] begat all those who are black and curly-haired''', while Japheth [Turks] begat all those who are full-faced with small eyes, and Shem [Arabs] begat everyone who is handsome of face with beautiful hair. Noah prayed that the hair of Ham’s descendants would not grow beyond their ears, and that whenever his descendants met Shem’s, '''the latter would enslave them.'''}}{{Quote|Ishaq:450|It is your folly to fight the Apostle, for Allah’s army is bound to disgrace you. We brought them to the pit. Hell was their meeting place. '''We collected them there, black slaves, men of no descent.'''}}{{Quote|Ishaq:374|The black troops and slaves of the Meccans cried out and the Muslims replied, ‘Allah destroy your sight, you impious rascals.’}}{{Quote|Mishkat, Vol. 3, p. 117. ''Al-Tirmidhi No. 38'', Alim.org ([https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20120512074140/http://www.alim.org/library/hadith/TIR/38 Archived]).|"Abu Darda reported that the Holy Prophet said: Allah created Adam when he created him (sic). Then He stroke (sic) his right shoulder and took out a white race as if they were seeds, and He stroke (sic) his left shoulder and took out a black race as if they were coals. Then He said to those who were in his right side: Towards paradise and I don't care. He said to those who were on his left shoulder: Towards Hell and I don't care. - Ahmad"}}

==Race and Tribe in Islamic law==

‎'''Chapter: Regarding he who said to a white man, ‘Oh son of a black person’ or ‘Oh one ‎blind in an eye!’''' […]‎

Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) was, among other things, an Islamic jurist, Islamic lawyer, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, and hafiz

{{Quote|Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddimah, 14th century|"Therefore, the Negro nation are, as a rule, submissive to slavery, because [Negroes] have little [that is essentially] human and have attributes that are quite similar to those of dumb animals, as we have stated."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

{{Quote|Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddimah|"beyond [known peoples of black West Africa] to the south there is no civilization in the proper sense. There are only humans who are closer to dumb animals than to rational beings. They live in thickets and caves, and eat herbs and unprepared grain. They frequently eat each other. They cannot be considered human beings."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

 

{{Quote|Quoted in “Blasphemy Before God: The Darkness of Racism In Muslim Culture” by Adam Misbah aI-Haqq|[Blacks are] people who are by their very nature slaves.<ref name="Islamic Racism2"></ref>}}

Ibn Qutaybah (828-889), was a renowned Islamic scholar from Kufa, Iraq

Nasīr al-Dīn al-Tūsī (1201-1274), was a Shia Muslim Scholar and Grand Ayatollah

 

{{Quote|Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Tasawwurat (Rawdat al-taslim):|"If (all types of men) are taken, from the first, and one placed after another, like the Negro from Zanzibar, in the Southern-most countries, the Negro does not differ from an animal in anything except the fact that his hands have been lifted from the earth -in no other peculiarity or property - except for what God wished. Many have seen that the ape is more capable of being trained than the Negro, and more intelligent."<ref name="Islamic Racism">[http://www.colorq.org/Articles/article.aspx?d=2002&x=arabviews West Asian views on black Africans during the medieval era]</ref>}}

 

{{Quote||[The Zanj (African) differ from animals only in that] their two hands are lifted above the ground,... Many have observed that the ape is more teachable and more intelligent than the Zanj.<ref name="Islamic Racism2">[http://www.nathanielturner.com/racismarabandeuropeancompare.htm Comparative Digests Racism Arab and European Compared] - Nathaniel Turner</ref>}}

 

 

{{Quote|Al-Muqaddasi (fl. 966), Kitab al-Bad' wah-tarikh, vol.4|"Of the neighbors of the Bujja, Maqdisi had heard that "there is no marriage among them; the child does not know his father, and they eat people -- but God knows best. As for the Zanj, they are people of black color, flat noses, kinky hair, and little understanding or intelligence."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

Ibn al-Faqih (9th century) was a Muslim historian and geographer

{{Quote|Ibn al-Faqih al-Hamadani, Mukhtasar Kitab al-Buldan, 903 AD|"A man of discernment said: The people of Iraq ... do not come out with something between blonde, buff and blanched coloring, such as the infants dropped from the wombs of the women of the Slavs and others of similar light complexion; nor are they overdone in the womb until they are burned, so that the child comes out something between black, murky, malodorous, stinking, and crinkly-haired, with uneven limbs, deficient minds, and depraved passions, such as the Zanj, the Somali, and other blacks who resemble them. The Iraqis are neither half-baked dough nor burned crust but between the two."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

Hudud al-`Alam is a book dedicated to Abu l-Ḥārith Muḥammad b. Aḥmad, a ruler of the local Farighunid dynasty.

{{Quote|Hudud al-`Alam, 982 AD|"Their [Zanj] nature is that of wild animals. They are extremely black." "Among themselves [the Sudan] there are people who steal each other's children and sell them to the merchants when the latter arrive."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

{{Quote|Hudud al-`alam, 982 AD|"[inhabitants of sub-Saharan African countries] are people distant from the standards of humanity" "Their nature is that of wild animals..."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

{{Quote|Hudud al-`Alam, 982 AD|"As regards southern countries, all their inhabitants are black on account of the heat of their climate... Most of them go naked... In all their lands and provinces, gold is found.... They are people distant from the standards of humanity."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

Al Jahiz (781–869), was a famous Muslim scholar

{{Quote|Jahiz, Kitab al-Hayawan, vol. 2|"Like the crow among mankind are the Zanj [African Blacks] for they are the worst of men and the most vicious of creatures in character and temperament."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

{{Quote|Jahiz, Kitab al-Bukhala (The Book of Misers)|"We know that the Zanj (blacks) are the least intelligent and the least discerning of mankind, and the least capable of understanding the consequences of actions."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

{{Quote|Jahiz, Al-Bayan wa`l-tabyin, vol. 3|"They [the Shu`ubiyya] maintain that eloquence is prized by all people at all times - even the Zanj, despite their dimness, their boundless stupidity, their obtuseness, their crude perceptions and their evil dispositions, make long speeches."<ref name="Islamic Racism"></ref>}}

Ibn Abi Zayd (922–996), was a Maliki scholar from Al-Qayrawan in Tunisia.  

==See Also==

[[Category:Islam and Slavery]]