ISLAM IS FOR EVERYONE - NOT JUST THE ARABS

One common misunderstanding in the West is that Islam is only for the Arabs or people of colour, but such an apprehension is wrong. The Prophet Muhammad (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was a Messenger for all of mankind – regardless of their ethnicity, colour or social standing.

There is a famous Hadith (tradition) which is rated sahih (authentic; correct) and as such should not be disputed which reads:

“It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) delivered a sermon wherein he stated, ‘O people, indeed your Lord is one and your forefather is one. Indeed, there is no superiority for the Arab over the non-Arab nor the non-Arab over the Arab, and there is no superiority for the white over the black nor the black over the white. Have I conveyed the message?’ The people replied, ‘The Messenger of Allah has conveyed the message’ ”. [Musnad Ahmad 23489, sahih]

The above translation is from a book called The Virtues of Blacks and Abyssinians by al-‘Allamah Abu ‘l-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi published by DAR AL-ARQAM, the first edition 2019.

Similar Hadiths on racism are cited on Islamqa.org. One of them is as follows:

"Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) has recorded this Hadith. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) had mentioned this in the sermon he delivered during the days of Hajj.

(Musnad Ahmad, vol. 5 pg. 411)

‘Allamah Haythami (rahimahullah) has declared the narrators reliable.

(Majma’uz Zawaid, vol. 3 pg. 266. Also see Targhib, vol. 3 pg. 612)

Translation

O People! Certainly your Rabb is one, your father is one. An Arab has no virtue over a Non Arab, nor does a Non Arab have virtue over an Arab, a red skinned person is not more virtuous than a dark skinned person nor is a dark skinned person more virtuous than a red skinned person except through Taqwa.

The link is islamqaMusnad Ahmad Taqwa.

In some respects, the latter translation on Islamqa.org is preferable to the one from ‘The virtues of Blacks and Abyssinians’ because it makes it clear that superiority in Allah’s eyes (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) comes from Taqwa (piety) not the colour of a person’s skin.

Racism is haram – utterly abhorred - in Islam. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) judges a person by their righteousness.

An example of this is the following Hadith. Note there are different numbering systems for the Ahadith. The following one is from Volume 6 of the English translation of Sahih Muslim published by Darussalam, the first edition August 2007. The Book Of A1-Birr, Page 432.

[6543] 34 - (...) It was narrated that Abü Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah said: 'Allah does not look at your (outward) forms and your wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and your deeds."

WEBCOPY 29 NOV 25

WEBCOPY 29 APR 26 EDITED