Insignificance of Race in Islam

Alhamdulillah. Assalatu Wassalamu Alayka Ya Imamar Rahmah.Sayyiduna Muhammad(s.a.w)
Assalamu Alaikum Dear Muslims!

Islam does not consider race or lineage as determining factors in distinguishing people.

"O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women." (The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 4(An-Nisa'): Verse 1)

"And it is a sign of Allah that he created the heavens and the earth And He created the diversity of languages and colors" [The Holy Qur'an,Chapter 30 (Ar-Rum) : Verse 30;22]

However, its criterion is piety and righteousness. Allah Almighty says

'O mankind! We have created you from a single male and female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other. The most honorable of you in the sight of Allah are surety the righteous." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 49 (Al-Hujurat) : Verse 13]

Our origin is from Adam and Hawwa (alaihissalam). What race do they belong to? They were Muslims, that's all. There is no such thing as race, that is the reason why in the above mentioned verse Allah only mention tribes and nation. Race is a new concept brought to the World.

It wasn't until the 16th century that the word race entered the English language, from the French race - "race, breed, lineage" The meaning " tribe" or " nation" emerged in the 17th century. The modern meaning, "one of the major divisions of mankind", dates to the late 18th century, but it never became exclusive (cf. continued use of "the human race").

The ultimate origin of the word is unknown; suggestions include Arabic ra'is meaning "head", but also "beginning" or "origin". On the other hand, also according to Foucault, at the end of the 19th century, the notion of "race" was adopted by racist biologists and eugenicists , who gave it the modern sense of "biological race", which was then integrated to " state racism".

An alternative to the use of racial or ethnic categories is to categorize individuals in terms of ancestry. Ancestry may be defined geographically (e.g., Asian, sub-Saharan African, or northern European), geopolitically (e.g., Vietnamese, Zambian, or Norwegian), or culturally (e.g., Brahmin, Lemba, or Apache).

The Prophet said: Let people stop boasting about their ancestors. One is only a pious believer or a miserable sinner. All men are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi).

We Muslims, are generation from the converts from particular race be it Indian, African, Chinese or Malay. Before our forefather converted to Islam they were known as Indian, Malay or Persian.They were not Muslim, Once they embrace Islam, they left their racial identity and address themselves as only Muslims.So why address ourselves using these racial identification which does not have any indication that you are Muslim?

Who could say anything better than someone who summons to God and acts rightly and says, "I am one of the Muslims"? [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 41 (Al-Fussilat) : Verse 33]

Even the Prophet's companions after embracing Islam, they called themselves Muslims. Only Muslims. They never differentiated themselves from any other Muslim who is from different race. For example there were some companions who were non-Arabs, like Suhayb, who is from Rome , He did not address himself as Roman Muslim. Neither did Bilal(r.a). Did he call himself as African or Abisynian Muslim? But today Muslims address themselves as Chinese Muslim or Indian Muslim or some simply Malay. Why? We can say we are Muslims and we speak Chinese or born in China . But not Chinese Muslims.

They are nothing but names which you yourselves have given, you and your forefathers. God has sent down no authority for them. They are following nothing but conjecture and what their own selves desire. And that when guidance has reached them from their Lord! [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 53 (An-Najm) : Verse 23]

There is no such thing as race. If there is then Prophet(s.a.w) WOULD HAVE ACKNOWLEDGE IT. For example, he said in a hadith that there is no such thing like you are from Arab race. He said "If you speak Arabic you are Arab!"

A man once visited the Prophet's mosque in Madinah. There he saw a group of people sitting and discussing their faith together. Among them were Salman (who came from Persia ), Suhayb who grew up in the Eastern Roman empire and was regarded as a Greek, and Bilal who was an African. The man then said:

"If the (Madinan) tribes of Aws and Khazraj support Muhammad, they are his people (that is, Arabs like him). But what are these people doing here?"

The Prophet became very angry when this was reported to him. Straightaway, he went to the mosque and summoned people to a Salat. He then addressed them saying:

"O people, know that the Lord and Sustainer is One. Your ancestor is one, your faith is one. The Arabism of anyone of you is not from your mother or father. It is no more than a tongue (language). Whoever speaks Arabic is an Arab." (As quoted in Islam The Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid p. 125


There are many hadith, which repeatedly strike on the Arab pride of jahiliyyah. Arabs before Islam used to look down upon others specially blacks. The Prophet repeatedly contrasted the believing Africans versus non-believing Arab nobles.

The Prophet said: You should listen to and obey your ruler even if he was an Ethiopian slave whose head looked like a raisin (Bukhari).

Ponder this: when the Muslims conquered Makkah, victorious after years of persecution, then war with the non-believing Quraysh, the Prophet went straight to the Kaba.

This was the height of the victory of Islam. He brought some other Muslims with him. He could have chosen only Muslims from the Quraysh, people of his own ethnic and tribal background. He also could have chosen only Arabs or only those of the old noble classes.

But two of the people who entered the Kaba with the Prophet were Bilal ibn Rabah and Zaid ibn Haritha. Bilal, an African and a former slave. Zaid was also not of high status from the tribal Quraysh point of view. Then entered a Qurayshi, Abdullah bin Omar, may Allah be pleased with all of them.

On this day of victory, success and happiness was for all Muslims, no matter who they were or where they come from.

It is confirmed in the narration of the two freedmen among the Companions who quarreled, whereupon each one hurled at the other the name of his ethnic origin by way of insult, namely: "You Copt!" and "You Abyssinian!" Hearing this, the Prophet (saws) said to them: "Stop this, for you are now both from Aal(family) Muhammad." (Abu al-Yusr `Abidin _al-Qawl al-Wathiq fi Amr al-Raqiq_ citing al-Sayyid al-Hifni's _ al-Jawahir al-Hisan fi Tarikh al-Habashan)

Whoever favour a particular race over another are wrong. Some people think that because Prophet spoke Arabic and Quran is in Arabic. Arabs are better than others. This is not true. Muslims are encouraged to learn Arabic because to understand Islam completely you need to have the knowledge of Arabic.

As for people having Arabic as mother tongue, they are not superior to other Muslims of different language. If this is the case for Arabic, what about other languages in which Muslims take pride of like Urdu, Malay or Turkish? The hadith;"Hubb al-`Arab min al-iman", "The love of Arabs is from belief." But this is forged (mawdu`) according to Abu Hatim, Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Dhahabi, and others.

The Prophet said: 'Indeed my friends and allies are not the tribe of so and so. Rather, my friends and allies a re the pious wherever they may be.'

You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you. [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah) : Verse 208]