Response to Ifrahim

Submitted by Farah (United Kingdom), Oct 19, 2012 at 16:02

I would like to inform you that Islam gave rights to black people that were denied to them elsewhere. This can be seen through a number of situations that the prophet Muhammed (SAW) had encountered . If the prophet was a racist then why would he give Bilal (RA) ( a black slave in the time of the Prophet) the right to lead the call to prayer.

Also the following was the prophet Muhammed's (SAW) response to a racist remark:

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 the said:

"If the (Madinan) tribes of Aws and Khazraj support Muhammed, 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 and Arab" (As quoted in Islam the natural way by Abdul Wahid Hamid p. 125)

2. Statement of the universal brotherhood in Prophet's sermon:

"O people, Remember that your Lord is One. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a Non-Arab has any superioirity over an Arab; also a black has no superiority over white, nor a white has any superiorirty over black, except by piety and good action (Taqwa). Indeed the best among you is the one with the best character (Taqwa). Listen to me. Did I convey this to you properly? People responded, Yes. O messenger of God, The prophet then said, then each one of you who is there must convey this to everyone not present.

3. Don't take pride in ancestry:

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.

4. Looking down upon other people will stop you from entering the Jannah:

The prophet said: Whoever has pride in his heart equal to the weight of an atom shall not enter paradise. A man inquired about a person who likes to wear beautiful clothes and fine shoes, and he answered: God is beautiful and likes beauty. Then he explained pride means rejecting the truth becasue of self-esteem and looking down on other people.

5. The Prophet condemnation of Arab racial pride:

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

Hazrat Bilal (R.A) given an opportunity to call for prayers (which is a high role in Islam) is an excellent example, which displays that the prophet practiced what he preached.

Source: http://www.soundvision.com/info/racism/quran.asp

I am not saying this is a horrible or spiteful way, but more in a way to show you how ignorance leads to comments like the one you have made. Rather than jumping to conclusions and not doing any factual research, I strongly recommend that you study before you make negative comments about other people's religions.

Also, If Islam is such a bad religion to black people then why are there a rapid number of growing black people converting to the religion of Islam out of all religions in the world; not from being brainwashed into it, but rather they have studied it for what it actually is and looked at it with an open mind.

Also what you said regarding Muslims Arabs and Asians not wanting to allow their daughters to marry black men, this is not Islam as the hadiths above have clearly expressed, it is something Islam condemns. Rather it is something out of personal choices and issues because they may not be comfortable with giving their daughter away to a total stranger whom they know nothing about, as usually Islamicly marriages are arranged with family friends' children.

Racism today exists all over the world and America is no exception to that, you may feel that you are not subjected to racial inequality but you can only speak for yourself and not other Americans who may be discriminated for being black and not only by Arabs or Asians or even Muslims but also by white people.

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