How Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ) Eliminated Racism and Discrimination Based on Skin Color
Even today, people have to pay huge cost for their color. The world has certainly moved into the era of knowledge, technology, and scientific advancement, but what progress it is which ignores the fundamental standards of good human behaviour.
Racism and colorism is still one of the biggest problems in the world. The racists involve in this phenomena to label themselves as superior to everyone else, and the capitalists use it for running billions of dollars’ worth cosmetic industry, apart from saving multi-millions through wage disparity. We know how the Africans faced slavery during the making of America. Moreover, the colored, the red skinned and the non-African black skinned people still face inequalities in their societies, not just in their native countries, but also in the communities they legally migrated to.
The personality of Prophet Muhammed ﷺ still catches attention of those people of various faiths, colors, communities etc., which do emphasize on morals. They think how someone could lay the foundations of a civilized society fourteen hundred years ago.
Prophet Muhammed ﷺ, not just through his speech, but through his actions in this segment of life as well, laid a brightly shining example in front of the world. Racism, in the form of tribalism and slavery, existed in Makkah during the time of the Prophet ﷺ too. The Makkans considered themselves better than the Arabs and other Arabians, before the start of Prophet Muhammed’s ﷺ teachings. However, in his 23 years of preaching, Prophet Muhammed ﷺ established equality by saying: “No Arab is superior to an Arab, no white person is superior to a black person, except piety.” (1) He ﷺ also said: “Even if a black Abyssinian Muslim rules over, he must be obeyed.” (2)
Prophet Muhammed ﷺ abolished racism and color based discrimination to such an extent that we find Sayyiduna Bilal ؓ, who, with due respect, was a black Abyssinian slave, but was later on termed as a “Master”, all thanks to the title given to him by Sayyiduna Abu Bakr ؓ and Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab ؓ, the two rightly guided caliphs.
To abolish racism and slaverey, Prophet Muhammed ﷺ arranged Sayyiduna Zaid bin Haritha’s ؓ wedding with Sayyida Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ, who was one of the noblest lady in Arabia. Sayyiduna Zaid ؓ was Prophet Muhammed’s ﷺ emancipated slave.
At another occasion, the Prophet of Islam ﷺ made the very Zaid bin Haritha ؓ as the commander of one of the regiments, despite having some of the leading companions in it including Sayyiduna Jafar bin Abi Talib ؓ , Sayyiduna Khalid bin Waleed ؓ (the undefeated commander of his era), Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Rawaha ؓ etc. And just before his passing away, Prophet Muhammed ﷺ made Sayyiduna Zaid’s ؓ son, Sayyiduna Usamah ؓ a commander.
In the era of Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, the Caliph ؓ used to pay Sayyiduna Usamah ؓ more at his office than his own son Abdullah ؓ. When questioned by his son, Sayyiduna Umar ؓ said: “I do so because I know that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ loved his father more than yours (himself), and he loved Usamah more than you.” (3)
*References:*
1. Ahmad bin Hambal, 5:441
2. Kitab al-Imara in Sahih Muslim
3. Tabqaat by Ibn Sa’ad
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