Once when Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) was seated in a discussion with his friends, a funeral procession of a
Jew passed by. The prophet (pbuh) immediately stood up as a mark of respect.
His companions asked him “Why did you stand up? After all he was a Jew.” “He is
a human being too”, responded the Prophet (pbuh). This incident reaffirms the
fact that even though people may follow different religions, they are equal.
Once, Abu Dhar Ghifari, one
of the Prophet’s (pbuh) earliest companions, addressed a black person derisively
as a person born to a black woman. That person complained about this to the
Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet (pbuh) called Abu Dhar and asked him to apologize
to that person. This again reiterates that there is no difference in humans
based on one’s birth.
“Humans are all equal as
the teeth of a comb”, said the prophet (pbuh). If the teeth in a comb are not
uniform and are uneven, they may hurt your scalp. Similarly, if we create
inequalities in a society, that would hurt that society.
“O Mankind, reverence your Guardian-Lord, who
created you from a single person.” (Holy Quran 4:1)
“O Mankind, We created you
from a single pair of male and female, and made you into nations and tribes,
that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise each other. Verily the
most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” (Holy
Quran 49:13)
The above revelations
imply a number of truths.
1.
The entire human race can be traced back to
one man and woman, who are the first parents. If that is the case, how can be
one child of a mother superior to another child of the same mother? No one had
the option to be born into a particular religion or a race or community!
2.
The human race which thus started from a
single source later on spread across the globe dividing itself into multiple
races, communities, groups etc. Based on the environment in which they lived,
their external appearances changed and evolved over time. These external
differences are only to identify the different races and not to create
inequalities!
3.
One who lives his life in fear of God with
discipline alone is the dearest to God!
4.
God created all human beings. Hence, God
shows the same love and mercy towards all human beings. HE does not
discriminate based on Religion, language, birth, colour, sex, or nationality.
God delivers his judgment based purely on the good deeds done by humans.
5.
Man does not bring anything when he is
born. He also does not take anything with him when he dies. Hence, birth and
death are common to every human being.
6.
When God who created man is ONE, his
creation, the human race can only be one too! (Holy Quran)
When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) started his preaching in
Arabia, inequalities were at its peak in the society there. The Arabs were
considered superior while the non-Arabs were called ‘Ajami’ meaning ‘dumb’. The
‘Qureshi’ tribe was considered superior to all other tribes. The blacks were
treated as slaves and were tortured. During ‘Haj’ pilgrimage, the tribes that
considered themselves superior did not join the other tribes in the worship.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) changed this state of affairs and established an
egalitarian society.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) appointed Bilal, his companion who was a slave, as the first muezzin. He encouraged inter-tribe marriages. He
also got his relative Zaynab marry Zayd though Zayd was from a slave community.
He appointed Usama, who belonged to a slave community, as his commander. Thus
he paved the way for marriages between tribes perceived to be superior and
inferior.
How the Prophet (pbuh) achieved this in a matter of 23
years is a matter of introspection for us and should be our guiding principles.
Initially he brought about a change in the mindset of the people. As far as
social evils are concerned, enacting laws alone will not yield results unless
we bring about a change in the thinking and mindset of people. He also
initiated this change in thought process through the medium of worship. The
prayers, especially, laid the foundation and served as a training ground for
fostering this unity. The prayers, held five times a day, enabled people to
stand shoulder-to-shoulder without any differences, and made a big impact in
bringing about this change. During prayers, no one is given any preference or
priority. During Haj pilgrimage, the Prophet (pbuh) established a process or method
to bring about unity among different nationalities irrespective of race, language
or colour.
The Prophet’s (pbuh) teachings and actions annihilated the
pride of the Qureshi tribe that considered themselves superior. He gave
self-confidence to the people who were descendants of slaves, gave them
positions of authority and instilled in them the belief that they were inferior
to none. He brought about unity among the people who were divided among
themselves. He neither allowed one group to fight against another nor allowed
any prejudice to develop.
“He joined your hearts in love, so that by HIS Grace,
ye became brethren;” (Holy Quran 3:103)
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