The Arab
race
source:
silsilat ul-ahādīth idh-dhaʽīfa ~ the series of weak
narrations ~ hadīth no. 163
“If the Arabs are humiliated, Islām is also humiliated”
- grading of hadīth: mawdhūʽ (fabricated)
Shaykh al-Albānī comments:
“The glory of Islām is not connected with Arabs only; rather
Allāh may give it glory by other than them from the
believers, as that happened during the time of the Ottoman
Empire especially in its beginning. So Allāh had given glory
to Islām through them until its authority spread to the
middle of Europe. Then, when they started to abandon the
Sharīʽah (Islamic Legislation) and incline toward the
European laws - taking that which is lower in exchange for
that which is better - their authority diminished from those
countries and others until it had disappeared from their
(own) countries as well! Hence, only something little
remained there of the manifestations that could indicate
their Islām! So by that, all of the Muslims were humiliated
after their glory, and the disbelievers entered most of
their countries and concentrated on humiliating them. And
even if these (countries) were apparently freed from (the
disbelievers’) colonization, they colonize them in secret
under the screen of many projects such as the economy and
the like! Therefore, it is established that Islām is given
glory and humiliated by the glory and humiliation of its
people whether they are Arabs or non-Arabs, and ‘there is no
superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab except by taqwā.’[1]
So O Allāh! Give glory to the Muslims and inspire them to
return to Your Book and the Sunnah of Your Prophet (صلى الله
عليه وسلم) until You give glory to Islām by them.
However, that does not negate the Arab race being better
than the race of the rest of the nations; rather, this is
what I believe in and consider as part of religion – even
though I am Albanian but indeed I am Muslim, all praises and
thanks are to Allāh – because the precedence of the Arab
race that I have mentioned is that which ahl us-sunnah wal
jamāʽah[2] are upon, and which a group of mentioned
narrations about this matter indicates, such as (the
Prophet’s) (صلى الله عليه وسلم) statement: ‘…Indeed Allāh
chose Banī Kinānah from the offspring of Ismāʽīl, and chose
Quraysh from Banī Kinānah, and chose Banī Hāshim from
Quraysh, and chose me from Banī Hāshim.’[3]
But this should not cause the Arab to boast of his race –
because it is from the affairs of jāhiliyyah[4] which our
Prophet Muhammad the Arab (صلى الله عليه وسلم), had
abolished, as clarified earlier – just as we should not be
ignorant of the reason why the Arabs deserve precedence,
which is what they were distinguished with in regard to
their understanding, language, morals and works, and that
qualified them to be the carriers of the Islamic daʽwah to
the other nations. So indeed if the Arab knows this and
follows it, it will enable him to be – like his predecessors
– a righteous member in carrying the Islamic daʽwah. As for
if he gives that up, then he doesn’t have any excellence at
all; rather, the non-Arab who possesses the Islāmic morals
is better than him no doubt, since the true excellence is
only following the īmān (faith) and knowledge with which
Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was sent. So whoever is
stronger in it, he is better. And excellence is only by
defined names in the Book and the Sunnah, such as Islām,
īmān, birr (righteousness), taqwā, knowledge, righteous
deeds, ihsān[5] and the like, and (it is) not by a person
merely being an Arab or non-Arab, as Shaykh ul-Islām ibn
Taimiyah (rahimahullāh) said, and this is what (the Prophet)
(صلى الله عليه وسلم) pointed out with his saying: ‘Whoever’s
deeds slow him down, his lineage will not make him go
faster.’[6] Muslim narrated it. And this is why the Arab
poet said: ‘Even if our descent is noble, there will never
be a day when we will rely on it. So we build as our
forefathers used to build, and we do as they used to do.’
In summary: indeed the precedence of the Arabs is only due
to virtues that were realized amongst them, but if (these
virtues) disappear because of their negligence of their
Islām, their excellence will also disappear, and whoever
from the non-Arabs adheres to (these virtues) will be better
than them; ‘there is no superiority of the Arab over the
non-Arab except by taqwā.’ Therefore, the going astray of
the one who calls to Arabism becomes clear, (who calls to
it) while he does not possess any of its excellent
characteristics at all; rather, he is a European inwardly
and outwardly!”
[1] piety and fear of Allāh
[2] those who adhere to that which the Prophet (صلى الله
عليه وسلم) and his Companions were upon with regard to ʽaqīdah
(belief), manhaj (methodology) and all other matters of the
religion
[3] Sahīh at-Tirmithī #3606
[4] the pre-Islamic days of ignorance
[5] worshiping Allāh as if you see Him; Sahīh al-Bukhārī
#4777
[6] Sahīh Muslim #2699
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