Guest Post: Sheikh Abu al-Yaqdhan al-Masri on Worldwide Protests Against Racism

Translator’s introduction (Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi)

What began as protests against police brutality against black people in the U.S. has now morphed into demonstrations against racism in multiple countries in the West, including calls to bring down statues of various figures associated with colonialism and slavery. In this guest post, Sheikh Abu al-Yaqdhan al-Masri- an independent Egyptian cleric based in northwest Syria- gives his take, asserting that the solution to these problems is in fact Islam with its anti-racist creed. In the coming weeks I hope to provide a broader analysis of Salafi and jihadist views of these events.

Leave it, for it is rotten

Written by Sheikh Abu al-Yaqdhan al-Masri Muhammad Naji

Salman the Persian, Suhaib the Roman, Bilal the Abyssinian, Abu Bakr the Qurashi, were brought together by the words of the beloved Prophet (SAWS): ‘There is no virtue of an Arab over a non-Arab or a non-Arab over an Arab, or a red over a black, or a black over a red, except in taqwa.’ They were also brought together by the words of the Supreme Lord: ‘Oh people, indeed We created you male and female, and We made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed the noblest of you in God’s eyes is the most pious of you. Indeed God is knowing, aware.’

Bilal the black man climbed the back of the Ka’aba making the call to prayer on the day of the conquest of Mecca, and the beating of his soles is heard in Paradise, while Abu Lahab the Qurashi was cursed in this world and he abides forever in the fire of flame, so the difference in the color of man and the multiplicity of his features and forms is one of the signs of the Exalted and Almighty in this world: ‘And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and the difference of your tongues and colors. Indeed in that are signs for those who know.’

By your life, man is only defined by his religion, so do not abandon taqwa relying on lineages.

Islam raised Salman the Persian, while idolatry lowered the noble Abu Lahab.

The first who called to racism in history is Iblis the accursed as he said when God commanded Him to prostrate to Adam: ‘I am better than he. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.’ And the allies of Satan followed him as they have been dedicated to racism and enslaved peoples and cities on the pretext of ethnicity sometimes and other times on the pretext of color, until Islam came to them and blew up the supposed edifice of their racism and exposed their false slogans. So as the Western world has taken off clothing of religion, clothed itself in materialism and drowned in desires, it has become on the precipice of an abyss of human progress and divine honoring.

When Europe hated the black Africans, the Prophet (SAWS) was asking about a poor black woman who died in al-Medina and whose funeral he did not attend, that SAWS might go and pray over her grave.

And when America was promoting the trade of humans at the lowest prices, Islam was imposing kaffaras [expiations] through manumission of slaves and calling people to free their necks from slavery.

And whereas the West was afflicted under the coercion of racism, the Prophet (SAWS) was saying to his people: ‘Oh people of Quraysh, buy yourselves from God. I cannot avail you against God at all. Oh children of Abd Manaf, I cannot avail you against God at all, oh Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib, I cannot avail you against God at all. Oh Safiya aunt of the Messenger of God, I cannot avail you against God at all. Oh Fatima, ask me what you wish. I cannot avail you against God at all.’

And whereas Belgium was placing the black children in the gardens of animals in order for their white, red and fair-skinned children to amuse themselves through them, the Prophet (SAWS) was saying to Abu Dharr: ‘Look, for you are not better than a red man or black man unless you exceed him in taqwa.’ And he said to him: ‘Oh Abu Dharr, you are a man in whom there is Jahiliya’- that is because he said to Bilal: ‘Oh son of black woman.’

Thus has Islam eternalized these slogans in word and deed in the reality of the world of people: ‘Indeed the believers are brothers’; ‘The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim’; ‘The believer is to the believer like the edifice.’ And there is no solution to the crisis of America, France, Sweden and Belgium today except in the teachings of Islam and waging war on racism.

The people from the aspect of form are equals: their father is Adam and the mother Eve.

A life is like a life, and souls are similar, in which bones and limbs have been created.

And the value of every man is what he has done well, and men have names for deeds.