The concept of racism in Islam

One of the main contributor that have weakened the Muslim ummah is the disease of asabiyyah (racial discrimination). The once unified and cohesive Muslim ummah has now transformed into differing and conflicting entities due to this disease.

The drive that causes asabiyyah is the feeling of being better than others (narcissism) and that others are at a lower class. So, the person that has this feeling of asabiyyah thinks so highly of themselves and of those to whom they belongs, and thinks that other people will never be as good as them.


The Prophet (pbuh) warned us when he said; "No one enters Paradise if they have in their heart a grain weight of arrogance." The prophet (pbuh) defined this arrogance in two things: "Rejection of the truth and looking down on people." (recorded by at-Tirmidhi #1999, Abu Dawud #4091 and Ibn Majah #59)

We should take lessons from the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) who severely warned us against racial discrimination. He said; "He is not one of us who calls for Asabiyyah, (racial discrimination) or who fights for Asabiyyah or who dies for Asabiyyah."

When Prophet (pbuh) was asked: “O Prophet of God! What is ‘asabiyyah ?”, He replied: “That you support your nation (or tribe) in oppression.” (recorded by Abu Dawud, Sunan, hadith # 5119)

In another naration by Imam Ja’far al‑Sadiq reported from the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Whoso­ever possesses in his heart 'asabiyyah even to the extent of a mustard seed, God will raise him on the Day of Resurrection with the (pagan) Bedouins of the Jahiliyyah.” (Al‑Kulayni, al‑Kafi, vol. 2, bab al ‘asabiyah, p. 308, hadith # 3)

This kind of asabiyyah thinking is corrupted, and it is in fact a kind of arrogance that comes from the mentality of Iblis, which led him to disobey the command of Allah when He ordered him to prostrate to Adam. Iblis said, "I am better than him, You created me out of fire and you created him (Adam) out of clay." (QS 7:12)


Wallahu'alam