Race and Ethnicity in Islam
Wallahi, the state of our ummah is in disarray. Yet, Alhamdulillah, there are communities where fikrah is upheld and followed correctly. But this alone is not enough. Wallahi, may Allah punish those who harm His creation simply because He created them. May Allah punish those who believe they possess any form of racial superiority.
To those who think their Arab ethnicity grants them status: beware. On this earth, you may be Arab, but on the Day of Judgment, you will stand as nothing more than a servant of Allah. And Allah, the Most High, has declared:
"O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware." (Quran 49:13)
We must acknowledge the beauty and vastness of the Arabic language, chosen by Allah for a reason, just as the Arabian Peninsula was chosen. But also remember the origin of the chosen people- before the Quran, the Arabs were among the pagans. Their societies today are like any other—some do good, while others indulge in actions detested by Allah. They persist in these wrongs without shame because, as Allah wills, some are guided while others are left in error, unable to perceive it.
It is a great sin—a great sin—to disassociate from your brothers and sisters in Islam because you think your fair skin makes you superior. How deluded must one be to believe that white skin signifies Allah’s noor or that blue or green eyes are signs of His favor? Allah favors the Muslim- the Mumin. Allah favors those who seek to please Him and seek the akhirah.
If this makes no sense to you, it is for one of two reasons:
You have never been inclined to believe you are superior, and you worship Allah as you should.
You do not believe that Allah created us equal.
The only distinctions lie between male and female, believer and disbeliever, and the righteous and the corrupt. Allah told us that we are different- it is by his decree. Never did He say that there is over a race a certain degree in anything. Not iman, not character, nothing.
And Allah says:
"And warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to them, and those who did wrong will say, 'Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers.' But it will be said, 'Had you not sworn before that you would not be removed?'" (Quran 14:44)
Allah is the Most Forgiving and the Most Merciful. Will we not reason? Will we not reflect on how we treat others? We claim to follow the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ, yet fail to uphold justice because of ego and arrogance.
Do we not see the error in how we treat those entrusted to us by Allah—servants, housemaids, those working under us? We yell at them as if they are deaf, overwork them as if they do not tire, and isolate them as if they do not feel. But Allah sees all, hears all and knows all. What do you even understand when you read surah Al-Kahf on Fridays?
Change your ways. Rid yourself of these vile, oppressive habits. Allah is just, and every soul will be recompensed for its deeds. Be a friend of Allah by doing right by His creation. The amanah of this dunya and everything in it is ours to uphold. Treat all of Allah’s creation with dignity, attributing all goodness to Him and recognizing evil as stemming from the nafs and Shaytan.
Allah will question us on the Day of Judgment for what we used to do. That Day is near, though we take it for granted. We live uncaring of how we make life difficult for others, concerned only with easing our own. Fix your ways. Turn back to Allah.
Have adab, akhlaq, and haya—not just toward your boss, king, or president, but toward your gatekeeper, children, spouse, parents, and brother/sisters in Islam. Do not be a hypocrite, selectively treating people well based on their ethnicity. The Arab society has its flaws, as do African, European, and Asian societies. Yet, how beautifully do mixed societies flourish when rooted in justice and equality. When rooted in haqq- when rooted in Ilam.
La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah.










