Falling into the trap of Nationalism and/or Racism

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  Asslamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatu Allah

    Many Muslims today around the world have fallen
into the trap of nationalism. It is easy to fall into this trap because
of the wonderful slogans that people can easily make up to promote
nationalism. They convince the Muslim that their first duty is to their
"nation", their "people", based on geographic, ethnic or linguistic
borders. This clearly contradicts Islamic teachings, and goes against
the very soul and core of Islam.

 While nationalism tries to group people based on geography,
language, ethnicity or tribal ties, Islam groups people based on their
belief and value system, based on their ideology. There are many
sayings of the prophet that point to the prohibition of nationalism and
racism, the following are some examples:

It is narrated by Abu Da'wud that the Messenger of Allah (saaw)
said: "He is not one us who calls for `Asabiyyah,
(nationalism/tribalism) or who fights for `Asabiyyah or who dies for
`Asabiyyah."

And in another Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) referring to
nationalism, racism, and patriotism said: "Leave it, it is rotten."
[Muslim and Bukhari].

In the Hadith recorded in Mishkat al-Masabith, the Messenger of
Allah (saaw) said: "He who calls for `Asabiyyah is as if he bit his
father's genitals."

 Also, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said, narrated by At-Tirmidhi
and Abu Dawud: "There are indeed people who boast of their dead
ancestors; but in the sight of Allah they are more contemptible than
the black beetle that rolls a piece of dung with its nose. Behold,
Allah has removed from you the arrogance of the Time of Jahiliyyah
(Ignorance) with its boast of ancestral glories. Man is but an
Allah-fearing believer or an unfortunate sinner. All people are the
children of Adam, and Adam was created out of dust."

Also, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said: "Undoubtedly Allah has
removed from you the pride of arrogance of the age of Jahilliyah
(ignorance) and the glorification of ancestors. Now people are of two
kinds. Either believers who are aware or transgressors who do wrong.
You are all the children of Adam and Adam was made of clay. People
should give up their pride in nations because that is a coal from the
coals of *****-fire. If they do not give this up Allah (swt) will
consider them lower than the lowly worm which pushes itself through
Khara (dung)." [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi].

There are many examples of this also in the seerah, where the
Prophet (pbuh) rebuked and was very angry with those who try to stir up
tribal or nationalist sentiments. Another related issue is that of
racism, which is prohibited and strongly denounced by Islam.

It is transmitted by at-Tabarani and al-Hakim that in one incident
some people spoke very lowly about Salman al-Farsi. They spoke of the
inferiority of the Persian in relation to the Arabs, and upon hearing
this the Messenger of Allah (saaw) declared: "Salman is from us, the
ahl al-bayt (the Prophet's family)." This statement of the Messenger of
Allah (saaw) disassociates all links

based on lineage and tribal considerations.

 It was as if the Prophet directed Abu Dhar that such a phrase does
not belong and should never belong to the Muslim community, where
colors just reflect the variety and colorfulness of Allah's creation,
and nothing more.That instance was so alarming to Abu Dhar who,
realizing his mistake, rushed to seek forgiveness from his brother
Bilal and placed his head on the ground asking Bilal to step by his
shoes on his face as a way of making him feel, to some extent, the
offence he has directed to him.

Yet Bilal, who realized that Abu Dhar had understood the lesson,
and that the insult was completely unintentional, took his hand and
hugged him in a brotherly gesture.

 In that society there was no place for discrimination as it was
uprooted from the hearts before the minds. All considerations about
color and class superiority were taken away from the worldview of
Muslims.

Also, the messenger of Allah called upon all Muslims to be united,
regardless of ethnicity, race, language or tribe. The following are
some examples:

The Messenger of Allah (saaw) said: "The believers, in their love,
mutual kindness, and close ties, are like one body; when any part
complains, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever."
[Muslim].

And: "the believers are like a body, if one organ is sick, the whole body comes to rescue"

And: "An Arab is no better than a non-Arab. In return, a non-Arab
is no better than an Arab. A red raced man was not better than a black
one except in piety. Mankind are all Adam's children and Adam was
created out of clay." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abu
Musa].

Muslims, whether they are of Chinese, African, European or Asian
origin, are one Ummah and they cannot be separated from each other. No
tribal ties should ever break their unity.

Furthermore, Allah (swt), says: "The Faithful are but brothers..." [Surah Al-Hujurat (49): ayah 10].

And the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said: "The Faithful are to one
another like [parts of] a building - each part strengthening the
others."

 Narrated 'Abdullah bin Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "A Muslim is a
brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he
hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his
brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim)
brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the
discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim,
Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection . " 

Therefore, Muslims should be very aware of the dangers of nationalism
and racism, and of the strong denunciation of these concepts by Allah
and his messenger. Muslims are one Ummah, and nothing should divide the
Ummah into separate states as this is not allowed by Islam.

 source: http://1fatanalheri1.iboards.us/viewtopic.php?t=268

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Full of Hopes Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Female Joined: 06 August 2009 Status: Offline Points: 855	Post Options Post Reply Quote Full of Hopes Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Falling into the trap of Nationalism and/or Racism Posted: 31 December 2009 at 3:59am
	Asslamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatu Allah Many Muslims today around the world have fallen into the trap of nationalism. It is easy to fall into this trap because of the wonderful slogans that people can easily make up to promote nationalism. They convince the Muslim that their first duty is to their "nation", their "people", based on geographic, ethnic or linguistic borders. This clearly contradicts Islamic teachings, and goes against the very soul and core of Islam. While nationalism tries to group people based on geography, language, ethnicity or tribal ties, Islam groups people based on their belief and value system, based on their ideology. There are many sayings of the prophet that point to the prohibition of nationalism and racism, the following are some examples: It is narrated by Abu Da'wud that the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said: "He is not one us who calls for `Asabiyyah, (nationalism/tribalism) or who fights for `Asabiyyah or who dies for `Asabiyyah." And in another Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) referring to nationalism, racism, and patriotism said: "Leave it, it is rotten." [Muslim and Bukhari]. In the Hadith recorded in Mishkat al-Masabith, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said: "He who calls for `Asabiyyah is as if he bit his father's genitals." Also, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said, narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud: "There are indeed people who boast of their dead ancestors; but in the sight of Allah they are more contemptible than the black beetle that rolls a piece of dung with its nose. Behold, Allah has removed from you the arrogance of the Time of Jahiliyyah (Ignorance) with its boast of ancestral glories. Man is but an Allah-fearing believer or an unfortunate sinner. All people are the children of Adam, and Adam was created out of dust." Also, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said: "Undoubtedly Allah has removed from you the pride of arrogance of the age of Jahilliyah (ignorance) and the glorification of ancestors. Now people are of two kinds. Either believers who are aware or transgressors who do wrong. You are all the children of Adam and Adam was made of clay. People should give up their pride in nations because that is a coal from the coals of *****-fire. If they do not give this up Allah (swt) will consider them lower than the lowly worm which pushes itself through Khara (dung)." [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi]. There are many examples of this also in the seerah, where the Prophet (pbuh) rebuked and was very angry with those who try to stir up tribal or nationalist sentiments. Another related issue is that of racism, which is prohibited and strongly denounced by Islam. It is transmitted by at-Tabarani and al-Hakim that in one incident some people spoke very lowly about Salman al-Farsi. They spoke of the inferiority of the Persian in relation to the Arabs, and upon hearing this the Messenger of Allah (saaw) declared: "Salman is from us, the ahl al-bayt (the Prophet's family)." This statement of the Messenger of Allah (saaw) disassociates all links based on lineage and tribal considerations. It was as if the Prophet directed Abu Dhar that such a phrase does not belong and should never belong to the Muslim community, where colors just reflect the variety and colorfulness of Allah's creation, and nothing more.That instance was so alarming to Abu Dhar who, realizing his mistake, rushed to seek forgiveness from his brother Bilal and placed his head on the ground asking Bilal to step by his shoes on his face as a way of making him feel, to some extent, the offence he has directed to him. Yet Bilal, who realized that Abu Dhar had understood the lesson, and that the insult was completely unintentional, took his hand and hugged him in a brotherly gesture. In that society there was no place for discrimination as it was uprooted from the hearts before the minds. All considerations about color and class superiority were taken away from the worldview of Muslims. Also, the messenger of Allah called upon all Muslims to be united, regardless of ethnicity, race, language or tribe. The following are some examples: The Messenger of Allah (saaw) said: "The believers, in their love, mutual kindness, and close ties, are like one body; when any part complains, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever." [Muslim]. And: "the believers are like a body, if one organ is sick, the whole body comes to rescue" And: "An Arab is no better than a non-Arab. In return, a non-Arab is no better than an Arab. A red raced man was not better than a black one except in piety. Mankind are all Adam's children and Adam was created out of clay." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abu Musa]. Muslims, whether they are of Chinese, African, European or Asian origin, are one Ummah and they cannot be separated from each other. No tribal ties should ever break their unity. Furthermore, Allah (swt), says: "The Faithful are but brothers..." [Surah Al-Hujurat (49): ayah 10]. And the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said: "The Faithful are to one another like [parts of] a building - each part strengthening the others." Narrated 'Abdullah bin Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection . " Therefore, Muslims should be very aware of the dangers of nationalism and racism, and of the strong denunciation of these concepts by Allah and his messenger. Muslims are one Ummah, and nothing should divide the Ummah into separate states as this is not allowed by Islam. source: http://1fatanalheri1.iboards.us/viewtopic.php?t=268
	And whoever seeks a religion other than Isl�m, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers(3:85)

Hayfa Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Female Joined: 07 June 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2368	Post Options Post Reply Quote Hayfa Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 December 2009 at 9:44am
	Salaaams Full of Hopes, I agree with the author.. I think it is a HUGE danger for the Ummah. People have bought into the 'system of the day' and confuse being proud of one's culture to nationalism. its like saying "American culture is good" to "American culture is the best". It is a subtle difference in thought. And EVERY society in the world today has its pluses and minuses.
	When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. Rumi

Full of Hopes Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Female Joined: 06 August 2009 Status: Offline Points: 855	Post Options Post Reply Quote Full of Hopes Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 December 2009 at 11:11am
	Asslamu Alaikum thank you dear Hayfa, I worked on this for along time and gathered information from many sources because I am sick of this everywhere. May Allah be pleased. Edited by Full of Hopes - 31 December 2009 at 11:13am
	And whoever seeks a religion other than Isl�m, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers(3:85)

JihadX Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 20 June 2008 Status: Offline Points: 258	Post Options Post Reply Quote JihadX Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 31 December 2009 at 5:46pm
	This is good information. However this only occurs between non religious people. For example, we all know that racism and tribalism is 7aram. However, there are millions of stories of people being mistreated because of colors and denying of marriages because of it as well. This is sad but if I were to get into such a situation, I would just ignore the individual. This isn't worth my time or any of ours. There are many righteous sisters and brothers who try to live by the sunnah and appreciate our varieties. If they don't, you can try to explain to them or just ignore them. Try to stay around positive religious muslims and not just those by name. Jazakum Allah khayran < id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" ="">
	�The knife that slaughtered the guards at Bagram and set us free is now on its way to other places,� _ The Mujahid, The Eminent, Sheikh Abu Yahya Al Libi

Full of Hopes Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Female Joined: 06 August 2009 Status: Offline Points: 855	Post Options Post Reply Quote Full of Hopes Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 January 2010 at 11:18pm
	Asslamu Alaikum thank you brother Jihad, I do not face this porblem myself, Alahmdulillah. But I am talking about the weak believers who believe in it. They should see it is NOTHING in Islam.
	And whoever seeks a religion other than Isl�m, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers(3:85)

SteppeNomad Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 July 2009 Status: Offline Points: 292	Post Options Post Reply Quote SteppeNomad Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 02 January 2010 at 3:16am
	I wonder if the person whom wrote this article would dare to denounce the racism and nationalism in his lands first. What is more funny is when people whom claim to be �just Muslims� go on defensive and counter strike more then these �nationalist� when you mention a word about their homeland or masters. Lets get this clear, I agree with what our Nabi s.a.w said, however the point I am trying to make is different. The concept of nationalism or racial, cultural superiority is one thing which is wrong, and is causing the starvation and slave labour of many Muslims, but its Muslim states, or the peoples will lets say, that is causing the overthrowing of governments every 30 � 40 years in our lands, which ironically become more nationalistic and own agenda full each time. So hey, why moan when its something our own people choose to live under and cant criticize when people talk of the racial, religious, and social inequality of our/their countries?. But anyway I can just imagine Erdogan, Assad, Karzia, King Abdullah and very Mubarak with their payroll scholars and a new agenda of a global unified Islamic empire LOOOOL, maybe to much wishful thinking. Mind you, and a little reality check from your weak believer brother to our very strong believing �just Muslims� here, I am not a fan of these losers (the nationalists, secularists and likes), but I give them credit (the nationalists) on one thing, be happy they at least govern your lands, otherwise youd have more bombs being flung down on your heads. I havent seen our �Just Muslims� win or fight any war since the fall of Khalifa, so really befalls the idea of being a strong Muslim when many cant do the basics of defending their homeland at least up to the standard of those nationalist rodents in power. So maybe the French revolution did save some heads. Mind you, please save the weak Muslim and like comments for yourselves.
	Ya Allah, Bismillah, AllahuAkbar.

Full of Hopes Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Female Joined: 06 August 2009 Status: Offline Points: 855	Post Options Post Reply Quote Full of Hopes Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 02 January 2010 at 6:06am
	Asslamu Alaikum everybody!! I found this VERY rewarding article mashallah, about Racism and in a VERY good way of explaining, hope you benefit from it. ISLAM AGAINST RACISM AND PREJUDICE Islam's manifesto of Universal brotherhood of human beings by Abdul Malik Mujahid From the Quran "O Mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you" (Quran 49:13). Explanation: There are several principles, which this verse presents: This message is not just for Muslims only because God is addressing all of humanity. While Muslims are one brotherhood, this is part of a larger brotherhood of humanity. God is telling us that He has created us. Therefore He knows the best about us. He says that He created us from one man and one woman meaning then that we are all the same. It also means that all human beings are created through the same process, not in a manner in which some are created with a better mechanism than others. God is the One who made human beings into different groups and people. These differences are not wrong, rather a sign from God ("And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colors. Verily, in that are indeed signs for those who know" [Quran 30:22]). Note that no word equivalent to race is used in this ayah or any other verse of the Quran. Islam, however, limits the purpose of these distinctions to differentiation and knowing each other. This is not meant to be a source of beating each other down with an attitude of �my group is better than your group' or false pride as is the case with tribalism, nationalism, colonialism, and racism. The only source of preference or greatness among human beings is not on a national or group level, but it is at the individual level. One individual who is (higher in Taqwa), more conscious of his Creator and is staying away from the bad and doing the good is better, no matter what nation, country or caste he is part of. Individual piety is the only thing that makes a person better and greater than the other one. However, the only criterion of preference, Taqwa, is not measurable by human beings. Indeed God is the One Who knows and is aware of everything so we should leave even this criterion to God to decide instead of human beings judging each other. These are the deeply embedded ideals of Islam which still bring people to this way of life even though Muslims are not on the best level of Iman today. This is what changed the heart of a racist Malcolm X when he performed Hajj in Makkah. This is the power that brought Muhammad Ali to Islam. This is what still attracts the Untouchables of India towards Islam. This is the theory which convinced noted historian Professor A.J. Toynbee in 1948 to say that: "The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam, and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue." Let's ask ourselves if the Muslim Ummah today, in its individual and collective behavior is striving to adopt and promote these Islamic ideals? Prophets Way. 1. Prophet's response to racist comments: It is transmitted by at-Tabarani and al-Hakim that in one incident some people spoke very lowly about Salman al-Farsi. They spoke of the inferiority of the Persian in relation to the Arabs, and upon hearing this the Messenger of Allah (saaw) declared: "Salman is from us, the ahl al-bayt (the Prophet's family)." This statement of the Messenger of Allah (saaw) disassociates all links based on lineage and tribal considerations. It was as if the Prophet directed Abu Dhar that such a phrase does not belong and should never belong to the Muslim community, where colors just reflect the variety and colorfulness of Allah's creation, and nothing more.That instance was so alarming to Abu Dhar who, realizing his mistake, rushed to seek forgiveness from his brother Bilal and placed his head on the ground asking Bilal to step by his shoes on his face as a way of making him feel, to some extent, the offence he has directed to him. Yet Bilal, who realized that Abu Dhar had understood the lesson, and that the insult was completely unintentional, took his hand and hugged him in a brotherly gesture. And many other hadithes. 2. Statement of the universal brotherhood in Prophet's Sermon: O people, Remember that your Lord is One. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a black has no superiority over white, nor a white has any superiority over black, except by piety and good action (Taqwa). Indeed the best among you is the one with the best character (Taqwa). Listen to me. Did I convey this to you properly? People responded, Yes. O messenger of God, The Prophet then said, then each one of you who is there must convey this to everyone not present. 3. Don't take pride in ancestry: The Prophet said: Let people stop boasting about their ancestors. One is only a pious believer or a miserable sinner. All men are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust . 4. Looking down upon other people will stop you from entering the Jannah: The Prophet said: Whoever has pride in his heart equal to the weight of an atom shall not enter Paradise. A man inquired about a person who likes to wear beautiful clothes and fine shoes, and he answered: God is beautiful and likes beauty. Then he explained pride means rejecting the truth because of self-esteem and looking down on other people . 5. The Prophet condemnation of Arab racial pride: There are many hadith, which repeatedly strike on the Arab pride of jahiliyyah. Arabs before Islam used to look down upon others specially blacks. The Prophet repeatedly contrasted the believing Africans versus non-believing Arab nobles. Hazrat Bilal(R.a) given an opportunity to call for prayers is an excellent example, which displays that the Prophet practiced what he preached. Source: http://www.soundvision.com/Info/racism/quran.asp
	And whoever seeks a religion other than Isl�m, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers(3:85)

SteppeNomad Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 08 July 2009 Status: Offline Points: 292	Post Options Post Reply Quote SteppeNomad Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 03 January 2010 at 3:17pm
	Harram is Harram, that is apparent, but claiming to be just Muslim or such a strong beleiver buy calling everyone else weak beleivers and infidels but then sitting on your backside is different. You see weak Muslims such as myself and you strong Muslims are on a different level. And I guess this shaykh sent the same letter to his king to? Let us know when you two free the world from weak Muslims. Edited by SteppeNomad - 03 January 2010 at 4:06pm
	Ya Allah, Bismillah, AllahuAkbar.