Last week we tried to understand eight commandments (ahkam) in form of dos and donts with reference to the first part of Surah Al-Hujuraat. They were: (1) never take any action/decision based only on rumours without investigation, (2) whenever there is a dispute among Muslims, we should try to make treaty among them so that the dispute is settled, (3) no mocking at each other, (4) no defacing each other, (5) no offensive nicknames for each other which they do not like, (6) don’t harbour doubts about others, (7) don’t look into other’s matters – tajassus – trying to spy, and (8) don’t make ghibah – no backbiting or ill talk against any Muslim brother. All the above mentioned ahkam are to keep the Muslim society integrated and to keep the bond of love among the Muslims intact so that the Ummah remains strong.
Now in the second part of this Surah, instead of ya-aie-o-hal-lazina-aamanu (O You Believers) the ayat begins with ya-aie-o-han-nas (O human beings). Out of the preceding 12 ayaat, five times it addressed to the Believers. We, the Muslims were addressed and given necessary instructions to safeguard us – the Muslim society – against social evils as mentioned in the first Para. These evils are causing universal disruption in the world on the basis of prejudices due to race, colour, language, country, and nationality. The Jews, on this very basis, regarded the children of Israel as the chosen people of God and looked upon the non-Jews as inferior to the Jews in rights and rank.
Thus, the next ayat says: “Human beings, We created you all from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-fearing of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware”.
In this ayah, Allah has drawn the attention of all mankind to three basic truths:
(1) All the races found in the world today are, in fact, the branches of one initial race that started with one father and one mother – Adam and Hauva – being the root. So, the divisions and distinctions in which we find ourselves today is because of our false notions and assumptions – by birth all human beings are born equal.
(2) Obviously, all the men on earth could not belong to one and the same family. With the spread of the race it was inevitable that countless families should arise, and then tribes and nations should emerge from the families. Similarly, it was inevitable that after settling in different regions of the earth, there should be differences of colours, features, languages and ways of living among the people but this natural difference never suggests that one race should claim superiority over the other, the people of one colour should look down upon the people of other colours, and that one nation should take preference over the other without any reason.
(3) The only basis of superiority and excellence that there is, or can be, between man and man is that of moral excellence. As regards birth, all of us are equal, for their Creator (Khalique) is One, their substance of creation is one, and their way of creation is one, and they are descended from the same parents. Therefore, there is no rational ground on account of which one person may be regarded as superior to another. The real thing that makes one person superior to others is that one should be more God-conscious, a greater avoider of evils, and a follower of the way of piety and righteousness. Such a man, whether he belongs to any race, any nation and any country, is valuable and worthy on account of his personal merit. And the one who is against these in character, is in any case an inferior person whether he is black or white, born in the east or the west.
These same truths that have been stated in the above ayat of the Qur’ān, have been explained in greater detail by the Holy Prophet on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage, “O people, be aware: your God is One. No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, and no non-Arab any superiority over an Arab, and no white one has any superiority over a black one, and no black one any superiority over a white one, except on the basis of taqva (piety). The most honourable among you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most pious and righteous of you. Say if I have conveyed the Message to you?” And the great congregation of the people responded, saying: “Yes, you have, O Messenger of Allah.” Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: “Then let the one who is present convey it to those who are absent.”
In another hadīth, he has said: “You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was created from the dust. Let the people give up boasting of their ancestors, otherwise they will stand more degraded than a mean insect in the sight of Allah.”
“Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-fearing of you.” Maybe that the one who has been regarded as a man of high rank in the world is declared as the lowest of the low in the final judgment of Allah, and maybe that the one who has been looked upon as a very low person here, attains to a very high rank there. The real importance is not of the honour and dishonour of the world but of the honour and dishonour that one will receive from Allah. Therefore, what we should be more concerned about is that we should create in ourselves those real qualities and characteristics which will make us worthy of honour in the sight of Allah.
These teachings have not remained confined to words only; Islam has practically established a universal brotherhood. Even the opponents of Islam like H G Wells, in his book A Concise History of the World has written: “Although the sermons of human fraternity, equality and freedom were said before also but it must be admitted that the social order based on these principles was for the first time in the whole history of mankind was established by Mohammad (SAW)”.