This blog typically dissects Islam’s flaws—its contradictions, its historical baggage, and its modern-day issues. Most of my posts are seen as “against” Islam, and for good reason. But today’s different. I’m focusing on something positive: the concept of racial equality in Islam. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not here to praise the religion blindly. I’ll stick to the facts, quote the texts exactly, and let the evidence speak. Islam’s stance on race, at least in its foundational teachings, deserves a nod. Here’s why.
The Evidence: Straight from the Hadiths
Let’s start with a Hadith from Dorar.net:
“لا فضلَ لعربيٍّ على عجميٍّ ، ولا لعجميٍّ على عربيٍّ ، ولا لأبيضَ على أسودَ ، ولا لأسودَ على أبيضَ – : إلَّا بالتَّقوَى ، النَّاسُ من آدمَ ، وآدمُ من ترابٍ”
Translation: “There is no preference for an Arab over an Ajami (Non-Arab), nor an Ajami (Non-Arab) over an Arab, nor a white over a black, nor a black over a white: Except by piety, men are from Adam, and Adam is from dust.”
Source: Narrated by Al-Albani, Sharh al-Tahawiyyah, p. 361, classified as Sahih (authentic).
This is blunt. No Arab is better than a non-Arab. No white person is better than a black person. The only thing that matters is piety—your personal devotion to God, not your skin color or lineage. The bit about Adam being from dust hammers it home: everyone’s the same at the core. It’s a clear rejection of racial hierarchy.
Next, from Musnad Ahmed 21407:
“حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ ، عَنْ أَبِي هِلَالٍ ، عَنْ بَكْرٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ ، أَنّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ لَهُ: ‘ انْظُرْ، فَإِنَّكَ لَيْسَ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْ أَحْمَرَ وَلَا أَسْوَدَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَفْضُلَهُ بِتَقْوَى’.”
Translation: “Wakayyah narrated from Abu Hilal, on the authority of Abu Dharr, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Look, you are no better than a red or a black person unless you prefer him through piety.'”
Here, Muhammad’s talking to Abu Dharr, a companion, and shuts down any notion of inherent superiority. You’re not better than a “red” or “black” person unless you’re more pious. The “red” part’s odd, right? In classical Arabic, “red” (ahmar) often meant lighter-skinned people—Arabs or others—while “black” (aswad) referred to darker-skinned folks. It’s not a perfect black-white binary like we think today, but the point stands: race doesn’t make you special. Piety does.
Finally, from Musnad Ahmad 23489:
“عَنْ أَبِي نَضْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي وَسَطِ أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ فَقَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَلَا إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنَّ أَبَاكُمْ وَاحِدٌ أَلَا لَا فَضْلَ لِعَرَبِيٍّ عَلَى أَعْجَمِيٍّ وَلَا لِعَجَمِيٍّ عَلَى عَرَبِيٍّ وَلَا لِأَحْمَرَ عَلَى أَسْوَدَ وَلَا أَسْوَدَ عَلَى أَحْمَرَ إِلَّا بِالتَّقْوَى أَبَلَّغْتُ قَالُوا بَلَّغَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ”
Translation: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said on the middle day of the days of at-Tashreeq: ‘O people, verily your Lord is one and your father is one. Verily there is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab or of a non-Arab over an Arab, or of a red man over a black man, or of a black man over a red man, except in terms of taqwa (piety). Have I conveyed the message?’ They said: ‘The Messenger of Allah has conveyed the message.'”
This one’s from the Hajj pilgrimage, a big stage. Muhammad’s laying it out: one God, one ancestor (Adam), no racial pecking order. Arab, non-Arab, red, black—none of it matters unless you’ve got more taqwa (piety). He even checks if they got it. They did.
Why This Matters
These Hadiths aren’t vague platitudes. They’re direct, and they hit hard against the tribalism and racism of 7th-century Arabia. Back then, your tribe or skin color could define your worth. Muhammad’s words flipped that. Everyone’s equal unless you prove otherwise through actions, not birth. That’s radical for the time.
Take Bilal ibn Rabah as proof it wasn’t just talk. A black ex-slave, he became one of Muhammad’s top guys and the first muezzin—calling people to prayer. In a society obsessed with status, that’s a big deal. It shows this equality had legs, at least early on.