1. Unlawful killing of one human being - regardless of race, position, religion, age, wealth, or color - is a crime against humanity
Allah says:
مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فِي الْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ
"Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that:
if anyone killed ONE PERSON unjustly, or to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind,
and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind.
And indeed, there came to them Our Messengers with clear proofs, evidences, and signs, even then after that many of them continued to transgress the limits in the land"
(Surah Al-Ma'idah, 32)
To put into the right perspective, we should remind ourselves that violent and unsympathetic murders and genocides due to racial and religious prejudice have been occurring throughout our lives: the only problem is how the media chooses to ignore them and hence goes unnoticed to the world at large.
Consider the criminal mass murders of the Uyghur in China, the Palestinians in Gaza, the Rohingya in Myanmar, and others in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.
إِنَّا لِلَّـهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Don’t misunderstand me: This doesn’t mean we undermine or belittle the situation – quite the opposite. As the ayah quoted above, the unjust murder of one individual is as severe as the killing of mankind. Rather, tragic moments like these should remind us of our compassionate consideration of our oppressed brothers and sisters all over the world past and present, and not make us heedless and forgetful in the relative ease and comfort that Allah has blessed us.
If we are unable to help them physically, at the very least we make du’aa for them – for Allah will never allow our prayers unanswered, and that the supplications for our fellow brothers and sisters without their knowledge will surely be responded to, and responded by the angels.
May Allah assist them, ease their affairs, strengthen their iman to bear these trials with patience and steadfastness, recompense them with the reward of syahadah and Jannatul Firdaus. Amin.
On a positive side note, in the context of the virtue of "saving one life", it seems apt also to remind us to be grateful to our beloved front liners across the world saving lives throughout this pandemic: who have demonsrated their amazing dedication to save humanity: again and again. Hearts out to them and May Allah reward all of them ❤️.
2. True basis of superiority and nobility in the sight of Allah is taqwa - righteousness, consciousness and fear of Allah.
Whether you are a Bedouin in the desert, a pilot in Korea, a lawyer in Canada, a janitor in New Zealand, an Engineer in Malaysia – young, old, rich, poor, Arab and non-Arab: every single one of us has the capability to develop taqwa. Regardless of your race, nationality, skin color, economic status, authority or rank in society.
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqun (pious - see V. 2:2). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware."
(Surah Al-Hujraat, 13)
Abu Nadrah reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, said during the middle of the day at the end of his Hajj (pilgrimage):
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
“O mankind! Your Lord is one and your father Adam is one.
There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab,
and neither (is there superiority of one with) white skin over (one with) black skin, nor black skin over white skin,
except by Taqwa (righteousness, consciousness and fear of Allah).
Have I not delivered the message?”
(Musnad Ahmad 22978, graded sahih)
3. Through Islam, Allah Successfully United a people of deep-rooted racial hatred against each other – to the point that they became exemplary role models in brotherhood of collaboration and mutual love for one another.
During the age of Jahiliyyah - Before the coming of Islam – the Arabs were a race of people who used to have deep rooted hatred against each other’s tribes and were constantly at each other’s necks, let alone against others from completely different cities – effectively, different countries, at the time – of Makkah and Madinah.
Allah says:
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
"And hold fast, to the Rope of Allah - and do not Divide amongst yourselves!
وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُم أَعْدَآءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَاناً
And remember Allah's favor on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His grace, you became brothers” (Surah Ali Imran, 103)
In his tafsir, Ibnu Kathir comments about this ayah:
This was revealed about the Aws and Khazraj. During the time of Jahiliyyah, the Aws and Khazraj were at war and had great hatred, enmity and ill feelings towards each other, causing long conflicts and battles to occur between them. When Allah brought Islam, those among them who embraced it became brothers who loved each other by Allah's grace, having good ties for Allah's sake and helping each other in righteousness and piety. Allah said,
وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعاً مَّآ أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ
“And He has united their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allah has united them” (Surah Al-Anfal 8:62-63)
Before Islam, their disbelief had them standing at the edge of a pit of the Fire, but Allah saved them from it and delivered them to faith.” (End quote, tafsir ibnu Kathir)
In one narration, when there was an argument between the companions, Abu Dzar made a racist comment against Bilal, in which the Prophet ﷺ stated that this was an element of Jahiliyyah (pre-islamic days of ignorance) still present in Abu Dhar: something he ﷺ disassociated from.
أنَّ أبا ذَرٍّ وبلالًا تَغَاضَبَا وتَسَابَّا وفي ثورةِ الغضبِ قال أبو ذَرٍّ لبلالٍ : يا ابنَ السَّوْدَاءِ فشكاه بلالٌ إلى النبيِّ فقال النبيُّ لأبي ذَرٍّ : أَعَيَّرْتَهُ بأُمِّهِ إنك امْرُؤٌ فيك جاهِلِيَّةٌ
Abu Dzar and Bilal were having an argument, and in their anger they exchanged some harsh words with each other. Abu Dzar then said to Bilal out of anger: "O son of a black woman!"
Bilal therefore complained to the Prophet ﷺ about him, and the Prophet ﷺ said to Abu Dzar:
"You abused him by insulting his mother! You are a man with some characteristics of the Jahiliyyah”
الراوي : أبو ذر الغفاري | المحدث : الألباني | المصدر : غاية المرام | الصفحة أو الرقم : 307 | خلاصة حكم المحدث : صحيح بغير هذا السياق
4. Oppression is not resolved by oppression. Violence cannot resolve violence.
The shortest hadith that I have ever heard of is also one that is aptly applicable in these times:
لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ
“There should be no harm, neither the reciprocation (retaliation) of harm”
(Narrated by Ibnu Majah, Ahmad, and Muwatta of Malik)
Enough said. Next point.
5. Integrity is the basis of Justice: No favoritism, discrimination or differentiation
Sadly, unpunished oppressive police brutality isn’t something new in our times – Historically, many violations from law enforcement officers have escaped accountability due to legislative loopholes, and deliberately turned away from the eyes of the media coverage due to the authority they possess. Alhamdulillah the silver lining of these current events is that they have surfaced this issue to trigger awareness on a global scale and subsequently sparked a thirst and yearning towards absolute justice, devoid of discrimination due to your rank or occupation.
And it seems apt also to remind us that, this principle of absolute justice and integrity was in fact already implemented by our Prophet ﷺ, a statement in which he himself was absolutely strict about.
In a hadith narrated in the Sahihayn by the two Shaykhs, Al-Bukhari and Muslim, it was narrated that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as a leader of the nation, a woman from the Tribe of Banu Makhzum (one of the noble tribes of Quraysh) committed a theft. People – with the intention of ‘bailing her out’ from the punishment of theft – thus said, “Who can intercede with the Prophet (ﷺ) for her?”
The people approached Usamah bin Zaid – knowing that Usamah was somebody who was very beloved to the Prophet ﷺ and close to his heart, whom he loved as if he was his own grandson.
But when Usamah attempted to reason on her behalf, the color of the face of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) changed due to anger, and he ﷺ said,
أَتُكَلِّمُنِي فِي حَدٍّ مِنْ حُدُودِ اللَّهِ
“Do you intercede with me in a matter involving one of the legal punishments prescribed by Allah?!”
He then emphasized, that even if his own beloved daughter – Fatimah – would commit theft, he would not hesitate to punish her in the same way that any layman in society would be punished, had they committed that crime:
فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ النَّاسَ قَبْلَكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ، وَإِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمِ الضَّعِيفُ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ، لَوْ أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا
“The nations prior to you were destroyed because if a noble amongst them stole, they used to excuse him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would apply (Allah's) Legal Punishment to him.
I Swear, by Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, if Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad was guilty of stealing, I would cut her hand!”
(Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
It seems painfully obvious that all the solutions for absolute social justice were already in place 1400 years ago, and mankind at large is still trying to “figure it out”.
And Allah Knows Best.
May Allah grant us guidance and steadfastness upon the Straight Path.
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