Respecting People of All Races

Summary of Maulana Shaykh Nazim’s Suhbah

6th December 2009, Sunday

Respecting People of All Races

A’uzubillah himinsh shaitan nirrajeem

Bismillahir Rahman-nir Raheem

Assalamu’alaikum wrh wbkt

The more respect we show to Prophet Muhammad (saw), the more Allah will grant us His blessings. We must be thankful and proud to be part of the ummah of Prophet Muhammad (saw) – the community of Prophet Muhammad (saw), the ummah of the Most Beloved of Allah.

We must spread the greetings of As-salāmu ’alaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh, and use it as much as possible. These heavenly greetings (unlike the commonly used good-mornings, good-byes and see-yous) contains the blessed Name of Allah, As-Salam, and it means safety and protection. Each time we give or receive these greetings of salaam, we are raised closer to Allah, and we are surrounded by felicity and safety, both in this world and the hereafter. We are so blessed to be given this gift by Allah, so use it often on those we meet!

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ۬ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ شُعُوبً۬ا وَقَبَآٮِٕلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓاْ‌ۚ

“O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another” (Quran 49:13).

This means that Allah created Man, of different races and nationalities, that they may get to know each other, and co-exist in love and harmony. Mawlana recounted his trip to a mountain in Lebanon, where the tour guide told Mawlana that there were a thousand species of plants on that mountain. Each plant brings a different benefit to Man – some are sources of food, others are sources of fruit, some are medicines, some produce fragrance and others provide beauty and tranquility for the observer. So each plant has a unique benefit that no other plant possesses.

Is the status of Man lower than a plant? Surely not. Man, the Khalῑfah of Allah, is created from different races and nationalities (just as plants have different species), and each race and nationality has its own special and unique characteristics, that is not found in other races or nationalities.We must embrace this fact – we are all different as Allah created us with different strengths and weaknesses, and by studying this and accepting all humans as our brothers and sisters without hatred and discrimination, we will be showing reverence to Allah, in accepting His Divine Wisdom.

Mawlana gave a beautiful similitude of a king’s crown, covered with precious jewels like diamonds, rubies, sapphires and pearls. Each precious stone adds to the beauty of the crown, yet these stones do not envy each other or compete with one another, they complement each other’s beauty and accept each other’s uniqueness.

Mawlana said that we, the ummah of Prophet Muhammad (saw), are all precious stones on the crown of Prophet Muhammad (saw) so we should not hate each other, or seek to harm or kill one another. On the contrary, we are to unite, accept that we are all unique, and to respect the differences and uniqueness between us, as Divine Wisdom from Allah. There is much we can learn and benefit from one another, instead of hating and hurting one another.When we think of our race or nationality as being better than others, we say and do things to degrade, insult and humiliate others. This is hurtful to others. Mawlana said that just as animals like snakes, scorpions and dogs sting or bite us, the one who hurts his fellow human being with deed or words, is lower than an animal.

Many highly educated people are racists, and speak of other races or nationalities in derogatory terms. Such people are the lowest amongst humans, falling from the highest level of Man as Khalῑfah of Allah, to the level of an animal, whose poison- filled words bring pain and suffering to others.

Man must leave hurting others through weapons and words, for Allah did not create us for that lowly purpose.

Fatihah.