The meaning of the word ‘ummah’ is community. The word’s usage varies depending on time, place, and space, but it is rooted in a common Islamic faith. It is bigger than race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or sexuality. And yet we see repeatedly how amongst Muslim communities all around the world, predominantly communities where Arab and South Asian voices are privileged, anti-blackness is prevalent, harmful, and hypocritical.
When learning the stories of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions, a favorite of many is the story of Bilal ibn Rabah. The bare bones of his story are that he was a slave, then Abu Bakr freed him, then he converted to Islam, and then he became the first mu’azzin of the Muslims, chosen by the Prophet (PBUH) himself to deliver the call to prayer atop the Ka’aba. He had a beautiful voice.
Bilal’s story is rich and important and much longer than this reflection has space for. Often, the story of Bilal functions as a means of bolstering the idea that Islam is aligned with liberation and racial equality. This is particularly so when grouped with the ayah, “O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into races and tribes, so that you may identify one another. Surely the noblest of you, in Allah’s sight, is the one who is most pious of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware” (49:13), as well as the hadith from the Prophet’s (PBUH) last sermon indicating that an Arab is no better than a non-Arab and vice versa. According to these sources, no human is fundamentally worth more than any other as far as human eyes are concerned, and certainly not based on race.
Even so, we exist in and perpetuate racist systems, sometimes without realizing it. Many of us forget that the first Muslims who came to this continent were African slaves, or that the rights of Muslims in this country would not be possible without the work of civil rights groups, or that the largest ethnic demographic block of Muslims in the United States is African American.
All of this is not why it is incumbent upon Muslims to speak out against acts of violence like the murder of George Floyd this week. Membership in the ummah is not a prerequisite to deserving justice and respect.
In Surah Nisa, the fourth surah of the Quran, it is written, “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. …” (4:135).
In order to fight injustice, you need to do it on an intimate level, by calling out those closest to you including yourself. You may not be in a position right now to protest in the streets of Minneapolis, but you have other means. Learn more and check your own biases regardless of your own race. Talk to you parents and call them out on their behaviors (in a respectful way, the Quran also says you should respect your parents). Identify what you can change in the communities you are a part of, whether that community entails your immediate household or the whole ummah itself.
Iman Jafri ’15
Associate Chaplain for Muslim and Interfaith Life