Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Rasulullah (saw), who was sent as a mercy to all of humanity, revealed a principle against racism in his Farewell Hajj that will never change. He said: “There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab. Neither is the white superior over the black, nor is the black superior over the white – except by piety.”[1] With such a profound expression, the Messenger of Allah (saw) showed us the solution for racism, which has caused many disasters and destruction throughout history. In other words, people are as equal as the teeth of a comb. No one has an advantage over the other. Superiority is only in Taqwa.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The desire for glory and honour is a feeling that exists in human nature. People who have not reached spiritual maturity try to satisfy these feelings with their ethnicity. They consider the racial unity of blood as the reason for superiority. They despise those other than their own tribe and they think that they can elevate themselves. However, Allah (swt) mentions in the Quran, “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allāh is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Aware.”[2] That is, superiority is not by being from a tribe or having a certain skin colour; It is only possible by performing good deeds.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Racism is the common enemy of all humanity. People who cannot tolerate the differences of others, who do not respect different religious beliefs, thoughts and lifestyles, are the curse of humanity. We once again saw the bitter consequences of this in the example of the brutal murder of young people of different ethnicities and beliefs, which took place in Hanau, Germany, exactly three years ago. Many other cases of killings and assaults due to racism exists all around us. Likewise, the killing of 51 innocent people in the attack on two mosques on a Friday in New Zealand in 2019 still preserves its freshness in our memories. One of the important manifestations of racism is the provocative attacks on different faiths. Again, the actions of burning the Qur’an are among the most obvious examples of this. These evil attacks aimed at destroying the culture of living together and disrupting the social peace will never reach their goal. As Muslims, we want to believe that individuals, non-governmental organisations and states with conscience will put forward the necessary legal actions in an age where human rights and freedoms are not despised.

Dear Jama’ah!  

Islam, which aims for humanity to live in peace and tranquillity on earth, has condemned all forms of racism. Rasulullah (saw) said, “The caller to racism is not from us. The fight for the cause of racism is not from us. It’s not one of us who dies for racism.”[3] It is the common duty of every Muslim and every person of conscience to fight against racism. Let us know that these tragic events are exemplary. Let’s not forget these evils committed for the sake of racism. May Allah (swt) protect us and all of humanity from such cruelties. Ameen

[1] Müsned-i Ahmed, H. No: 23489

[2] Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:13

[3] Ebû Dâvûd, Edeb, 111-112

Khutba – Common Harm to Humanity: Racism