on family ties causing a divide amongst Muslims which led to warfare over
power and control of the Muslim states.
It is therefore no coincidence that Allah mentions that some of the Arabs as
being staunch unbelievers and hypocrites, especially when we consider that
the enemies of the Prophet Mohamed and his mission were primarily members
of his own extended family.
األَعرابُ أَشد كفرً ا ونِفَاقًا وأَجْ در أَال يَعلَموا حدود ما أَنزل ﷲُ علَى
ٰ َ َ َ ُ ﱠ ْ ُ ُُ َ َ ْ َ َ ﱠ
َ ْ ْ
َ ُْ َﱡ
◌رسُولِه ۗ وﷲ ُ علِيم حكيم
ِ ٌ ِ َ ٌ
َ ِ َ ﱠ
َ
The desert Arabs are the most stubborn of all peoples in their disbelief and
hypocrisy. They are the least likely to recognize the limits that God has sent
down to His Messenger. God is all knowing and all wise. ( Quran 9:97 )
So Abu Dhar allegedly calling Bilal ibn Raba ‘ibn sawdaa’ (son of Sudanese
woman ) was not a racially or colour motivated insult (for he, Abu Dhar was
black skinned himself ) but more so cultural/tribal and would be no different
to a Sudanese TODAY calling an Ethiopian derogatory names, a Nigerian
calling a Ghanaian or a Black Caribbean calling a West African derogatory
names.
The issue of tribalism/ethnic pride is a serious problem amongst some very
ignorant dark skinned people particularly those on the continent now called
Africa, which has led to unnecessary bloodshed, subjugation, suffering and war
and perhaps I’ll address that in another separate article.
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