By Shaykh Abdul Qayum
17 October 2025

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Brothers and sisters, this week’s khuṭbah was a reminder about one of the ugliest diseases of the heart – racism, and how Islam came to completely uproot it.

Allah clearly guides us in the Qur’an, reminding us of our shared origin and purpose:

This verse is not a slogan. It is a universal principle. It strips away every claim to superiority based on race, language, colour, or lineage. And it reminds us that all of humanity is one family: the children of Adam and Hawwa.

As Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

All of you are from Adam, and Adam was created from dust.

So what is there to boast about? No race is better than another. No ethnicity, no culture, no nationality is inherently closer to Allah. These differences exist only so that we may recognise one another, not to divide or demean each other.

And this wasn’t just something the Prophet ﷺ said once. In his final sermon, he emphasised it again:

O people, your Lord is one and your father is one. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor of a non-Arab over an Arab; nor of a white over a black, nor of a black over a white – except by taqwa.

In just a few words, the Prophet ﷺ shattered every artificial barrier.

Islam didn't just condemn racism, it built a community where people were valued by their character, not their colour. Take the example of Bilal ibn Rabah (RA). He was once a slave, a Black man from Abyssinia, and yet he was chosen by the Prophet ﷺ to be the first mu’adhin of Islam. He became one of the most beloved companions.

And it was this same Bilal (RA) whose footsteps the Prophet ﷺ heard ahead of him in Paradise during the Night Journey. When the Prophet ﷺ later asked what he did to earn such honour, Bilal (RA) replied that he tried to remain in a state of wuda and pray two rak‘at whenever he renewed it.

Look at how Allah elevated him. The rank of Bilal (RA) is not through lineage or language, but through simple acts of devotion and sincerity.

Brothers and sisters, racism doesn’t always come with shouting and slurs. Sometimes it hides in small behaviours: who we greet, who we invite to our homes, who we choose (or reject) for marriage.

The Prophet ﷺ warned us against any form of tribal pride:

He is not one of us who calls to tribalism, fights for tribalism, or dies upon tribalism.

Racism is nothing more than the modern face of this same tribalism. And it can show up in our communities in subtle ways: favouring people of certain ethnic groups, assuming someone is less educated or less religious because of their accent or dress or rejecting a righteous spouse because they are from a different background.

We sometimes fall into a ‘softer’ version of racism without even realising it. By showing preference for those with money, education, or family status while ignoring those who might be better in taqwa.

But Allah is not impressed by our wealth or our titles. He looks at our hearts. He tells us clearly:

That is the only standard that matters.

This same principle applies when it comes to marriage. The Prophet ﷺ said:

If a proposal comes from someone whose religion and character you are pleased with, then marry him. If you do not, there will be great corruption on earth.

He didn't say to check their race or tribe or income bracket. He said to look at deen and character. Those are the prophetic criteria.

So let us re-examine our hearts. Have we built hidden hierarchies? Have we passed judgement based on skin, nationality, or class? If so, it is time to tear those walls down.

Islam came to unite, not divide. It came to liberate us from the false pride of bloodlines and replace it with the humility of servitude to Allah.

May Allah cleanse our hearts of arrogance and racism. May He allow us to see each other as brothers and sisters in humanity and faith. And may He raise us by our sincerity, not our status.

O Allah, purify our hearts from every trace of pride and racism. Make our hearts white with taqwa, not just our faces. Allow us to live with humility, die with dignity, and be raised among those who honoured every human being.

Ameen.

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