Page 18 - Justice and Compassion in the Qur'an

16
JUSTICE AND COMPASSION IN THE QUR'AN

and it was proclaimed that all people, regardless of their color,
race and language, are equal. The Prophet Muhammad (saas)
criticized the unbecoming practice of people of ignorant
societies who assessed others according to their race and color.
He cautioned the Arab people in these words in his last
address to them:

An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab has
any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over
a black, nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety
and good action.
With these words, the Prophet Muhammad (saas) once
again reminded all mankind the fact related in Sura Hujurat,
verse 13; that superiority among people is attainable only
through fear of Allah. Islam, as the Prophet Muhammad (saas)
also stresses, completely abolishes all these primitive ideas. In
an environment where the values of Islam are established, a

man cannot be accused, subjected to discriminatory treatment
or oppressed because he is a Jew, a Christian, a black or an
Indian. Allah decides what race a person should belong to. He
shaped man in the most perfect manner. Man's duty is always
to be just, loving, respectful, compassionate to and at peace
with everyone.
This aside, the fact that a person is well-off or poor does
not pose a hindrance to a believer's provision of justice or the
way he makes his decisions. It is utterly unacceptable that
someone should oppress other people just because he
possesses the financial means, and hence be allowed to get
away with committing a crime. However, in our day a look at
some of the countries in the world reveals a mentality that