The yellow people: Europeans according to Islam (why they are not white supremists)
We often hear claims of a clash of civilization between Arabs and Europeans
Or more specifically East and West.
Other times it is between black and white. There are attacks on people for being apparently "white supremists"
Since most problems between people happen because of ignorance, wrong information and mis understandings I hope in this post to shed light on the people generally known as white.
What is Islam's perception of them and who are they really a history of problems with the Arab world?
Maybe they are closer than is first thought.
In Islam skin colour and nationality are not the most important things
A person's skin colour or nationality do not make them superior or inferior to others.
This is how a black slave was able to take a position as the first called to prayer.
However, here in this post I wanted to talk about the people who are generally known as white people.
They are the people who live predominantly in Europe and North America.
They characteristically usually have brown, red, black or blond or ginger hair and blue, green or light brown eyes.
These people were known in the past by Arabs and Islamic sources as the yellow people, due to their yellowish skin colour.
This was not a put down but that is what they appeared to be.
A white person according to the Arabs was someone with black hair and very white skin.
Some Arabs and Asians have this complexion.
In the end ot is not actually important but only for information.
The yellow people are said to be descendants of Abrahim from his wife Sara peace be upon them.
She was supposed to be very beautiful and probably was yellow tinted herself.
The yellow people are said to have been from her son Isac and they eventually spread into Europe.
In the past however, there was no Europe.
In the time of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him what we now call Europe was known as Rome or the Roman Empire.
It later became split up to become different countries in Europe.
It was a predominantly Christian empire.
Was there an issue or a clash of civilisations?
There never was a clash of civilisations in the past.
The Muslims even supported the Romans in the beginning when they're was a war between Rome and the Persians.
The Muslims wanted the Romans to win and prayed for their victory.
This is because the Romans were Christians and believed, like Muslims, in monotheism and in Jesus peace be upon him.
The Persians were polytheists.
This is recollected in the Quran where a chapter actually named after the Romans tells of their victory.
The Romans were spoken about in general in a positive way in the Quran.
Their victory was a source of happiness for the Muslims.
They were seen as closer to the Muslims than the Persians.
One of the famous companions of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was Roman
Some say he originally Arab, but had lived in Rome most of his life.
Others say he was blond haired and blue eyed.
Such details are not very important.
Even in that time there was some discrimination, however.
One of the Arabs who had pride in his ancestry made a comment about some of the companions who were not actually Arab, as if he was degrading them.
A narration tells us that when news of this reached Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, he was angered by the comment and tightened his clothing around him.
It is said that he called people to the mosque and made a sermon reminding them that their God is one God and that they were created from two human beings Adam and Eve (so humanity is one.) And there is no preference of an Arab over a no Arab except in God conciousness (taqwa).
He then apparently went on to say that the Arab is the one who speaks Arabic.
This is actually a very different and forward idea than what we have now amongst most people in the world, Muslims included.
Will people accept that someone who speaks their language is one of them? A lot of people will continue to regard a person as from a certain culture for generations.
From the beginning, it appears that the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was trying to unite people and do away with ideas that degrade or separate people.
Nowadays most people look for any reason to down grade others and separate them, seeing differences as strange or inferior.
Anyway, enough of that.
This I mentioned to demonstrate that actually all people have to put up with dome degree of discrimination and stereotyping and that there are usually people with superiority complexes looking for reasons to feel superior.
Europeans, white or yellow people as they are called sometimes suffer from negative attitudes and stereotypes in our day and age.
Sometimes they are held to be lacking morality, bad, vulgar, loose, sometimes cold or mean.
On the other hand they are perceived to be honesty, loyal, good friend, trustworthy, clever, fair, mild mannered and polite.
So some stereotypes are positive and some negative.
However, while there maybe people who do fit into such stereotypes there are too many people in Europe and America to be judged collectively.
Let's see how the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him described them in some narrations:
A narration in Sahih Muslim states that:
When Mustawrid al-Qurashee was sitting with 'Amr ibn al-'Aas, he said: "I heard the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam) say, The Hour will come when the Romans will be in the majority.' 'Amr asked him,"What are you saying?"He said,"I am repeating that which I heard from the Prophet (sal-Allahu'alayhe wa sallam)."Amr said, "If you say this, it is true, because they have four good characteristics:
(i)They are the most able to cope with tribulation (ii) the quickest to recover after disaster and (iii) to return to the fight after disaster and (iv) are the best as far as treating the poor, weak and orphans are concerned. They have a fifth characteristic which is very good; they do not allow themselves to be oppressed by their kings."
Muslim, Kitaab al-Fitaan, 8 - 176.
Al-Mustawrid reported: He said in front of Amr ibn al-‘As that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say, “The Hour will be established while the Romans are the majority of people.”Amr said, “Be careful what you say.” He said,“I have said what I heard from the Messenger of Allah.”Amr said.“If the Prophet said that, indeed, there are four good qualities in them: they are the most forbearing of people in tribulation, they are the quickest to recover after a calamity, they are the most eager to return after a retreat, and they are good to the poor, the orphan, and the vulnerable. Their fifth quality is good and beautiful: they are the best at stopping the oppression of their kings.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2898
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Muslim
قَالَ الْمُسْتَوْرِدُ الْقُرَشِيُّ عِنْدَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ وَالرُّومُ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ فَقَالَ لَهُ عَمْرٌو أَبْصِرْ مَا تَقُولُ قَالَ أَقُولُ مَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَئِنْ قُلْتَ ذَلِكَ إِنَّ فِيهِمْ لَخِصَالًا أَرْبَعًا إِنَّهُمْ لَأَحْلَمُ النَّاسِ عِنْدَ فِتْنَةٍ وَأَسْرَعُهُمْ إِفَاقَةً بَعْدَ مُصِيبَةٍ وَأَوْشَكُهُمْ كَرَّةً بَعْدَ فَرَّةٍ وَخَيْرُهُمْ لِمِسْكِينٍ وَيَتِيمٍ وَضَعِيفٍ وَخَامِسَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ جَمِيلَةٌ وَأَمْنَعُهُمْ مِنْ ظُلْمِ الْمُلُوكِ
Therefore, this hadith and saying of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him strongly contradicts the claim that Romans or Europeans are cold people.
When I typed into google the characteristics of a cold person it told me thus:
Emotionally unavailable, inaccessible, unresponsive, indifferent, uninvested. Unfeeling, unemotional, affectionless; unsmiling—straight-faced (or stone-faced) Cold-hearted, as in "cold fish" or (even worse) an "iceberg" or "ice queen" Lacking empathy and compassion.31/05/2011
The saying of the Prophet peace be upon him seems to be saying the opposite of this.
They are responsive, caring, empathetic and good to others and stand up for truth. All these are qualities of warmth.
In fact, empathetic people are often thought to be cold at first meeting. They appear distant, but at the same time they are more feeling than most.
They are the ones who go after human rights and to help others.
The UN, most charities, human rights and various support groups were all formed from these people.
Although Europeans were known to be slave owners in the beginning, they were the ones who abolished it in the end.
It often seems that people who are themselves cold tend to think of others as like them.
The hadith does not call them Western people.
The corruption and lack of morality are more to do with the decline in religious attachment rather than a cultural thing.
Probably the perceptions of others stem from misunderstandings and as usually, a lack of knowledge.
The Quran tells us that:
ﭵ ﭶ ﭷ ﭸ ﭹ ﭺ ﭻ ﭼ ﭽ ﭾ ﭿ ﮀ ﮁ ﮂ ﮃ ﮄ ﮅ ﮆ ﮇ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊ ﮋ
O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
— Yusuf Ali
This means that instead of making false accusations about people you don't know or just assuming things, we are supposed to know about other people.
When people don't know they can ask or find out correct information and not just assume things.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Beware of negative assumption, for negative assumption is the falsest of speech." [Bukhari and Muslim].
Therefore, we can see that Islam actually encourages us from the Quran and other sources to get on with one another.
We should avoid negative stereotypes and ideas and deal with people as they are. (not how we think of others claims them to be.)
Allah made us different to know each other and not to hate one another.
However, to get on, we should emphasise our similarities rather than differences.
There are people in Europe, America, and Russia who marry with other cultures and Arabs included.
Do they have problems?
Maybe it depends on the reason for marriage. However, as a woman told me she feels more comfortable with her Arab husband and they have more energy understanding than she had with her previous husband if the same nationality.
Therefore, it seems that the so-called clash of civilisations and the difficulties between the so-called East and West are imaginary problems.
In the past and possibly in the future they are allies to one another and closer than other civilisations and cultures.
In reality, whether from East or West people are from one humanity and one origin and we can get on and understand one another when we decide to do so.
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