Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/221)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

With this established, we may say:

If one man is non-Arab and another is Arab, then although we say in general terms that Arabs as a whole are superior, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, as reported by Abū Dāwūd and others:

“An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, nor a white person over a black person, nor a black person over a white person, except through piety. Humanity descends from Adam, and Adam came from dust.” (1)

He also said:

“Allah has rid you of the arrogance of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance and its pride in ancestry. People are of two kinds: a pious believer and a wicked, wretched man.” (2)

Thus, if one man comes from among the various Arab [and non-Arab] groups (3), and another is from Quraysh, the two (4) stand before Allah according to their piety. If they are equal in piety, they are equal in rank before Allah; if they differ in piety, they differ in rank. Likewise, if one man is from Banū Hāshim and another is from the rest of the people, whether Arab (5) or non-Arab, the better of the two before Allah is the more pious. If they are equal in piety, they are equal in rank. Neither enjoys superiority before Allah—neither (6) on account of his father, nor his son, nor his wife, nor his paternal uncle, nor his brother.

(1) This hadith was cited earlier, 4/606. (2) This hadith was cited earlier, 1/521. (3) Wa-l-ʿajam (“and non-Arabs”) is an addition in M. (4) N, M, S: fa-hum (“so they,” plural). (5) N, S, B: wa-rajulun min afnāʾ Quraysh aw al-ʿArab (“and a man from among the various groups of Quraysh or the Arabs”). This reading is erroneous. (6) Lā (“not”) is omitted in S and B.

وَإِذَا تَبَيَّنَ هَذَا فَيُقَالُ: إِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ أَعْجَمِيًّا، وَالْآخَرُ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ، فَنَحْنُ وَإِنْ كُنَّا نَقُولُ مُجْمَلًا: إِنَّ الْعَرَبَ أَفْضَلُ جُمْلَةً، فَقَدْ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِيمَا رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَغَيْرُهُ: " «لَا فَضْلَ لِعَرَبِيٍّ عَلَى عَجَمِيٍّ، وَلَا لِعَجَمِيٍّ عَلَى عَرَبِيٍّ، وَلَا لِأَبْيَضَ عَلَى أَسْوَدَ، وَلَا لِأَسْوَدَ عَلَى أَبْيَضَ، إِلَّا بِالتَّقْوَى. النَّاسُ مِنْ آدَمَ، وَآدَمُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ» " (١) . وَقَالَ: " «إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَذْهَبَ عَنْكُمْ عُبِّيَّةَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَفَخْرَهَا بِالْآبَاءِ. النَّاسُ رَجُلَانِ: مُؤْمِنٌ تَقِيٌّ، وَفَاجِرٌ شَقِيٌّ» " (٢) . وَلِذَلِكَ إِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ أَفْنَاءِ الْعَرَبِ [وَالْعَجَمِ] (٣) ، وَآخَرُ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، فَهُمَا (٤) عِنْدَ اللَّهِ بِحَسَبِ تَقْوَاهُمَا: إِنْ تَمَاثَلَا فِيهَا تَمَاثَلَا فِي الدَّرَجَةِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ، وَإِنْ تَفَاضَلَا فِيهَا تَفَاضَلَا فِي الدَّرَجَةِ. وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ، وَرَجُلٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ أَوِ الْعَرَبِ (٥) أَوِ الْعَجَمِ، فَأَفْضَلُهُمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاهُمَا، فَإِنْ تَمَاثَلَا فِي التَّقْوَى تَمَاثَلَا فِي الدَّرَجَةِ، وَلَا يَفْضُلُ أَحَدُهُمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ لَا (٦) بِأَبِيهِ وَلَا ابْنِهِ، وَلَا بِزَوْجَتِهِ، وَلَا بِعَمِّهِ، وَلَا بِأَخِيهِ.

(١) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ٤/٦٠٦ (٢) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ١/٥٢١ (٣) وَالْعَجَمِ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (م) (٤) ن، م، س: فَهُمْ (٥) ن، س، ب: وَرَجُلٌ مِنْ أَفْنَاءِ قُرَيْشٍ أَوِ الْعَرَبِ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٦) لَا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (س) ، (ب) .