The universality of Islam

The universality of the Prophet’s mission

The all-inclusiveness of Islam was clearly visible from the very beginning. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam himself set a noble example of leadership. His followers and his message were truly universal. From amongst the most esteemed of the Prophet's Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam companions was Zaid, a black man who he freed from slavery, adopted as his son and finally put him in command of the Muslim army where he was martyred fighting in Syria. Bilal, a freed Abbysinian slave, was and will always be honoured as the first muazzin in the history of Islam. Among the wives of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was Safiya the daughter of a Jewish chief.

The letters sent by the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam to the kings of his time are unique in the history of religions. These letters provide conclusive proof that Islam recognises no barriers in inviting all of humanity to its creed. From the very first day, Islam extended an inviting hand to every person belonging to every family, tribe and country.

The contribution of the non-Arabs

The universality of Islam becomes manifestly clear when one considers the pivotal role played by many non-Arabs.

A prominent Arab scholar, Ibn Khaldun, expressed surprise over this : "It is a strange historical fact that most of the scholars of religious and intellectual sciences were non-Arabs. If one of them was of Arab lineage, he would be non-Arabic speaking and so too his teachers and tutors. The introducer of Arabic syntax was Sibawayh, followed by Ali Faarsi and then by Al-Zajjaaj, all of who were non-Arabs. Similar is the case of the scholars of Hadith, Usool-ul-Fiqh (principles of jurisprudence), Ilm-ul-Kalaam (theological dialectics) and tafseer (commentary of the Qu'ran)." (1)

Zuhri narrates an interesting conversation that took place between him and Abdul Malik ibn Marwaan, the khaliph of the Muslims :

Abdul Malik : Who was the governor of Makkah when you left Makkah to come here?
Zuhri : Ata ibn Rabaah.
Abdul Malik : Is he an Arab or a slave?
Zuhri : A slave.
Abdul Malik : How did he become the governor of the Arabs?
Zuhri : Due to his piety and knowledge of hadith.
Abdul Malik : Most certainly, only a man of piety and knowledge of hadith should be eligible for leadership. Fine. Who is the governor of Yemen?
Zuhri : Tawoos ibn Kaysaan.
Abdul Malik : Is he an Arab or a slave?
Zuhri : A slave.
Abdul Malik : How did he become the governor of Yemen?
Zuhri : On the same grounds that Ata became governor of the Arabs.
Abdul Malik : Most certainly, only a man of piety and knowledge of hadith like Ata should be eligible for leadership. Fine. Who is the governor of Egypt?
Zuhri : Yazeed ibn Abi Habib.
Abdul Malik : Is he an Arab or a slave?
Zuhri : A slave.
Abdul Malik : How did he become the governor of Egypt?
Zuhri : On the same grounds Ata became governor of the Arabs.
Abdul Malik : Most certainly, only a man of piety and knowledge of hadith like Ata should be eligible for leadership. Fine. Who is the governor of Syria?
Zuhri : Makhool Ad-Damishki.
Abdul Malik : Is he an Arab or a slave?
Zuhri : A slave. And what kind of a slave at that. He is the freed slave of a woman from the Abysinian tribe of Huzail.
Abdul Malik : Who is the governor of Jazira?
Zuhri : Maymoon ibn Mahraan.
Abdul Malik : Is he an Arab or a slave?
Zuhri : A slave.
Abdul Malik : Who is the governor of the Khurasan?
Zuhri : Dahaak ibn Mazaahim.
Abdul Malik : Is he an Arab or a slave?
Zuhri : A slave.
Abdul Malik : Who is the governor of the Basrah?
Zuhri : Hasan Basri.
Abdul Malik : Is he an Arab or a slave?
Zuhri : A slave.
Abdul Malik : Who is the governor of the Kufa?
Zuhri : Ibrahim An-Naga'ee.
Abdul Malik : Is he an Arab or a slave?
Zuhri : An Arab.
Hearing this Abdul Malik expressed his joy saying : "Woe to you, Zuhri! You have now removed my anxiety. By the Oath of Allah, slaves should become leaders over the nobles. Sermons in their name should be delivered from the pulpits and the Arabs should sit below them."
Zuhri replied : "Yes, Ameerul Mumineen. This is the religion of Islam. Whoever preserves it will be the leader. Whoever abuses it will be disgraced." (2)

These incidents prove that Muslims of all nationalities and races enthusiastically participated in Islamic civilization, on equal terms. In this great Islamic civilization Arabs, Egyptians, Turks, Indians, Africans, Romans, Syrians, Moroccans, Persians, Berbers, Kurds, Moors and the Chinese were all united. With mutual co-operation and harmony they all played a vital role in constructing the Islamic community. This marvellous civilization was not for one moment an "Arab civilization". It was a purely "Muslim civilization."

Arabs respected and honoured those non-Arabs who excelled in the religious fields. Imam Muhamed Ibn Ismail al-Bukhari was called by them as ‘Ameerul Mumineen fil hadith’ - the leader of the believers in hadith. Imam Abdul Malik al-Juwayni of Nishaapoor was known as 'Imaam-ul-Haramain' - the leader of the two sacred cities. Imam Muhammed ibn Muhammed al-Ghazali they called 'Hujjatul Islam' - the proof of Islam’.

Unique cases of Universality

An amazing phenomenon unique to the science of hadith transmission exemplified this universality. Students and scholars of Hadith from distant countries belonging to different tribes speaking different languages would sit at the feet of one scholar in order to listen to the words of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Hafiz ibn Salaah was a Syrian scholar of Hadith. If one was present in his discourses one would see scholars from all parts of the Muslim world like Musal, Yemen, Bukhara, Egypt, Moroco, Askalaan, Baghdad, Libya, Isfahan, Damascus, Samarkand, Tunisia, Makkah, etc. (3)

During the glorious era of Muslim rule, a person from any part of the world could freely travel throughout the Muslim state moving from country to country. The Muslim state was one huge centre for trade, travel and knowledge. Ibn Batuta, a Muslim explorer, travelled the Muslim world for thirty years. He was born in Tangier, Morocco in 703 H. At the age of 22, he set out to perform the pilgrimage and visit the holy lands of Makkah and Madinah. From there he went to Iraq learning the Persian and Turkish languages enroute. At Baghdad he met with the Sultan of the two Iraqs and Khurasan. After staying for a year in Makkah, performing his third pilgrimage and travelling for a while he reached India in 734 H. Here Sultan Ahmad Shah made him a judge. During this time the Indian Sultan sent him as an ambassador to China. He finally settled in Fez at the age of 53. Here by the order of Sultan Abu Inan he dictated the fascinating experiences of his long travelling career to Ibn Juza'i, a Spanish theologian. He died in the year 775H at over 70 years of age. (4)

People like these and countless other Muslim scholars travelled throughout the Muslim world in search of knowledge. Indeed, this openness and universality was one of the factors that led to the success of Islam as a faith. The Muslims were prepared to tolerate the views and practices stemming from foreign cultural groups provided these did not contradict with the teachings of Islam. Where other systems were extremely rigid the flexibility of Islam won many adherents.

The question we need to pose is : which of the divine religions had a universal character which invited all to its teachings? It could not have been the Jews because the Hebrew prophets never preached their faith to non-Israelites. The Jews always regarded themselves as 'the chosen people'. Jesus Christ also denied that he had been sent to any people except 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' Vedas were, likewise, not to be heard by non-Aryans. Molten zinc was to be poured into the ears of unclean Sudras if they happened to hear the sacred Vedas. It was, indeed, Islam that invited one and all to its teachings.

Testimony of a non-Muslim

Arnold J. Toynbee, in Civilization on Trial, London, 1957, pp. 87, 88, 205-209 :

“The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding moral achievements of Islam, and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue.”