Is Islam a Religion for Arabs Only?
AboutIslam
God is the God Of All The Worlds
Islam is the universal religion addressing all mankind.
The meaning of Islam is actually the unconditional and peaceful submission to the One and Only God, Who is the Creator of existence.
When God refers to Himself in the Quran, He does not limit His divinity to a certain category or sect of humanity.
On the contrary, He declares Himself to be God of all beings and worlds:
Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds
(Quran 1:2)
He never defines himself as the God of all Arabs or even the God of all Muslims only, but He is God of all things, including all mankind
God is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs.
(Quran 39:62 )
On the other hand, Islam regards any person who submits to the Creator and who calls to this submission as a true Muslim.
Prophets Came from All Over the World
According to the Quran, all prophets who called to the idea of submitting to God, throughout the history of humanity, are true Muslims:
Say: “We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to God do we bow our will (in Islam).”
(Quran 3:84)
Prophets and messengers sent by God to call mankind to Islam were not mostly Arabs, but they were from different nations, backgrounds and races.
Among the Arab ones were Prophet Salih and Messenger Muhammad, the last of all prophets (peace be upon them all).
Muhammad: A Blessing to All Mankind
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is considered God’s final messenger to all mankind, not to Arabs or people of the Prophet’s time only.
God has declared this repetitively and explicitly in the Quran, when He addressed or mentioned Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):
We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.
(Quran 21:107)
Say: “O mankind! I am sent unto you all, as the Apostle of God, to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in God and His Apostle, the Unlettered Prophet, who believes in God and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided.”
(Quran 7:158)
Islam Teaches All People Are Equal
I would also like to add that since Islam is God’s last universal message to all His servants, conveyed through His final messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), its principles strongly support the concept of equality between all mankind.
Islam emphasizes that the criterion that ranks one person higher than another is never his race, color, kind, nationality or wealth, but rather, it is his devotion, piety, and strength of faith.
For Allah, there is no distinction between an Arab and a non-Arab except according to the piety of the believer. In addition, the Quran also confirms this principle:
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 God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
(Quran 49:13)
This principle was always fulfilled and proved throughout the history of Islam.
Important Non-Arabs In Islam’s History
Numerous non-Arab figures played fundamental roles in supporting the foundation of the Islamic civilization throughout its history.
Worth mentioning are the great companions of the Prophet like Salman the Persian, Sohaib the Roman and Bilal the African, along with others.
Those great companions played fundamental roles in spreading Islam when it was still in its early ages.
They were also known to be of great devotion and piety among the companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Later, in the history of the Islamic civilization, among the greatest scholars specialized in the different disciplines of Islamic studies, were many non-Arab figures.
Among the numerous great Islamic empires, there were many non-Arab rulers. An important example is the Ottoman Empire.
It was a powerful Muslim Turkish empire, that dominated the Muslim world since the mid of the 16th century till the beginning of the 20th century.
The bond between the individuals of the Muslim nation is not based on their race, but rather, it is their sincere belief and submission to the One and Only God.
Arabs: Only 20% Of All Muslims
Yes, it is a fact that Arabs played a major role in the history of Islam, especially in its early ages, for they served as a means for communicating this great religion to all mankind.
This is due to more than one reason, among which is that God’s final messenger was an Arab.
If he was not so, and if he was from any other race, his people would have played the same role carried out by the Arabs.
Actually, statistics prove that Islam has spread enormously among non-Arabs and that Arabs make up only 20% of the Muslim nation today.
To conclude, what I am trying to clarify is that Islam is the final message from our Beloved Great Creator, calling upon all mankind to submit peacefully to Him and to His divine doctrine.
It is the divine message that teaches equality between mankind and that God judges any person only according to his honest sincerity and nothing else.
Why Did Muhammad Only Spread Islam to Arabs?
AboutIslam
Muhammad: Prophet for All, Citizen of Arabia
It would be equally incorrect to claim that God sent Muhammad, peace be upon him, only to the Arabs. Muhammad is in fact the only prophet who claimed to be sent to all of mankind.
When we consider the time and place in which Muhammad lived (peace and blessings be upon him), it is really quite amazing.
In all his 63 years on this earth, Muhammad never travelled outside of the Arabian peninsula.
Travel in those time was not easy compared to today. The distance we can travel in a day on an airplane today, would have been unthinkable back then.
The world was not as densely populated as it is now, so to set out to preach to the world would have taken many lifetimes of just one man.
The entire world was in need of Islam, as it is today, but to expect him to spend his life traveling would not be realistic.
Having said that, scholars have reflected on possible reasons that Islam was revived amongst the Arabs of Muhammad’s time.
Islam is Universal
I say “revived” because Muslims believe that the core message of all prophets to their peoples was, “There is only one God, worship Him alone”.
All prophets warned against the following of one’s desires, lying, stealing, murder, etc, and all of them warned their people of the Day of Judgment, peace be upon all of God’s servants and messengers.
Muslims also believe that God sent a messenger to every nation on earth at least once in their history.
Some nations were blessed more than others, as were the Children of Israel, but in God’s infinite mercy, no nation was left to stray except when they refused His Guidance.
When we look at the religious beliefs of even the most primitive cultures and societies, we see some common threads that cannot be explained by nations trading or visiting each other.
Many cultures were very isolated from the rest of the world for centuries, yet there are common attitudes and beliefs around the roles of women and men, family structures, major and minor crimes, etc.
Allah says:
And for every community (or nation), there is a Messenger; when their Messenger comes, the matter will be judged between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.
(Quran 10:47)
Also,
And verily, We have sent among every community (or nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): “Worship God (Alone), and avoid evil.” Then of them were some whom God guided and of them were some upon whom straying was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied (the truth).
(Quran 16:36)
But why Arabia?
One reason might be that the Arabian peninsula is literally the cross-roads of the world. It connects Europe, Africa and Asia through trade and conquest.
It effectively enabled news of any new religion to be easily and quickly transmitted to the furthest corners of the known world.
The first house of God built on earth was in Mecca and built by our father Adam, peace be upon him. Abraham, peace be upon him, rebuilt it with his son Ishmael’s help long after the flood of prophet Noah’s time erased it’s location.
Islam connects all of God’s messengers from first to last in a part of the world that is very important strategically, economically, and spiritually.
The Arabs also had many qualities that made them well suited to be the best ambassadors of Islam. They were known for their bravery, generosity, loyalty, and perhaps above all, their language.
The importance of the Arabic language in transmitting God’s message cannot be overstated:
Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds. With it came down the Spirit of Faith and Truth. To thy heart and mind, that you might admonish. In the unambiguous Arabic tongue. Without doubt it is (announced) in the revealed Books of former peoples. Is it not a Sign to them that the learned of the Children of Israel knew it (as true)? Had We revealed it to any of the non-Arabs: And had he recited it to them, they would not have believed in it. Thus have We caused it to enter the hearts of the Sinners.
(Quran 26: 192-200)
The Arabic language is an “ocean”, and therefore the best medium for transmitting God’s message in as simple, and yet extremely deep way, as possible.
