Slavery is a well known part of American history, however, very little is ever mentioned about who these slaves were. It often surprises many that a significant number of slaves who were brought to the “New World” self-identified as Muslims. What is interesting is that many accounts show that African slaves were strategically taken from different parts of Africa and different tribes so that they could not speak to one another and plan revolts or escape. However, where many white colonists believed that these Africans to be different, it turns out many shared the common religion of Islam and therefore many were able to communicate or use Arabic as common ground. Muslim slaves were able to preserve their liturgical language both through writing (where applicable) and through oral recitation and passing on of the religion to descendants. Many slave owners fervently opposed this and required their slaves to convert to Christianity, take on Christian names or attend Christian religious services. A slave’s ability to read and write in another language (and foreign script) was seen as a threat to the power of a slave owner.
While it was dangerous for Muslims to openly practice Islam, many kept it within the home and had secret group worship. Many were forced to convert to Christianity and others falsely “converted” to adhere to rules and laws established in the colonies. Others chose to defy those orders and publicly practiced Islam such as in the islands of Georgia and in the Caribbean. Although some Muslim slaves were forced to convert through physical force and abuse they did not easily renounce their religion and fought hard to continue following their faith including the fundamentals of Islam. Their strong religious beliefs led them to refuse conversion to Catholicism or Protestantism. In cases of absolute necessity, they would outwardly convert.
Looking at this history of the treatment of the Islam and the Arabic language in colonial America, the derogatory view of these central aspects to Muslim and African slave identity remain in line with much of today’s views of Arabic/Muslims in America. There is still an irrational fear of Arabic, both in reading and writing where several recent cases involve whole interruptions of airline flights because of phone calls in Arabic or even students holding Arabic flashcards (to name a few).
According to the traditions and teachings of Islam, each Muslim is obligated to pray five times a day, fast the month of Ramadan, perform pilgrimage, and give charity. How could Muslim slaves be able to stay true to their beliefs while being coerced to change their name and to eat pork? The many stories of slaves remaining steadfast in the preservation of their faith in the most excruciating of circumstances are remarkable. Some slaves, such as the famous Kunta Kinte never allowed his master to gain power over him and refused to change his name. As he was being lashed his master would ask him repeatedly what was his name, every time he answered, “Kunta Kinte.” Some slaves such as Ayuba Suleiman Diallo was forced to change his name to Job ben Soloman. Diallo put his faith in Allah and when found in a dangerous situation he would recite the Islamic testimony of faith (shahada). Diallo would also leave his post with the cattle to go pray in the woods. It was due to education and his faith in Islam that saved him and freed him from his bondage. Although most of the praying was in private there were instances of slaves praying the five prayers in public. Some Muslims were even able to hold prayer groups, specifically on Fridays, which is quite remarkable.
A former slave by the name of Muhammad Yarrow has a remarkable story that remain unknown to many. Because he was able to read and write in Arabic, historians believe he came from a wealthy Muslim family in West Africa. He was enslaved and brought to Maryland where he served as a slave for 44 years before winning his freedom. He purchased 3324 Dent Pl. NW and became a financer who lent funds to merchants. He also owned stock in the Columbia Bank of Georgetown. Many slaves had the Quran already memorized, which helped them keep the Arabic language by reciting it and/or writing it. This helped them cope with the unimaginable pains of slavery. They used their knowledge of Arabic to communicate with each other, write things down for their masters, some were even able to write to their families back at home. For example Omar Ibn Said who was an Islamic scholar who was taken to become a slave in America. Omar Said wrote a chapter in the Quran about victory, while his master believed he was translating a Lord’s Prayer. Omar was able to keep his faith despite the difficult circumstances he was in.
To say that the slaves simply practiced Islamic rituals is an understatement, it is more accurate to say that they breathed Islam. Islam was their source of inspiration, hope, and consultation in the most trying of moments. These are the unknown and unsung heroes of American and Islamic history. Many slaves will never be known, remembered, or celebrated. But in this month when we reflect on black history, we send a prayer on their souls. May they be in a place of everlasting freedom, happiness, and bliss. May their pain and suffering in this world be replaced with joy and elation in the hereafter.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in Arabia at a time of intense tribalism and classism. Groups were very much divided and showed loyalty to their own clans and class, even if that meant overlooking great faults in their comrades. With the revelation of Islam, however, this notion was challenged as God revealed moral obligations that went against the norms of the time. Women, children, and the needy were given rights they never had before.
Throughout his life, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) worked toward ridding society of this tribal behaviors. He raised up people of all colors. Most notably, his famous African companion Bilal Ibn Rabah became the go-to person to make the call to prayer for all the Muslims in the land. He was a very beloved and close friend of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Additionally, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would help to free slaves and settle them with spouses of noble status to ensure their well-being.
In his oft-quoted final sermon, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advises his companions and all the Muslims who were to come until the end of time. In a very famous excerpt, he addresses the issue of racism, saying:
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, 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 a white – except by piety and good action.”
In Islam, the value of a person lies in their character and action. If a person is pious and performs good works sincerely, they are the ones at the top of the totem pole. Their rank has nothing to do with the color of their skin or the language that they speak or the country they come from. This is what the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised to his nation soon before he passed.
This message of equality and emphasis on righteous action is echoed in the Quran. Allah states:
“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted” (Q. 49:13).
In this verse, we see an acknowledgement of different types of people hailing from different lands and tribes. However, despite our differences, we all came from Adam and Eve. The physical characteristics that make us unique, the borders of our countries that split us up, the backgrounds of our ancestors that define our identity are all interesting elements of who we are—and instead of letting the differences divide us, the Quran says we ought to celebrate them. At the end of the verse, again, the concept of righteousness is highly emphasized. While our physical characteristics and backgrounds do not make us better or worse than others, our actions do indeed weigh heavily in the sight of God.
A lot of times, this Islamic view of diversity in people is easy to quote. While Islam is perfect, Muslims are not. Racism does unfortunately exist within the Muslim community, and we must do what we can to banish it from our gatherings. When the racist mindsets are given the boot, we see a beauty and change of heart in people that is just what the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) set out to achieve.
Take the example of Malcolm X. When he first became Muslim, he still harbored many anti-White ideas in his mind. When he made the pilgrimage to Makkah, however, he realized there was a much better way to tackle the race relations issues in America. He wrote in a letter back in the 1960s about his pilgrimage.
“During the past seven days of this holy pilgrimage, while undergoing the rituals of the hajj [pilgrimage], I have eaten from the same plate, drank from the same glass, slept on the same bed or rug, while praying to the same God—not only with some of this earth’s most powerful kings, cabinet members, potentates and other forms of political and religious rulers—but also with fellow‐Muslims whose skin was the whitest of white, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, and whose hair was the blondest of blond—yet it was the first time in my life that I didn’t see them as ‘white’ men.”
This kind of intermingling was unheard of for Malcolm X in the United States. He was surprised at how he could sit next to these people of varying skin tones and they next to him without any feelings of superiority take hold due to race. He continues,
“Their sincere submission to the Oneness of God, and their true acceptance of all nonwhites as equals makes the so‐called ‘whites’ also acceptable as equals into the brotherhood of Islam with the ‘nonwhites.’ Color ceases to be a determining factor of a man’s worth or value once he becomes a Muslim. I hope I am making this part very clear, because it is now very clear to me.”
The conclusion Malcolm X came to after his hajj is the same one the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) conveyed to Muslims years ago. It is the same message that lives in the pages of the Quran. It is the same dream Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had for America’s future—that people are not to be judged by the color of their skin, but rather the content of their character. It is clear today America is still working on fulfilling this dream, but it is our hope one day soon we will be able to see it come true.
The Qur’ān was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him at a time when racism was rampant. The Arabs considered themselves to be superior to the non-Arabs. The wealthy considered themselves superior to the poor, and the masters considered themselves superior to their slaves. When one reads the Qur’ān they will immediately notice that it seeks to do away with racism. It reminds humans that God created us all different for a reason, that we may know each other. Racism is not only interracial, but it is also intraracial. Meaning, that one can even find racism within certain ethnicities and races. If all humans were identical, we would not be able to tell each other apart. Further, diversity is a blessing. If we all ate looked, dressed, ate, and spoke in an identical manner life would be quite boring.
The Qur’ān highlights the importance of human diversity: O mankind, We have created you male and female, and appointed you races and tribes, that you may know one another. Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most God-fearing of you. God is All-knowing, All-aware (Qur’ān 49:13). The Qur’ān highlights the importance and necessity of racial diversity and it is to be celebrated. Racism is indeed superficial because under our very thin layer of skin, we are all the same. We are all made up of the same meat, blood, and bones. When we die, we all end up the same, as dust.
The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him reiterated this message in his final sermon. This was his farewell sermon where he addressed the Muslim community at large one last time before the end of his life. He said:
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, 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 a white – except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer your deeds. So, beware: do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.
During his lifetime, some of the wealthy Arabs were considering becoming Muslim. However, they said they would only come to learn about Islam under the condition that they have their own sessions which did not have any poor or slaves in attendance. The Prophet peace be upon him contemplated this out of desire that they might accept his message. However, Allah revealed a verse which rejected any such conditions and reminded the Prophet peace be upon him to stick with those who only seek God, even if they are poor.
And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect. And say, “The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve (Qur’ān 18:28-29).
These verses show that Islam will not compromise of its teachings of equality among all people. The verses rebuke the idea that there should be a distinction between the wealthy and poor, or the black and the white. Rather, they clearly state that this, Islam and equality of all people, is the truth from God. Whoever wants to accept it as is, is free to do so, and whoever wishes to reject it may also do so.
However, Islam takes this concept of equality even further. It is not limited to theory, but equality is embedded in the rituals of Islam. When Muslims perform their five daily prayers in congregation, everyone stands together in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder. There is no distinction or special place for anyone to stand based on any kind of status. Pilgrimage is perhaps the greatest ritual which instills the teaching that all humans are equal. Everyone wears two pieces of white cloth, and there are millions of people there from all walks of life who are identical before God. They have nothing but two pieces of white cloth on them which reminds them of their humanity. The black and the white are equal, the poor finally feels a sense of equality with the rich, and the servant feels equal to the king. They all stand before God with nothing but their humanity.
This is what changed Malcolm X from calling the white man the devil, to believing that all people are equal. I end with a quote from his letter from Mecca:
During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug)–while praying to the same God–with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions in the deeds of the ‘white’ Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan, and Ghana.
We were truly all the same (brothers)–because their belief in one God had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behavior, and the white from their attitude.
