The summary of the social teachings of civilized societies and of all divine religions, if expressed in a single word, is Humanity.
And the foundation of humanity rests upon two great principles:
- Equality
- Respect for Humanity
These are the golden principles that can transform society into a cradle of peace and tranquility, justice and fairness, happiness and prosperity.
If the elimination of discrimination, racial and class prejudice, and exploitation among human beings is the goal, then equality and respect for humanity are the fundamental elements to achieve it.
When the Noble Prophet ﷺ began to imprint the marks of Islam upon human society, the world at that time was immersed in oppression, ignorance, class divisions, and racial pride.
During that turbulent era, one group of people considered themselves superior and racially elevated, while regarding the rest of humanity as inferior and contemptible.
Because of this belief in racial superiority, a dreadful and unending cycle of injustice and oppression against humanity was in motion.
At that very moment, the sands of Arabia echoed with the voice of Islam:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا، إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
(Al-Ḥujurāt: 13)
“O mankind! We created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may recognize one another. Indeed, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-conscious among you.”
This declaration was, in fact, a Divine proclamation that in the sight of the Creator of mankind there is no superiority based on color, race, language, homeland, or wealth. The true standard of virtue is piety and righteousness.
Whether a subject or a ruler, black or white, non-Arab or Arab—in the eyes of the Real Sovereign, all are equal.
The Noble Prophet ﷺ proclaimed the same truth at the occasion of his Farewell Pilgrimage with these words:
يا أيُّها الناسُ إنَّ ربَّكمْ واحِدٌ ألا لا فضلَ لِعربِيٍّ على عجَمِيٍّ ولا لِعجَمِيٍّ على عربيٍّ ولا لأحمرَ على أسْودَ ولا لأسودَ على أحمرَ إلَّا بالتَّقوَى إنَّ أكرَمكمْ عند اللهِ أتْقاكُمْ
(Shuʿab al-Īmān, al-Bayhaqī)
“O people! Your Lord is One. No Arab has superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab; no white over a black, nor a black over a white. The only standard of superiority is piety. The most honorable among you is the one with the most God-consciousness.”
Equality and Respect: Inseparable Principles
Equality cannot manifest in its true essence unless respect for humanity becomes an essential component of society.
No matter what religion, race, or ideology a person belongs to, his respect is obligatory by virtue of being human.
The Noble Qur’an has equated the sanctity of one human life with that of all humanity. Allah says:
مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا، وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا
(Al-Mā’idah: 32)
“Whoever kills a person—unless it be in retribution for murder or spreading corruption in the land—it is as though he has killed all of humanity. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he has saved all of humanity.”
Islam, without discrimination of religion or community, has established the rights of the sick, the weak, the orphan, the poor, children, and the elderly.
On one occasion:
مَرَّت به جَنَازَةٌ، فَقَامَ لَهَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقِيلَ: إِنَّهَا يَهُودِيَّةٌ، فَقَالَ: أَلَيْسَتْ نَفْسًا؟
(al-Bukhārī)
The Noble Prophet ﷺ once saw a funeral procession passing by, and he stood up for it. The Companions (RA) said: “O Messenger of Allah! It was the funeral of a Jew.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Was he not a human being?”
From this question of the Prophet ﷺ, it becomes evident that the dignity of humanity is not dependent on religion or identity—it is inherently worthy of respect.
Contemporary Society and Us
Today’s human being appears to live in an advanced society, yet racial discrimination, religious prejudice, economic injustice, and social exploitation continue to persist.
In some places, black people are considered inferior; in others, minorities are suppressed. In certain societies, women are deprived of their rights to honor and tranquility, while elsewhere, people are demeaned and degraded on the basis of caste and clan.
What is even more astonishing is that in some parts of the world this injustice is regarded as a virtue.
In such circumstances, only Islam’s system of life—founded upon equality—can provide the world with true peace and justice, a system where a person is honored solely by virtue of being a human being.
In Islam, the principles of equality and respect for humanity are not mere theoretical slogans; they are practical realities. No society can truly attain peace, justice, and brotherhood until it adopts these principles in practice.
It is incumbent upon us to embrace these radiant principles of Islam: to honor every human being within society and to make justice widespread. This is the true path to success; this is the pinnacle of humanity.
Business and Professions: Not a Standard of Status
As for professions, in Islam, they have never been considered a criterion for honor or disgrace, nor has caste or community ever been defined or divided on the basis of occupations.
Any profession—if it is lawful, permissible, and founded upon truth and honesty—is honorable, whether small or great.
Allah, the Exalted, encouraged craftsmanship in the Qur’an. He says:
وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ صَنْعَةَ لَبُوسٍ لَّكُمْ لِتُحْصِنَكُم مِّن بَأْسِكُمْ ۖ فَهَلْ أَنتُمْ شَاكِرُونَ
(Al-Anbiyā’: 80)
“And We taught him (Dāwūd) the craft of making armor for you, to protect you in your wars. Will you then be grateful?”
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, it is narrated:
عن المقدام رضی اللہ عنہ عن رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال: ما أکل أحد طعاما قط خیرا من أن یأکل من عمل یدہ وإن نبی اللہ داؤد علیہ السلام کان یأکل من عمل یدہ
The Noble Prophet ﷺ said:
“No one ever consumed food better than that which he earned with the labor of his own hands. Indeed, the Prophet of Allah, Dāwūd (عليه السلام), used to eat from what he earned with his own hands.”
In the same way, the Prophet ﷺ said:
كان زكريا نجاراً
“Zakariyyā (عليه السلام) was a carpenter.”
(Muslim, Musnad Aḥmad, Ibn Mājah)
Abū Hurayrah (RA) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
مَا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ نَبِيًّا إِلَّا رَعَى الْغَنَمَ، فَقَالَ أَصْحَابُهُ وَأَنْتَ؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ، كُنْتُ أَرْعَاهَا عَلَىٰ قَرَارِيطَ لِأَهْلِ مَكَّةَ
(al-Bukhārī)
“Allah did not send any Prophet except that he tended sheep.”
The Companions (RA) asked: “Even you, O Messenger of Allah?”
He ﷺ replied: “Yes, I used to tend them for a few qirāṭs on behalf of the people of Makkah.”
Prophet Ādam (عليه السلام) was engaged in farming,
Prophet Idrīs (عليه السلام) worked as a tailor,
and Prophet Mūsā (عليه السلام) tended sheep.
Our beloved Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ himself adopted the profession of trade.
Thus, any profession—if lawful and permissible—is honorable.
No one is noble or base merely because of their occupation.
As for caste and lineage, Islam has never recognized such divisions, neither on the basis of family nor on the basis of profession.
In Arab society, the system of tribes and clans was prevalent, such as Banu Hashim, Banu Umayyah, Banu Isra’il, and others.
Within the same family, members often pursued different professions.
Sometimes, the father’s occupation differed from that of his children, and there was no stigma attached to any profession.
History bears witness that many eminent scholars openly maintained associations with certain professions.
Imām Ghazālī (رحمة الله عليه) appended “Ghazālī” (meaning weaver/jūlāhā) to his name, as his ancestral profession was weaving cloth.
The scholar of Jarḥ wa Ta‘dīl, Allāmah Shams al-Dīn al-Ẓahabī (رحمة الله عليه), was a goldsmith; “Ẓahabī” literally means “goldsmith.”
Imām Muslim (رحمة الله عليه) was engaged in cloth trade and in the preparation of furs:
و کان رحمه الله بزازا
“He was a cloth merchant.”
The famous Ḥanafī jurist Abū Bakr ibn ‘Alī Ḥaddād al-Yamanī (رحمة الله عليه) identified himself with his ancestral profession, writing “Ḥaddād” (blacksmith) after his name, even though his lineage traces back to Ḥazrat ‘Alī and Fāṭimah (رضي الله عنهما).
Similarly, Imām Abū Bakr al-Jaṣāṣ al-Rāzī (رحمة الله عليه) had the ancestral profession of applying plaster to walls, which is why he was called Jaṣāṣ.
الجصاص: نسبة إلى العمل بالجص وتبييض الجدران، وهو النورة البيضاء. وهذا قد يدل على اشتغاله به. وقد يكون عمله هذا للارتزاق به وكسب معيشته من عمل يده
(Yāqūt al-Ḥamawī, Mu‘jam al-Buldān)
Hamzah ibn Ḥabīb Ziyāt (رحمة الله عليه), born in 80 AH, was a great scholar and reciter of the Qur’an who also lived in the era of the Companions (رضوان الله عليهم). He engaged in the oil trade, which is why the name “Ziyāt” (oil trader) is associated with him.
Trade and Professional Identity Among Scholars
كان يجلب الزيت من العراق إلى حُلْوان ويجلب من حلوان الجوز والجبن إلى الكوفة
(Ma‘rifat al-Qurrā’)
Many eminent scholars did not feel any shame in associating their own or ancestral profession with their names. Some appended Qadūrī (potter) or Dabbāgh (cobbler) to their names, and they did so without hesitation. Among Muslims, no one was ever considered inferior based on profession or family background.
After the call to faith, the primary concern of the Noble Prophet ﷺ was to restore the dignity and self-respect of the oppressed and downtrodden.
However, just as the enemies of Islam tried to link self-created terrorism with the religion to tarnish the system of justice and peace, they also sought to undermine the Islamic concept of equality and respect for humanity, damaging Islam’s image. It is worth noting that some of our own people have sometimes been complicit in these schemes.
Can anyone be inherently base simply because of the family into which they are born?
What fault lies with the one who is born?
Who has the right to consider someone inferior by birth?
Allah the Exalted has honored every human being by virtue of their humanity:
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ
(Al-Isrā’: 70)
“And We have honored the children of Adam.”
It is a separate matter that in society, true excellence is measured by good character, service to humanity, and kind conduct.
The more one serves others, the greater the honor they receive.
However, determining the sincerity of one’s actions—that is, the degree of piety and God-consciousness within someone—is difficult in this world.
Even in this modern technological age, no instrument exists that can measure levels of piety.
Allah the Exalted says:
هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنْشَأَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنْتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ
(An-Najm: 32)
“Allah knows you best, from the moment He created you from the earth and while you were embryos in your mothers’ wombs. Do not declare yourselves righteous; Allah knows best who is truly God-conscious.”
Allāmah Zamakhsharī and Allāmah al-Qurṭubī (رحمهما الله) explain that this verse was revealed when some Muslims were boasting of their prayers, fasts, and pilgrimage, showing that acts of worship alone are not proof of piety.
Piety is a matter of the heart, known best to Allah, the Exalted.
If acts of worship cannot serve as a measure of one’s virtue, how can being born into a particular family determine one’s value?
The Noble Prophet ﷺ said:
بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنَ الشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ، كُلُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ، دَمُهُ، وَمَالُهُ، وَعِرْضُهُ
(Muslim)
“It is sufficient evil for a person to despise his Muslim brother. Every Muslim is forbidden to another Muslim: his blood, his wealth, and his honor.”
Therefore, for the sake of God, do not base any notion of superiority or inferiority, nobility or baseness, on caste or family among Muslims—let it remain only as a matter of identification.
And beware! In the current circumstances of the country, never take any step based on familial or tribal identity that could compromise your Islamic identity.