# Ep. 36: I'm Not A Racist, But... | Road To Return **Author:** Yahya Ibrahim **Series:** Road to Return | How to Come Back from Sin **Published:** 2021-09-02 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/bA2v2mqyxV0 **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-36-im-not-a-racist-but-road-to-return **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description Racism, tribalism, ethnocentrism. The Prophet ﷺ said emphatically that these constructs are the height of jahiliyyah—unIslamic ignorance. Sh. Yahya Ibrahim reminds us that racism is not of Islam, and should be removed from the hearts of every believer. ## Transcript **[0:00]** I'm not a racist, but you're about to enter into transgression against Allah and the Messenger Muhammad. **[0:22]** It's a sad reality that there are many Muslims, many Muslim communities, many Muslim ethnicities that are racially hostile towards others, not just Muslims, but others in general. But even more despicable is that they have a racist attitude towards other Muslims who **[0:39]** come from a different ethnicity, a different background, a different cultural experience, a different skin color. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la remove this Jahiliyyah, this ignorance from the heart, which is a transgression against the Ummah, the way of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam **[0:56]** and the dictates and the teachings that were sent to us in the Qur'an. Bilal radiAllahu Anhu is a person who is valued in our tradition and community today. But you can almost assume that there are some people and some families that if they did not know it was Bilal from a distance, they would look at him with a bit of putting him **[1:17]** down, of not esteeming him at a social level equal to them on account of his beautiful dark colored skin, which is not a virtue for him, but should never be a debasement for him. As a part of our ideals as Muslims is that we do not see skin color or physical makeup **[1:36]** as being something that can noble you or as something that should ever humiliate you or debase you. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said Allah created us all equal the way the equality of the teeth of a comb. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam stood up on his final Hajj and he said, La Fadla **[1:54]** Li Arabiyyin Ala A'jameen. There is no virtue of an Arab over a non Arab. Wala Abyad Ala Aswad. Or a white man over a dark skinned man or a dark skinned man over a white man. All of that is under my foot, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. **[2:09]** All of that is a way of Jahiliyyah and of ignorance of the days of the past. And it's as if the Prophet knew that this would be a danger for mankind into the future, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. You cannot say I'm not a racist, but when you continue with but and you begin to look **[2:27]** at other people's cultural experience and if you define racism in its very simple terms that you judge a person's physical features as being reason for their ethical and behavioral decisions. That you look at a person and say by how they look, this is probably how they act, what **[2:45]** they believe and how they're going to be without knowing the individual at all. It is a prejudice, stereotyping that has no place in our hearts as Muslims towards Muslims or non Muslims of any ethnicity, any racial color, any background and any religious practice. **[3:04]** May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la remove the Jahiliyyah that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, Take this, you know, tribalism, ethnic belief out of your heart and cast it aside, throw it away for it is Jahiliyyah. **[3:21]** It is a stinking rotten piece of human behavior and history. May Allah protect us from it and may Allah never allow you to confuse right from wrong except in the valuing of people in accordance to their own particular actions, **[3:37]** illa bi-taqwa, on account of a person's consciousness and dealings with God and others in society. Allahuma Ameen. ## Other Episodes in "Road to Return | How to Come Back from Sin" - [Ep. 40: Fake News | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-40-fake-news-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 39: It's Just a Joke | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-39-its-just-a-joke-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 38: Friday Prayer Is Not Practical | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-38-friday-prayer-is-not-practical-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 37: What Happens Online Stays Online | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-37-what-happens-online-stays-online-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 35: I Will Never Forgive Them | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-35-i-will-never-forgive-them-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 34: Isn't Zakat Like Sadaqah? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-34-isnt-zakat-like-sadaqah-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 33: The Most Important Thing is Love | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-33-the-most-important-thing-is-love-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 32: Everyone is Doing It | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-32-everyone-is-doing-it-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 31: It’s Just a Video | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-31-its-just-a-video-road-to-return.md) - [Ep: 30 Always Put Yourself First | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-30-always-put-yourself-first-road-to-return.md) - [Ep 29: Marijuana is Not a Drug | Road To Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-29-marijuana-is-not-a-drug-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 28: God Knows my Intention | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-28-god-knows-my-intention-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 27: I Do Pray...Just Not Often | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-27-i-do-pray-just-not-often-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 26: Did You Hear? 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| Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-5-are-all-sins-equal-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 4: What Are Sins? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-4-what-are-sins-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 3: Content with God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-3-content-with-god-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 2: Finding Peace | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-2-finding-peace-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 1: Submitting to God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-1-submitting-to-god-road-to-return.md) - [Trailer: Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/road-to-return-trailer.md)