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In the wake of the tragic death of #GeorgeLloyd, the first case of racism was uncovered in the Quran and happened even before Adam's delegation to Earth.
Before we dive in, there is a background story we need to cover first. Unlike most perceptions, Adam and Eve was brought to Earth not as a punishment / banishment but as a delegation. That is why in Islam, humankind are also named as Khalifah or by linguistic meaning, successor
So by design, God has created Earth for humankind to take care of. Not as a punishment, but as a delegation. This is important to note.
In the Surah Al Baqarah, it is mentioned that God had created Adam and chosen him as a khalifah for Earth that his prior creations to obey and prostrate to Him. All of the angels bowed, except one of His creation, a jinn made out of fire named Iblees
Prior to prostration, the angels, who are created by God out of noor or light, has doubted this decision and needed to re-confirm, something like "are you sure you choose this human? He will shed blood on Earth!" but then God answered the following
Al-Baqarah (2:30)
Al-Baqarah (2:30)
However, particular jinn named Iblees, created out of fire, responded quite peculiarly. Saying "you want me to obey to him?? But he's made out of clay!". This is where it is rooted, prejudice.
Al-Isra (17:51)
Al-Isra (17:51)
Then of course this Iblees, unlike the angels, refused to follow through to prostrate and instead made it his life mission to prove that humans will bring destruction.
It is significantly important that Iblees' first reasoning was that he thought humans were undeserving simply on the basis of "I'm made with fire, Adam's made out of clay, and you choose him instead of me?" or "I deserve this more because I am a superior breed."
Discrimination is the root cause. The thought of someone deserving certain privilege / treatment based on their race, religion, orientation, gender and among many other things. Sometimes we project it to others, but we also tend to project it to ourselves.
That's the story. The first racial discrimination in the universe.
Want to close this thread with this verse showing how Quran acknowledged diversity of different races and languages, and defined it as a sign of greatness of God
Ar Rum (30:22)
Want to close this thread with this verse showing how Quran acknowledged diversity of different races and languages, and defined it as a sign of greatness of God
Ar Rum (30:22)
So, the next time you have a prejudicial thought on someone or yourself, remember this.
