Wan Auni Farhan, Salsabilla Wan Aidi, Aiman Muhaimin Wan Aidi Surah Ar-Rum, Verse 22 أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْعَالِمِينَ ﴿١٢﴾ Translation: ‘And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge (12)’ Asalaamu Alaikum Quran Weekly, We’re on the 21st juz. I’m sharing with you an ayah from Surah al-Rūm, the 30th surah. This is the 22nd ayah of that surah. Allah says something very powerful that has many implications for us as Muslims living in a diverse society or wherever we are in the world. Allah says, ‘Of His miraculous signs is the creation of the skies and the Earth’. When Allah calls something His sign, it means it has to be revered and appreciated because it guides back to Him. Anything that guides back to Him should be acknowledged and respected. All the Qur’an is, is ayat of Allah, ‘مِنْ آيَاتِهِ’ (Min ‘Āyātihi)– what I am reading to you are His ayat also. So his ayat deserve respect because they lead us back to Him. The ayat of creation, the skies and the Earth, they are revered creations of Allah. We honor the creation of Allah because it takes us closer to Allah. Now, Allah says of those signs, ‘وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ’ (Wa Akhtilāfu ‘Alsinatikum) – ‘is the differences of your tongues.’ The different languages, different cultures, the diversity on the Earth is actually a sign of Allah. It is a proof of Allah, it is a miracle of Allah. That Allah عز وجل created us from one human being, from one man and one female ‘خَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً ۚ’ (Khalaqa Minhā Zawjahā Wa Baththa Minhumā Rijālāan Kathīrāan Wa Nisā’an) – ‘He created you from the single person and then from him, the spouse, and then created so many of you.’ Here He says so many of you became so many different languages. Adam عليه السلام (alayhis salaam) was taught ‘الأسماء’ (Al-’Asmā)– the words. That must have been one language. So all languages in the world are the children of the language of Adam عليه السلام (alayhis salaam). All these different languages are variations further and further variations of the original language taught to Adam عليه السلام (alayhis salaam). People that speak a language different than yours are not to be made fun of, they are supposed to be respected. What is coming out of their mouth is actually something tied directly to revelation. So you might think somebody who is speaking Cantonese, somebody who is speaking Bangla, somebody speaking Punjabi, somebody speaking English, somebody speaking French they sound weird, they sound funny. As a matter of fact, all of it should be respected because it is from the ayat of Allah. Allah says different languages are His ayat. So English is an ayah of Allah. French is an ayah of Allah. Punjabi is an ayah of Allah. SubhanAllah, these different tongues, these different languages are ayat of Allah, are signs of God. And then He adds ‘وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ’ (Wa ‘Alwānikum) – your colors. Different colored skin is a sign of God. There are different ethnicities in the world. From the Muslim perspective, from the Qur’anic perspective, we are supposed to have respect for different races just because Allah called races themselves, different colors of skin themselves, a divine sign. A sign of Himself; a reminder of Himself. When people look at the color of skin and consider someone inferior or superior or a hated race or a loved race then that itself is a denial of the ayat of Allah. Read all the places in the Qur’an where Allah says, ‘those who disbelieve in our ayat, those who disregard our ayat, those who don’t care about our ayat, those who lie against our ayat, those who don’t consider our ayat’, then this is the ayat too. A person’s skin is an ayah too. When you don’t respect a person who has different skin than you then you are disregarding an ayah of Allah. What a powerful teaching of the Qur’an. What a powerful way to combat racism. How can you call yourself a Muslim when you have racist tendencies? How can you do that? ‘إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ’ (‘Inna Fī Dhālika La’āyātin) – in that there are many, many, many miracles, many signs, many teachings, many paths to guidance for people who actually know. ‘لِّلْعَالِمِينَ’ (Lil`ālimīna) – so what are we learning? People who are racist and still call themselves Muslims can’t possibly be knowledgeable because people who have knowledge, will take the lessons from this. They will learn from this. May Allah remove racism and prejudice and the disregard for other cultures away from our hearts because a disregard of that is in fact, disregard of the ayat of Allah. And may Allah make us of those that everyone of His ayat bring us closer to Him and a disregard of them never happens in our hearts. That we never, ever, ever overlook something that Allah made that we can come closer and closer to Him.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 18:21:10 +0000
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