قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم إن الله خلق آدم من قبضة قبضها من جميع الأرض فجاء بنوا آدم على قدر الأرض جاء منهم الأبيض و الأحمر و الأسود و بين ذلك و السهل و الحزن والخبيث و الطيب
The Messenger of Allāh (Peace and blessing be upon him) said,”Certainly, Allāh created Ādam from a handful taken from the entire earth, thus the children of Ādam come in accordance with the earth, some being white, red, black, and in between…”1
Introduction
We begin in the name of Allāh, Who created the father of mankind from clay and caused his progeny to have different languages, complexions and temperaments. May the best of peace and blessings be upon His beloved, our prophet, who demolished the customs of the Days of Ignorance and called humanity to the justice and mercy of Islām.
Africa is a vast continent and the first contacts it has with Islām are varied. In East Africa, it first appears in the form of refugees when the Companions, may Allāh be pleased with them, sought asylum with the Christian king, Aṣḥamah, may Allah have mercy on him. Islām enters North Africa militarily, dislodging the grip of the Byzantine Empire and cultivating not only a native army that carried Islām into Spain, but cities of knowledge like Qayrawān.
During the trans-Saharan2 trade Muslim scholars and traders would enter bilād al-sūdān (West Africa) and contribute to the peaceful spread of Islām; places like Timbuktu, and Djenné3 would become central points in the transmission and growth of Islām.
When Ibn Baṭūṭah recorded his travelogue he remembered the following good qualities of the people inhabiting West Africa: their diligence in the performance of ṣalāh, especially in jamācah; their wearing beautiful white clothes for jumcah; as well as the care they took with ensuring their children memorized the Qur’ān and not tolerating shortcomings in this regard.4
From the pure spring of this concern and diligence people like Sheikh Aḥmad Bābā, Uthmān Dan Fodio, Abū Bakr, Bilāli Muḥammad, and countless others were nourished and given the strength to raise the banner of Islām for succeeding generations.
In short, people of African descent have a long and illustrious history with Islām but we sometimes forget this. Furthermore, much of that information, indeed, majority of our Islamic heritage, is in Arabic, and despite this the desire to learn the language in order to access that knowledge does not seem to be present. Who can we blame but ourselves?
In the pages that follow, the issue of honor, racial superiority, and the lives of 18 Muslims of African descent will be discussed. This is my attempt to appease some people who have asked me time and again about translating Ibn Jawẓī’s book, Ṭanwīr al-Ghabash, since I cannot seem to find the time to embark on that project, despite the clear need for it, especially in today’s climate.
Majority of the names and sayings of the Companions and pious people of the past, with the exception of a few individuals who were brought to my attention during the writing of this paper or during previous readings of other books, have been taken from the Dār al-Sharīf print of Imām Ibn Jawẓī’s Ṭanwīr al-Ghabash (T) and Imām Suyūtī’s Rafc Sha’n al-Ḥubshān (R) which was edited by Muḥammad cAbd al-Wahhāb Faḍl. This information has been cross referenced in other books which I have listed in the footnotes.
The first book in the footnotes after I mention (T) and/or (R) has an explicit mention of the individual’s African origins, while the books mentioned afterwards may or may not mention it.
Ibn al-Jawẓī:
Imām Abū Al-Faraj cAbdur-Raḥmān ibn cAlī al-Qurashi al-Ḥanbali al-Baghdādī (509/10-597 AH). This great sheikh is a descendant of Abū Bakr, may Allāh be pleased with him. He studied with around eighty scholars. He was well versed in Ṭafsīr, Ḥadīth, etc. He is the author of Ṭalbīs Iblīs (The Devil’s Deception) and other books. About him Al-Dhahabī has written, “I don’t know anyone who has compiled what he compiled.” Someone once asked him, “Which is better, glorifying Allāh or seeking His forgiveness?” The Imām replied, “Dirty clothes are more in need of soap than perfuming.” He is the first person known to have written a book on this specific topic.6
Jalālludīn al-Suyūtī:
Ḥāfidh Jalālluddīn Abū Al-Faḍl cAbdur-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr Al-Suyūtī al-Shāficī (849-911 AH). He memorized the Qur’ān before he reached 8 years of age, then memorized other Islāmic books including cUmdah al-Aḥkām. He was the most knowledgeable person in his time with respect to ḥadīth and the sciences connected to it. One of his students mentioned that al-Suyūtī had fifty-one teachers and had compiled five hundred books. In Ḥusn al-Muḥādharah, Imām Suyūtī lists Rafc Sha’n al-Ḥubshān amongst the books he wrote on history. He also mentions that he had traveled to Shām, Hijāz, Yemen, India, the Maghrib, and Takrūr.
Hafidh Jalālludīn came across Imām Ibn Jawẓi’s book [i.e. Tanwīr al-Ghabash ] and saw that it had room for increase so he wrote another book on this topic. He subsequently produced an abridgment entitled Aẓhār al-cUrūsh Fī Akhbār al-Ḥubūsh. In Micrāj al-Ṣucūd (The Ladder of Ascent Towards Grasping The Law Concerning Transported Blacks), Ahmād Bābā and the person whom he was corresponding with quote from Rafc Sha’n al-Ḥubshān. In one place Aḥmad Bābā states: “I came across it myself in his book entitled Rafc Sha’n al-Ḥabshān.” The Sheikh also quotes Imām Suyūti’s abridgement Aẓhār al-cUrūsh Fī Akhbār al-Ḥubūsh: “And your statement concerning the name of the book Aẓhār [al-cUrūsh], I came across it in the land of Darca, but I am now uncertain whether it was the book itself or [it’s] abridgment[:] Nūr al-ghabash fī akhbār al-Ḥabash.”7
Finally, Muḥammad Ibn Yūnus, may Allāh have mercy on him, said, “I haven’t seen anything more beneficial for the heart than the mention of the righteous people.”8
May Allāh give us the ṭawfīq (Divine assistance) to follow in the footsteps of His Messenger, the noble Companions, and the pious predecessors, resurrect us amongst them, and enter us into Jannah with them. Āmīn.
Main Article
“America needs to understand Islām, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem.” – Al-Ḥajj Malīk al-Shabbāẓ (Malcolm X) [may Allāh have mercy on him]
It is one of the mercies of Allāh that after creating us He did not leave us to use our intellect to guess at how we should live. Rather, Allāh dispatched intelligent, upright prophets and messengers to explain to us how to be humans. Bereft of that Divine guidance, humanity will behave worse than animals and oppress one another, even though they claim to be the flag bearers of basic human rights and the champions of the underprivileged.
Before the deputation of our Prophet ﷺ the world was drowning in massive oceans of darkness and oppression due to straying from the prophetic teachings brought by past messengers. Jacfar ibn Abī Tālib, may Allāh be pleased with him, described the horrendous state of the Arab in particular when he was speaking to the Najāshī of Abyssinia:
“We were a people who were ignorant,” He explained when the delegation from the Quraish came seeking the return of the Muslims who had made hijrā and sought asylum in Abyssinia from religious persecution, “We worshipped idols, ate carrion, perpetrated all types of foul deeds, severed the ties of kinship, and treated our neighbors badly; the strong amongst us consumed the weak.”9
Through Islām, Allāh gave honor to the Muslims. Through it, He raised forth people from pits of degradation, humiliation, and lowliness to high pulpits of honor and respectability; criminals became people of immense piety; people considered the lowliest members of society became the leaders of the ummah of the beloved of Allāh. Dignity and humanity were given back to the children of Ādam.
On the historic visit of cUmar, may Allāh be pleased with him, to Baiṭ al-Maqdis in order to accept the surrender of its people, he told one of the Companions, “You were the most humiliated, despicable, and insignificant of people, and Allāh gave you honor through Islām.” He then said, “Whenever you seek honor by means of something other than Islām, Allāh will abase you.”10
Commenting on the verse, “Honor belongs to Allāh, and His messenger and the believers,”11 cAllāmah Ālūsī, may Allāh have mercy on him, writes that the honor which Allāh has bestowed upon the Messenger ﷺ is by means of the noble function he has been given, while that of the believers is due to their imān.12 The scholar then goes on to quote a pious woman who said, “Am I not in the state of Islām which is such an honor that there is no disgrace with it and such a wealth that there is no poverty with it?”13
While we are in need of Allāh and His Dīn to succeed both in this world and the one to come after this one. He, pure is He from all defects, is not in need of us, nor is His Dīn in need of us. He, glorified be His mention, has stated in the Qur’ān: “And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people, and they will not be like you.”14 Ibn Kathīr, may Allāh have mercy on him, elaborates on this verse, stating, “And if you turn away from His obedience and following His sharicah, He will replace you with another people who will not be like you, rather they will listen to Him and obey His commands.”15
The great Ḥanafī scholar, Mullā cAlī al-Qārī, may Allāh have mercy on him, details who these substitutes are: “They are the Persians, because he, peace be upon him, was asked about them while Salmān, may Allāh be pleased with him, was sitting by his side. He struck [Salmān’s] thigh and said, ‘This one and his companions.’”16 Allāh will bestow His Dīn on whomsoever He likes, and will use whomsoever He likes to spread it, regardless of their nationality, mother tongue, or skin color.
An Arab does not have a monopoly on Islām because he is an Arab, and the same goes for a non-Arab. In Islām there is no special claim of superiority for anyone on the basis of worldly connections. Even if one comes from a pious family, this familial tie is not a substitute for one’s own actions. It is not enough to have family members and ancestors who have ṭaqwā, we must also have it. May Allāh make the author and the readers amongst the people of ṭaqwā.
Allāh has made ṭaqwā (i.e. one’s compliance with the commands and prohibitions of Allāh) the sole criterion by which superiority and virtue is gauged. Didn’t our Prophet ﷺ inform us that Allāh does not look at our outward forms nor our wealth, but He looks at our hearts and our actions?17 All humans are equal in their humanity, and the extent one’s piety exceeds that of another human is a matter known only to Allāh, thus there is no reason for an individual to consider themselves better than anyone else.
Moreover, on the day Makkah was conquered, the Prophet ﷺ addressed the people, saying, “O mankind, Allāh has erased the arrogance, pride, and mutual boasting [of the Days of Ignorance]. Mankind is of two types: a righteous individual with ṭaqwā [for whom it is not fitting that they behave arrogantly towards anyone since the pivot on which imān rests is one’s end, and Allāh knows best who has more ṭaqwā], and a disobedient individual who is wretched and despicable in the sight of Allāh. Mankind are all the children of Ādam, and Allāh created Ādam from dirt. Allāh says: O mankind, indeed, We created you all from a male and female and made you into [near and distant relations] so that you might recognize one another; without a doubt, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allāh is the one with the most ṭaqwā; indeed, Allāh is All-Knowing, Well-Informed.”18
Bringing our attention to His perfect power in His creation of differing varieties from one thing, Allah mentions in ṣūrah al-Fātir, “Have you not considered that Allāh sends down water from the heavens and We take out by means of it fruits of differing colors [i.e. green, red, yellow, etc.], and amongst the mountains are tracks, white and red, of differing colors, and extremely black.”19 Elucidating the last section of this āyah, Ibn Kathīr writes, “And He created the mountains in a like manner of differing colors, as is witnessed as well, white and red. And in some of them are paths that are also of differing colors.”20
Allāh continues in the following āyah, “And among mankind, animals, and cattle are differing colors in a like manner.”21 That is, living things like human beings, animals, and cattle differ in a similar manner. Amongst mankind are the Berber, Abyssinian, and [other] non-Arab22 who are extremely black; the Sicilians and Romans who are extremely white; the Arab who are in between, as well as the Indians [who are slightly lighter than the Arab].23
These differing colors and complexions apparent on the skins of human beings, are not a cause of boasting or pride, but a sign of the immense power of Allāh, as He says, “Amongst His signs [i.e. of His massive power] are the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and complexions; indeed, in that are signs for the people of knowledge.”24
To say nothing of our pious predecessors, the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ were cosmopolitan in makeup, some hailing from different parts of the earth (e.g. Suhaib al-Rūmī, Abū cUqbah al-Fārsī, Anjasha al-Habashi, etc.), some coming from tribes that had long running blood feuds (e.g. The Aws and Khazraj of Madīnah), but through the blessing of Islām they became brothers and sisters of one another. Any notion of tribal or racial superiority was cut out from its root.
This is not surprising since Allāh mentions, ”And remember the favor of Allāh upon you when you were enemies then He joined your hearts together and, due to His grace, you became brothers; and you were on the brink of a pit of the Fire but He saved you from it, like that Allāh makes clear his āyāṭ to you all so that you may be guided.”25
Commenting on this āyah, Mufṭī Shafīc writes, “In other words, by erasing … deep-seated enmities going back … centuries, [Allāh] Almighty made them brothers to each other through the benediction of [Islām] and the noble Prophet [ﷺ]. This made their life worth living, materially and spiritually, establishing between them such exemplary friendship that even their enemies found it awesome.”26
It is within this milieu, unburdened by the fallacious Hamitic hypothesis and the oppression of institutional racism, that a large contingent of Companions of African descent earned distinction and were included amongst those whom Allāh has referred to when He mentions, “The forerunners from among the Immigrants and the Helpers, and those who follow them in goodness, Allāh is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him; He has prepared for them gardens under which rivers flow, which they will dwell in forever. That is the supreme success!”27
Below is a list of just a few of those blessed individuals who were selected by Allāh to accompany His beloved:
(1) Dhū Mikhbar, or Dhū Mikhmar, may Allāh be pleased with him, was the nephew of the Najāshī of Abyssinia. He came to the Prophet ﷺ along with seventy-two other Abyssinians. He attached himself to the Prophet ﷺ and did his khidmah. Abū Dāwūd has related 5 āḥādīth from him, and Imām Aḥmad has related 4 āḥādīth from him.28
(2) Abū Bakrah Nufaic ibn Masrūḥ (Or ibn Ḥārith/Masrūq), may Allāh be pleased with him, accepted Islām but was unable to reach the Prophet ﷺ until the siege of Tā’if. He came down using the part of the well upon which the rope is placed (bakrah), due to which he was nicknamed Abū Bakrah. He related one hundred thirty-two ḥadīth, eight of which can be found in Bukhāri and Muslim, five only in Bukhāri, and one only in Muslim. [Imām Aḥmad has collected 154 of Abū Bakrah’s āḥādīth in his Musnad.]
Abū Bakrah had forty children only seven (i.e. cAbdullāh, cUbaidullāh. cAbdur-Raḥmān, cAbdul-Aẓīẓ, Muslim, Rawwād) of whom had offspring. The eldest of his children was named cAbdullāh. He was born in Baḥrain before his father moved to Baṣra.
cUbaidullāh ibn Abī Bakrah was born in the same year as his brother cAbdur-Raḥmān but was older than him. cUbaidullāh served as the judge of Baṣra and governor of Sijisṭān. He had a son named Thābiṭ.
cUbaidullāh was very generous and used to give his neighbors (i.e. 40 houses left, right, behind, and in front of him) their yearly expenses. Every cĪd he would send them rare gifts which they didn’t possess, as well as aḍāḥī and garments. Any of them who wanted to get married, he would marry off and provide their wive’s dowery. Besides the slaves that he would free during the year, he would free one thousand on the day of cĪd. He died in the year 79 AH.
cAbdur-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakrah was the first child born in Baṣra. He was a student of his father, cAlī ibn Abī Tālib, and cAbdullāh ibn cAmr ibn al-cĀṣ. Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn and others narrate from him.
Imām Aḥmad relates on the authority of Muslim ibn Abī Bakrah that Abī Bakrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to say, “Oh, Allāh I seek refuge in you from kufr, poverty, and the punishment of the grave.”29
(3) During the battle of Khaibar, a shepherd came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about Islām. The Prophet ﷺ explained to him that he should believe that there is no God but Allāh and that Muhammad is His messenger. The individual enquired what he would get, and the Prophet ﷺ informed him that he would receive Jannah (Paradise), whereupon the man accepted Islām. When cAlī, may Allāh be pleased with him, went out carrying the Muslim army’s flag, this individual followed him and fought until he was martyred. May Allāh be pleased with him.30
(4) Waḥshi ibn Ḥarb, may Allāh be pleased with him, notable for killing Ḥamza in Uḥud, also helped in killing Musailamah the Liar during the battle of Yamāmah. It is concerning him and his companions that the following three āyah were revealed: “O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves do not despair of the mercy of Allāh…” until His statement, “Before the punishment comes to you suddenly while you are unaware.”31
(5) Ṣāliḥ ibn ‘Addī, known as Shuqrān, may Allāh be pleased with him, was one of those fortunate individuals who participated in Badr and was in charge of the captives taken at that battle.
The angel, Jibrā’īl, peace be upon him, once came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked, “What do you all think about the participants of Badr amongst you?” He ﷺ replied, “From the best of the Muslims,” or some similar statement. Jibrā’īl remarked, “Likewise are those angels who participated in Badr.”
Shuqrān attended the washing of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and is the one who threw a cloth into the grave of the Prophet ﷺ. His lineage came to an end during the time of al-Rashīd.32
(6) Umm Ayman Barakah binṭ Thaclabah, may Allāh be pleased with her, took care of the Prophet ﷺ and helped to raise him.
While she was making hijrah from Makkah to Madīnah on foot she became extremely thirsty. She had no water with her and was fasting. Suddenly a white rope with a bucket of water came down out of the sky. She grasped the bucket and drank from it until her thirst was quenched. She used to say, “I never felt thirst after that even though I put myself [in conditions where one would normally] feel thirsty by fasting on very hot days.”
She participated in Uḥud, passing out water and treating the wounded, as well as the battle of Khaibar with the Prophet ﷺ.
The Prophet ﷺ married her to Ẓaid ibn Ḥārith, may Allāh be pleased with him, and she gave birth to Usāmah ibn Ẓaid, may Allāh be pleased with him,. He was seated behind the Prophet ﷺ when he triumphantly reentered Makkah, and accompanied him inside the Kabbah along with Bilāl and cUthmān ibn Talḥa, may Allāh be pleased with all of them.
The Prophet ﷺ made him the general of an army which had in it giants the like of Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq and cUmar al-Fārūq, may Allāh be pleased with them. Usāmah had two Muḥammad and al-Ḥasan, the latter of whom had also two sons: Ẓaid and Muḥammad.
Barkah also had a son, Ayman, may Allāh be pleased with him, from a previous marriage who made hijrah and fought in the way of Allāh; he was martyred in Ḥunain. From Ayman she had a grandson named Ḥajjāj.
Ayman and his half-brother, Usāmah, were amongst that group of Companions during the battle of Ḥunain who remained with the Prophet ﷺ when the tide of battle turned against the Muslims.
The Prophet ﷺ used to visit Umm Ayman, and after his death Abu Bakr and cUmar, may Allāh be pleased with them, went to visit her.
Tāriq ibn Shihāb relates that when the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ died Umm Ayman, that is Umm Usāmah ibn Ẓaid, wept. Someone asked her what made her cry. She replied, “The news from the heavens has been cut off from us.”
Muḥammad ibn cUmar said: Ibn Abī al-Furāṭ, the freed slave of Usāmah ibn Ẓaid, was arguing with al-Ḥasan ibn Usāmah ibn Ẓaid and while he was speaking he said: “Oh, Ibn Barakah (i.e. Umm Ayman).”
Al-Ḥasan immediately said, “Bear witness!” and took the matter before Abu Bakr ibn Muḥammad ibn cAmr ibn Ḥaẓm who was the judge of Madinah, or cUmar ibn cAbdul-Aẓīẓ’s governor, in those days.
Abu Bakr asked Ibn al-Furāṭ, “What did you intend by your statement: Oh, Ibn Barakah?”
Ibn al-Furāṭ replied, “I was mentioning her by her name.”
Abu Bakr retorted, “You only meant to belittle her when her status in Islām is [so great] and the Messenger of Allāh called her, ‘Oh, Mother,’ and ‘Oh, Umm Ayman’. Allāh will not release me if I let you go.” He then lashed him seventy times.
Ibn Mājah has narrated a ḥadīth from her in his Sunan. Imām Aḥmad relates the following ḥadīth from her in his Musnad, “Do not leave off ṣālah deliberately because the protection of Allāh and His Messenger are free from that one who deliberately leaves off ṣalāh.”33
(7) When the following āyāṭ [pl. of āyah] were revealed: “Didn’t there pass over mankind a time when [they] were a thing unworthy of mention…” until His statement, “And when you look there, you will see bliss and a magnificent kingdom,”34 [an Abyssinian who was present] asked, “O Messenger of Allāh, will my eyes see in Jannah the like of what your eyes will see?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Yes,” whereupon the Abyssinian began to cry until his soul poured out of him. Ibn cUmar, may Allāh be pleased with him, states that he saw the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ lowering [this individual] into the grave.35
(8) cAtā Ibn Abī Rabāḥ relates that [his teacher] Ibn cAbbās, may Allāh be pleased with him, once asked him, “Shall I not show you a woman from the people of Jannah ?”
cAtā replied, “Certainly.”
Ibn cAbbās said, “This black woman [i.e. Umm Ẓufar] came to the Prophet ﷺ and requested: I experience epileptic fits and become exposed, so make ducā to Allāh for me.”
[Ibn cAbbās stated that the Prophet ﷺ] replied, ‘If you wish you can be patient and you will get Jannah, and if you wish I will make ducā that Allāh gives you sound health.’
She replied, ‘I will be patient, but I become exposed; make ducā that [this doesn’t happen].’
So he made ducā for her.”36
(9) Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ37, may Allāh be pleased with him, was one of the seven who were the first to openly proclaim their Islām. He underwent severe torture for the sake of Islām but would not give his tormentors what they wanted. The Prophet ﷺ once mentioned that he had heard the rustling of Bilāl in Jannah.
Bilāl participated in Badr, Uḥud, and all of the campaigns with the Prophet ﷺ. He was the first to give the ādhān for the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, and was in charge of the Baiṭ al-Māl (State treasury). The following āyah was revealed concerning him and Khabbāb, Ṣuhaib, cĀmmār, etc.: “Do not drive away those who call on their Lord morning and evening seeking His countenance.”38 He had a sister, Ghufairah, may Allāh be pleased with both of them, but left no progeny.39
Besides the above mentioned Companions there were a number of others (like Al-Kharqā’, may Allāh be pleased with her, a woman who used to keep the Prophet’s ﷺ masjid clean40) some of whom engaged in war games in the Masjid while the Prophet ﷺ looked on41; some converts from Abyssinia who came and helped out in Uḥud42; and some whose actions were the reason for ayāṭ of Qur’ān being revealed (e.g. Sūrah Mā’idah, Āyah: 8343).
(Continued in Part 2 and Part 3 Inshā Allāh)
References:
[1]Sunan Abū Dāwūd. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. 2:300
[2] Not to be confused with the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the trans-Saharan trade occurred across the Saharan desert between indigenous West Africans, Berbers, and Muslims.
[3] Djenné is a city in modern day Mali that was founded by disbelievers two centuries after the Prophetic migration. At the end of the sixth century A.H., the ruler of Djenné made up his mind to accept Islām. He then gathered the culamā present in his lands, who amounted to 4,200 individuals, and took his shahādah at their hands, whereupon the rest of his subjects also embraced Islām. (Tarīkh al-Sūdān. N.P. Page: 13)
[4] Riḥlah Ibn Baṭūṭah Tuḥfah al-Nadhār Fī Gharā’ib al-Amṣār Wa cAjā’ib al-Asfār. Dār Iḥyā al-cUlūm. Page: 703-704
[5] One interesting thing about Imām Ibn al-Jawẓī’s Ṭanwīr al-Ghabash is that he included a section near the beginning where he listed beneficial things in nature that are black. Some of the things mentioned were: the black part of the eyes, black hair, the Black Stone, Ithmid (a particular type of kohl), cŪd (the perfume), and black seed. While the list was by no means exhaustive, Imām Ibn al-Jawẓī stated that what he had listed will indicate towards other things that hadn’t been mentioned. In other words, if you think about it you will find many other things in nature that are black which have positive properties and are looked at favorably.
[6] Taken from the introduction of Ṭanwīr al-Ghabash (T); Sīyar cAlām al-Nubalā. Mu’assas al-Risālah. 21:368, 367, 366, 365, 371, 379 #192
[7] Taken from the introduction of Rafc Sha’n al-Ḥubshān (R); Shadharāṭ al-Dhahab Fī Akhbār Man Dhahab. Dār Ibn Kathīr. 10:74, 75, 76; Ḥusn al-Muḥādharah. Dār Iḥyā al-Kutub al-cArabī. 1:338, 344; Mi’rāj Al-Ṣu’ūd Ahmad Bābā’s Replies on Slavery, Annotated and Translated By John Hunwick and Fatima Harrak, and Published by the Institute of African Studies. Pages: 60 & 33
Takrūr: A land connected to the black people in the farthest southern portion of the Maghrib, its people are the ones who most resemble the Ẓanj. [Mucjam al-Buldan 2:38] For an example of the usage of the word Takrūr, see the following exert from Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah concerning Mansa Mūsā’s Ḥajj journey: “On the 25th of Rajab in the year 724 A.H., the king of Takrūr, a handsome young man named Mūsā ibn Abī Bakr, came to Cairo along with approximately 20,000 west Africans and servants, and such a large amount of gold that the price dropped.”(18:240)
[8] Ṣifah al-Ṣafwah. Dār al-Kuṭub al-cArabī. P: 33
[9] (T) Page: 65
[10] al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah. Dār Hijr. 9:666
[11] Sūrah Munāfiqūn, Āyah: 8
[12] Rūḥ al-Macānī. Mu’assas al-Risālah. 27:171
[13] Rūḥ al-Macānī. Mu’assas al-Risālah. 27:172
[14] Sūrah Muḥammad, Āyah: 38
[15] Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Adhīm. Dār Taybah. 7:324
[16] Anwār al-Qur’ān. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 4:510; Jāmic al-Tirmīdhi. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. Abwāb al-Tafsīr 2:162
[17] Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. 2:317
[18] Sūrah al-Ḥujarāt, Āyah: 13; Tuḥfah al-Aḥwadhī. Dār al-Fikr. 9:155; Jāmic al-Tirmīdhi. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. Abwāb al-Tafsīr 2:162-163
[19]Sūrah al-Fātir, Āyah: 27; Ma’ariful Qur’an 7:336; Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Adhīm. Dār Taybah. 6:543; Tafsīr Jalālain. Qadīmī Kutub Khāna. Page: 366
[20] Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Adhīm. Dār Taybah. 6:544
[21] Sūrah al-Fātir, Āyah: 28
[22] Lisān al-cArab. Dār al-Macārif. Page: 2706
[23] Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Adhīm. Dār Taybah. 6:544
[24]Sūrah Rūm, Āyah: 22
[25] Sūrah Āli cImrān, Āyah: 103; Ma’ariful Qur’an 2:140
[26] Ma’ariful Qur’an 2:140
[27] Sūrah al-Ancām, Āyah: 90
[28] (R) P: 302-304. See: al-Iṣābah 2:178, #2465; Tārikh al-Islām. Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī. 2:486, #21; Ṭabaqāt ibn Sacd. Maktabah al-Khānjī. 9:429, #4594; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 2:222, #1555; Sunan Abū Dāwūd. Maktabah Raḥmāniyah. 1:76, #445 & #446, 2:33, #2767, 2:240, #4292 & #4293; Musnad Imām Aḥmad. Bait al-Afkār al-Daulah. P:1208-1209, #16949, #16950, #16951, #16952
[29] (T) P: 133; (R) P: 294-299. See: Ṭabaqāt ibn Sacd. Maktabah al-Khānjī. 9:15-16, #3663 & 9:189-190, #3893 & #3894 & #3895 & #3896 & #3897 & #3898; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 6:35, #5738; al-Iṣābah 7:22; Tārīkh al-Islām. Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī. 1:398 & 2:78,775 & 3:84; Sīyar cAlām al-Nubalā. Mu’assas al-Risālah. 3:5, 9, #1 & 4:138, #44 & 4:319, #114 & 4:411, #161; al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah. Dār Hijr. 7:69, 12:294; Sunan Abū Dāwūd. Maktabah Raḥmāniyah. 2:236; Sunan Ibn Mājah. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. P: 285; Wafayāt al-Acyān 6:363; Musnad Imām Aḥmad. Bait al-Afkār al-Daulah. P:1493, #20652; Tārīkh Madīnah Dimashq. Dār al-Fikr. 4:285, #27 & 36:11, #3976 & 38:130, 132, 138 #4500 & 62:203, #7918
[30] (R) P: 299-300. See: al-Iṣābah 6:350, #9340 & 1:131, #37 1:124, #522; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 1:214, #116 & 5:478-479, #5626; Ṭabaqāt ibn Sacd. Maktabah al-Khānjī. 5:104, #747, Tārīkh al-Islām. Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī. 1:281; al-Istīcāb Fī Macrifa al-Aṣḥāb P:85, #35
[31] (R) P: 308-313, See: al-Iṣābah 6:315, #9110; Tārikh al-Islām. Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī. 2:446, #69; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 5:409, #5449; Ṭabaqāt ibn Sacd. Maktabah al-Khānjī. 6:143, #1125 & 9:422, #4577; Mucjam al-Kabīr. Maktabah ibn Ṭaymiyyah. 11:197, #11480; Sūrah: Ẓumar, Āyah: 53-55
[32] (R) P: 290-293. See: al-Iṣābah 3:209-210, #3911 & 3:232, #4019; Ṭabaqāt ibn Sacd. Maktabah al-Khānjī. 3:47, #31; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 3:4, #2472; Jāmic al-Tirmīdhi. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. Kitāb al-Janā’iẓ 1:202-203; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Qadīmī Kuṭūb Khānah. 2:569
[33] (T) P: 148-149; (R) P: 313-320. See: al-Iṣābah 8:212-213 & 1:29 & 1:94 & 2:52; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 7:35, #6769 & 7:290, #7371; Sīyar cAlām al-Nubalā. Mu’assas al-Risālah. 2:223, 224, #24; Ṭabaqāt ibn Sacd. Maktabah al-Khānjī. 10:212, 214, #4986 & 4:59, 61 #378 & 7:242-243, #1609 & #1610; Tārīkh al-Tabrī. Dār Ibn Kathīr. 2:300; al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah. Dār Hijr. 7:15; Ḥilyah al-Awliyā. Dār al-Fikr. 2:68; Tārīkh Madīnah Dimashq. Dār al-Fikr.13:25, 27, #1296; Tārikh al-Islām. Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī. 2:33; Tahdhīb al-Ṭadhīb. Mu’assas al-Risālah. 1:383-384; Tahdhīb al-Kamāl. Mu’assas al-Risālah. 6:51, #1202 & 24:393, #5052; Ṭakmilah Faṭḥ al-Mulhim 5:146; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. 2:291; Sunan Ibn Mājah. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. P: 239; Musnad Imām Aḥmad. Bait al-Afkār al-Daulah. P:2041, #27908
[34] Sūrah: al-Dahr (al-Insān), Āyah: 1-20
[35] (T) P: 145-147; (R) P: 300-302. See: Ḥilyah al-Awliyā. Dār al-Fikr. 3:319-320; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 1:225; Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Adhīm. Dār Taybah. 8:285 & 292-293; Tafsīr Qurtubī. Dār cĀlim a-Kutub. 19:148; al-Mucjam al-Awsat. Dār al-Ḥaramain. 2:162, #1581
[36] (T) P: 150; (R) P:130-131. See: al-Iṣābah 8:108 & 8:234-235; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 7:143; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. 2:844; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. Qadīmī Kutub Khānah. 2:319; Ḥilyah al-Awliyā. Dār al-Fikr. 2:72, #154; al-Istīcāb Fī Macrifah al-Aṣḥābah. P:1938, #:4153
[37] Note: The commonly heard tale that Bilāl, may Allāh be pleased with him, could not pronounce the shīn in the ādhān is not something to be repeated. (See: Kashf al-Khīfā. Maktabah cIlm al-Ḥadīth. 1:260-261, #695 & 1:530, #1520; al-Maqāṣid al-Ḥasanah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. P: 112, #221& P: 247, #582) Please consult your local culama who are versed in the science of ḥadīth.
[38] Sūrah al-Ancām, Āyah: 52
[39] (T) P:122-129; (R) P:239-286. See: al-Iṣābah 1:170-171, #732; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 1:415, #493; Ṭabaqāt ibn Sacd. Maktabah al-Khānjī. 9:389-390, #4522; Sīyar cAlām al-Nubalā. Mu’assas al-Risālah. 1:348. al-Iṣābah 8:153, #802; Usd al-Ghābah. Dār al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 7:206, #7159/al-Iṣābah 2:89, #2157
[40] al-Iṣābah 8:63, #336;Usd al-Ghābah. Dar al-Kutub al-cIlmiyyah. 7:86, #6875; Macrifah al-Ṣahabah. Dar al-Watan. 7:3322, #3865
[41] (T) P: 73. See: Sahih al-Bukhari. Qadimi Kutub Khanah. 1:65; Sahih Muslim. Qadimi Kutub Khanah. 1:292; Tarikh al-Islam. Dar al-Kitab al-cArabi. 2:486
[42](R) P: 119-120. See: al-Dur al-Manthur 11:489; Tafsir ibn Abi Ḥātim. Maktabah Nizar Mustafa al-Baz. 9:2992; al-Mucjam al-Awsat. Dār al-Ḥaramain. 7:336, #7662
[43] Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Adhim. Dar Taybah. 3:166; Tafsir Qurtubi. Dar cAlim al-Kutub. 6:256
