The Search for the Truth

of the best of us.” The Messenger of God replied, “O people, adhere to piety (taqwa), and do not let Satan lead you astray. I am Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, the servant of God and His Messenger. By God, I do not wish for you to elevate me above the position that God has assigned to me.” (Musnad Ahmad, hadith no. 12551) Narrated by Abu Mas’ud: A man approached the Prophet and began speaking to him, trembling with fear. The Prophet said to him, “Calm down, for I am not a king; I am merely the son of a woman who lived a humble life.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, hadith no. 3312) One day, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari was sitting next to a black Muslim. Abu Dharr addressed him as ‘son of a black woman.’ When the Prophet (peace be upon him) heard this, he was very displeased and said to Abu Dharr, ‘I did not think that there remained any trace of the arrogance of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) in your heart.’ As soon as the Prophet admonished him, Abu Dharr realized his error. Filled with remorse, he prostrated himself on the ground and said to the person he had offended, ‘Stand up and rub your feet on my face.’” (Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Ibn Battal, vol. 1, p. 87-88) The Prophet (peace be upon him) delivered a sermon during his final Hajj, in which he said: “O people, indeed, your Lord is one, and your father (Adam) is one. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have superiority over an Arab; neither does a white person have superiority over a black person nor does a black person have superiority over a white person—except through piety (taqwa).” (Musnad Ahmad, hadith no. 23489)