10. Human Equality

10. Human Equality “Mankind was once a single community, [but then people developed differences].” Al-Baqarah 2:213 R eligion, as revealed by God, is one religion. Yet men differ on this point, putting a variety of interpretations upon divine religion, so that it may fit in with their mental make-up. In this way different viewpoints, all claiming allegiance to one divine scripture, come into existence. According to Islamic tenets, all human beings are equal. In prayer, all members of the congregation stand in the same rows together, and on the Hajj pilgrimage, all the believers belonging to different countries don identical white seamless robes for the performance of the obligatory rites. On the occasion of the Final Pilgrimage, it is noteworthy that the Prophet of Islam declared that no Arab was superior to a non-Arab and that no white was superior to a black. All were equally servants of God. In Islamic society, everyone is accorded the same status, his or her being, ideally, no higher or lower social strata. How, then, can we rationalize what are apparently very great differences in human beings in terms of colour and race, etc., considering that the concept of human equality ranks so high in the value system of Islam? We