Universal Welfare As a Priority During the Expansion of Islam

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Al-Allamah Salih Aala Ash-Shaikh, may Allah preserve him, said:

When Muslims conquered different regions of the earth and Islam spread, it appeared as though it began with non-Arabs, until Persians and other non-Arabs became scholars and Imams of mosques, and people learned from them.

Many non-Arabs are mentioned in Islamic history as leading the Muslims in knowledge, pronouncing religious verdicts, and in other matters. Consider Abu Haneefah (may Allah have mercy on him), who was not an Arab, and Imam Al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him), whose book became an upright example. There is no Muslim who is not familiar with Imam Abu Abdillah Muhammad bin Isma’eel Al-Bukhaari. And consider the other Imams of Islam besides Al-Bukhari and Abu Haneefah.

Thus, when Islam was implemented, it erased the differences that the people had created. Why, then, did those non-Arabs become the leaders and Imams of the Arabs? That is because they carried the religion, raised the banner of true Islamic monotheism—there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger—and because there is no difference in virtue between a non-Arab and an Arab except through fear of Allah.

When Muslims disciplined themselves with Islam, there was no dispute between them regarding social class based on that pre-Islamic dispute and distinction. They did not accept leadership or give precedence to anyone on this basis; rather, they accepted everyone because people are equal in this matter.

The Quraish rulership, the Umayyad, and the Abbasid rulership ended, then the Mamluk rulership arose, followed by the rulership of Banee Uthman—meaning, in the beginning, when it was upright. So the Muslims obeyed them, and they became the leaders and rulers because the Muslims saw that there was welfare for the people in doing so.

As a result, class distinction and its practice were eradicated from the beginning, and no one had any reservations about implementing Islam. Islamic history attests to the application of this magnificent principle.

Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRkeYjcJ728 [end of quote]