Nations and Tribes

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
(Yusuf Ali translation - Qur'an 49:13)

My local masjid has this ayah printed on a banner that hangs in the gymnasium/extended prayer hall...and growing up, when I my heart first consciously began to incline toward practicing this beautiful deen of ours, the ayah always resonated with me...each time I'd see it, I'd be filled with a certain, unmistakable peace...the knowledge that this was the way for all of mankind -- regardless of colour, culture or language, and free of all castes -- that Allah had made us all and that He loves us all. I thought I'd post it to remind myself and others who read this blog, that this is really the way of Allah, and that we need to pay more than just lip service to this ideal that is free of all racism, if we are to unite and be successful as an ummah at both the micro and macro level -- Arabs are not superior to Persians, Persians are not superior to Indo-Paks, and as much as I love being Punjabi, we are not superior to Hydrabadis (nor are they superior to us!)..and well, you get the point.

We must come to truly and sincerely love one another.

Wassalam,
Salikah