TekNiKo
Loyal To The One True Caliph (Hafidahullah)
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
Tribalism is a pernicious belief that has afflicted all human societies in every time period, originating in the worship of idols and reconstructing itself into many ideological forms throughout the ages. In modern times, we know it as the scourges of racism, xenophobia, supremacism, and militarism. In practice, it rears its ugly head to us in the shape of prejudice, bigotry, discrimination, and violence.
Allah has commanded us to uphold justice with all other human beings regardless of their race, religion, lineage, status, or identity.
Allah said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا
O you who believe, be persistently standing firm in justice as witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. Follow not your desires, lest you not be just.
Surat al-Nisa 4:135
Tribalists, by contrast, reject universal standards of justice. They divide the world into the privileged in-group and the demonized out-groups, holding to the slogan, “My people (or nation) right or wrong.” Their love of their own people, and hatred of others, causes them to rationalize and justify the unjustifiable.
Love for one’s people is normal and healthy, if it leads to good deeds. But such love that comes at the expense of justice is no praiseworthy love at all.
Wathila ibn Al-Asqa’ reported: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, is it part of tribalism that a man loves his people?” The Prophet said:
لَا وَلَكِنْ مِنَ الْعَصَبِيَّةِ أَنْ يُعِينَ الرَّجُلُ قَوْمَهُ عَلَى الظُّلْمِ
No, rather it is tribalism that he supports his people in wrongdoing.
Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 3949, Grade: Hasan
Tribalism by this definition has been rejected by Islam in the harshest terms. Tribalism is a form of “blind following” whose adherents live in “ignorance,” an allusion to the pre-Islamic worship of idols.
Jundab ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
مَنْ قُتِلَ تَحْتَ رَايَةٍ عِمِّيَّةٍ يَدْعُو عَصَبِيَّةً أَوْ يَنْصُرُ عَصَبِيَّةً فَقِتْلَةٌ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ
Whoever is killed under the banner of blind following, who calls to tribalism or supports tribalism, then he has died upon ignorance.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1850, Grade: Sahih
The Prophet (ṣ) disowned anyone who lives by the ideology of tribalism or supports it in any way. Tribalists might be outwardly Muslims, but in reality Allah will not count them among the true believers.
Jubair ibn Mut’im reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ وَلَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ قَاتَلَ عَلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ وَلَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ مَاتَ عَلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ
He is not one of us who calls to tribalism. He is not one of us who fights for the sake of tribalism. He is not one of us who dies following the way of tribalism.
Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 5121, Grade: Hasan
The Prophet (ṣ) delivered an instructive parable to us about the likeness of one who adheres to tribalism. The tribalist is like a camel who has fallen into a well, dead and rotting, and must be pulled out by his tail.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
مَنْ أَعَانَ قَوْمَهُ عَلَى ظُلْمٍ فَهُوَ كَالْبَعِيرِ الْمُتَرَدِّي يَنْزِعُ بِذَنَبِهِ
Whoever supports his people in oppression is like a dead camel that falls into a well and is pulled out by its tail.
Source: Musnad Aḥmad 4141, Grade: Sahih
Tribalism is a pernicious belief that has afflicted all human societies in every time period, originating in the worship of idols and reconstructing itself into many ideological forms throughout the ages. In modern times, we know it as the scourges of racism, xenophobia, supremacism, and militarism. In practice, it rears its ugly head to us in the shape of prejudice, bigotry, discrimination, and violence.
Allah has commanded us to uphold justice with all other human beings regardless of their race, religion, lineage, status, or identity.
Allah said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا
O you who believe, be persistently standing firm in justice as witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. Follow not your desires, lest you not be just.
Surat al-Nisa 4:135
Tribalists, by contrast, reject universal standards of justice. They divide the world into the privileged in-group and the demonized out-groups, holding to the slogan, “My people (or nation) right or wrong.” Their love of their own people, and hatred of others, causes them to rationalize and justify the unjustifiable.
Love for one’s people is normal and healthy, if it leads to good deeds. But such love that comes at the expense of justice is no praiseworthy love at all.
Wathila ibn Al-Asqa’ reported: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, is it part of tribalism that a man loves his people?” The Prophet said:
لَا وَلَكِنْ مِنَ الْعَصَبِيَّةِ أَنْ يُعِينَ الرَّجُلُ قَوْمَهُ عَلَى الظُّلْمِ
No, rather it is tribalism that he supports his people in wrongdoing.
Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 3949, Grade: Hasan
Tribalism by this definition has been rejected by Islam in the harshest terms. Tribalism is a form of “blind following” whose adherents live in “ignorance,” an allusion to the pre-Islamic worship of idols.
Jundab ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
مَنْ قُتِلَ تَحْتَ رَايَةٍ عِمِّيَّةٍ يَدْعُو عَصَبِيَّةً أَوْ يَنْصُرُ عَصَبِيَّةً فَقِتْلَةٌ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ
Whoever is killed under the banner of blind following, who calls to tribalism or supports tribalism, then he has died upon ignorance.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1850, Grade: Sahih
The Prophet (ṣ) disowned anyone who lives by the ideology of tribalism or supports it in any way. Tribalists might be outwardly Muslims, but in reality Allah will not count them among the true believers.
Jubair ibn Mut’im reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ وَلَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ قَاتَلَ عَلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ وَلَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ مَاتَ عَلَى عَصَبِيَّةٍ
He is not one of us who calls to tribalism. He is not one of us who fights for the sake of tribalism. He is not one of us who dies following the way of tribalism.
Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 5121, Grade: Hasan
The Prophet (ṣ) delivered an instructive parable to us about the likeness of one who adheres to tribalism. The tribalist is like a camel who has fallen into a well, dead and rotting, and must be pulled out by his tail.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
مَنْ أَعَانَ قَوْمَهُ عَلَى ظُلْمٍ فَهُوَ كَالْبَعِيرِ الْمُتَرَدِّي يَنْزِعُ بِذَنَبِهِ
Whoever supports his people in oppression is like a dead camel that falls into a well and is pulled out by its tail.
Source: Musnad Aḥmad 4141, Grade: Sahih
