Asalamu alaykum wr wb.
I was just thinking about this a while ago. As human beings, we quite easily (without even thinking sometimes) feel superior to others, and try to find reasons to feel superior to others.
I was reading a book recently (Out of Eden - tracking the migrations of human colonies across the world from their perceived origin - Africa) and a few chapters worked to dismiss what the author called the Eurocentric view that Europeans were more advanced than the rest of the world and were the first humans to have advanced culture and make breakthroughs in symbolic thought (through poetry, singing, dancing, paintings etc...).
Anyway, this seems to be a common thing, nations and races perceiving superiority over the one another.
I think this is also one of the boundaries to 'real' unity between mankind.
This superiority view can happen in religions as well (although I think its less common within religions when compared to racism and nationalism - perhaps due to the egalistarianism most religions teach).
To stop us Muslims feeling superior - we should remember that no one except the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was guarenteed forgiveness. We can go to the hellfire, and if anyones thinking 'well at least we'll get out of it eventually' then remember then none of us has a guarantee that we'll die Muslim.
May Allah save us all from the fire, and admit us in Jannnah insha'Allah. Ameen.
Anyway, any thoughts on this?
I was just thinking about this a while ago. As human beings, we quite easily (without even thinking sometimes) feel superior to others, and try to find reasons to feel superior to others.
I was reading a book recently (Out of Eden - tracking the migrations of human colonies across the world from their perceived origin - Africa) and a few chapters worked to dismiss what the author called the Eurocentric view that Europeans were more advanced than the rest of the world and were the first humans to have advanced culture and make breakthroughs in symbolic thought (through poetry, singing, dancing, paintings etc...).
Anyway, this seems to be a common thing, nations and races perceiving superiority over the one another.
I think this is also one of the boundaries to 'real' unity between mankind.
This superiority view can happen in religions as well (although I think its less common within religions when compared to racism and nationalism - perhaps due to the egalistarianism most religions teach).
To stop us Muslims feeling superior - we should remember that no one except the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was guarenteed forgiveness. We can go to the hellfire, and if anyones thinking 'well at least we'll get out of it eventually' then remember then none of us has a guarantee that we'll die Muslim.
May Allah save us all from the fire, and admit us in Jannnah insha'Allah. Ameen.
Anyway, any thoughts on this?
