Illuminting The Darkness: The Virtues Of Blacks And Abyssinians

Illuminating The Darkness: The Virtues Of Blacks And Abyssinians By Al Allamah Abul-Faraj Ibn Al Jawzi

• ISBN: 9781916475632
  
• Author: Al Allamah Abul-Faraj Ibn Al Jawzi
  
• Book Binding: Hardcover
  
• Pages: 320
  
• Size: 9.7 x 6.5 x 1.1 inch
  
• Publication Year: 2019

About This Book:

It is authentically reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ delivered a sermon in which he proclaimed:

“O people, indeed your Lord is one and your forefather is one. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor of a non-Arab over an Arab; and there is no superiority of a white person over a black person, nor of a black person over a white person—except by righteousness. Have I conveyed the message?”
The people replied, “The Messenger of Allah has conveyed the message.”
(Musnad Aḥmad, 23489 – ṣaḥīḥ)

This profound prophetic declaration establishes the Islamic principle of human equality and affirms that honor in the sight of Allah is based solely on piety and righteous deeds, not race, lineage, or appearance.

In his celebrated work Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, al-Dhahabī رحمه الله praised the eminent scholar Ibn al-Jawzī, describing him as:

“The shaykh, the imām, the ʿallāmah, the ḥāfiẓ, the mufassir, Shaykh al-Islām, and the pride of Baghdād.”

Abū ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Dubaythī further stated in his Tārīkh:

“Our shaykh Jamāl al-Dīn authored numerous works across the Islamic sciences, including tafsīr, fiqh, ḥadīth, and history. He possessed remarkable expertise in ḥadīth and its sciences, distinguishing the authentic from the weak. He was unmatched in eloquence and was blessed in both his life and knowledge.”

Likewise, al-Muwaffaq ʿAbd al-Laṭīf said:

“Ibn al-Jawzī never wasted a moment of his time, authoring up to four booklets in a single day. He had mastery in every field of knowledge: outstanding in tafsīr, a ḥāfiẓ in ḥadīth, vast in historical knowledge, competent in fiqh, and uniquely gifted in preaching.”

(Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, 21/365–384)

The author of this work explains his motivation by stating:

“I witnessed a group of noble Ḥabash who were distressed due to the darkness of their skin. I clarified to them that true worth lies in righteous deeds, not outward appearance. I therefore authored this book to highlight the virtues of many among the Ḥabash and other black individuals.”

This work stands as a powerful reminder of Islam’s universal message of dignity, equality, and honor through faith and righteous action.