A number of hadiths have been attributed to the Prophet which demean
Abyssinians, Sudanese or blacks in general. Typically these hadith claim
that Aisha, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Abu Huraira or Anas heard the Prophet
Muhammad saying something derogatory towards blacks. One supposed hadith
claims that the Prophet said,

'Choose suitable marriage partners for your children, but avoid marrying
blacks for they are a deformed race (fa innahu lawnun mushawwah)'
[al-Hindi, Kunzal Ammal, 16:125; al-Minawi, Fayd al-Qadr, 3:237]

Other hadiths claim that the Prophet said,'Blacks live by their private parts and stomachs (i.e. they fornicate and eat excessively)'
[al-Hindi, Kanal Ammal, 9:86-87; al-Tabari, al-Mujam al-Kabir, 11:153;
al-Baghdadi, Tarikg Baghdad, 14:113]

In another hadith it was stated that Allah created the whire race
(dhurriyyah bayda) from Adam's right shoulder, and created the black race (dhurriyyah sawda) from Adam's left shoulder, then decreed thatthose on the right will enter heaven and those on the left will enter hell.[Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 6:492]

These hadith have however been proven false! [al-Juranji, al-Kamil fi Duafa, 3:328, 6:155, 466-467, 7:103]

Ibn Qayyim said: 'All the traditions deprecating the Abyssinians and Sudanese are pure fabrications....a 'matn' analysis by itself wouldbe sufficient to reject these reports' [al-Albani, Silslat, 2:158]


In fact, it is authentically reported that the Prophet said that all people are equal regardless of their skin colour.

The Prophet said: 'Each Prophet before me had been sent to his specific people, but I was sent to every nation, whether red or black (wa buithtu ila kulli ahmara wa aswada)'. [an-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, 5/6:6-7; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 1:311]

The Prophet also said: 'Praise be to Allah, there is only one book of Allah, and among you the believers are nations, red, white and black (wa fikum al-ahmar wa fikum al-abyad wa fikum al-aswad)' [Ibn Qayyim, Awn al-Mabud, 3:59-60]

On one occassion the Prophet said to Abu Dharr: 'Take note that you are not better than thered or black nationsexcept to theextent that you exceed them in piety (taqwa)' [Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 5:206]

One hadith states:One day a black man or woman who used to sweep the mosque died. On the night of this persons death the Prophet asked about their whereabouts. He was told that the person died. After asking why he was not informed, he went to the persons grave and subsequently prayed for them.

Furthermore, the Prophet said: 'People are as equal as the teeth of a comb, they are differentiated only by piety' [Ibn Hajar, Fath al Bari, 1:658-659, 3:204-205]

[the above text was taken from, Speaking in God's name, by Abou El Fadl.]

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