Black Muslim history goes beyond just Bilal ibn Rabah (RA) — we have examples of major Islamic figures from the Prophets all the way through to modern day scholars who have shaped history.
Facts and Figures
⅓ of world’s Muslims live in Africa, ⅙ of world’s Muslims live in sub-Saharan Africa
Muslims constitute 48% of the population of Africa — and soon estimated to go over 50%, which would make Africa the world’s only Muslim-majority continent
More than 75 million Muslims reside in Nigeria, as opposed to sixty million in the Arabian peninsula
Ethiopia has as many Muslims as Iraq
Niger and Somalia have Muslims as 98 percent of their populations, which is higher than either the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Senegal has a higher percentage of Muslims than Egypt or Syria (at 95% & 93% respectively)
Black Muslims in the Qur'an
Luqman (AS)
Sufyan Ath-Thawri narrated from Al-Ash’ath after ‘Ikrimah on the authority of Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) that he was an Ethiopian slave who worked as a carpenter.
Adam (AS)
Remember, when you Lord said to the angels (“I am going to create a human being from sounding clay moulded from Black mud”). - Surah Al-Hijr 15:26
Tafsir: Al-Qurtubi says in his tafsir, “ham-a is black mud”. Al-Mahalli and Al-Suyouti said in their tafsir called Tafsir Al-Jalalain, “ham-a is black mud". Al-Tabari said in his tafsir, "As for His words 'From hama-a masnoun', verily hamaa is the plural of ham-a and it is mud which has changed and is black".
Al-Shawkaani said in his tafsir, "Ham-a is back mud which has changed or black mud in general without necessarily being changed". Al-Baidawi said in his tafsir, "Ham-a is black mud". Al-Baghawi also said, "some traditions say that Allah fermented the mud that Adam was created from and let it sit until it became black. Then He created Adam from it".
What does Adam mean?
Al-Tha'aalabi (d. 1038) said in his book, Fiqh Al-Luqha: "If the blackness of a person exceeds asmar, then he is adam."
The scholar of tafsir, hadith, fiqh, tenets, and Arabic language, ibn Al-Athri (d. 1210) says in his book Al-Nihaaya Fi Ghareeb Al-Hadith wa Al-Athar: "When used to describe people, adam means very asmar."
“Asmar” means brown, therefore "adam" means someone who had very dark skin or complexion.
Ibn Mandhour (d. 1312) said in Lisan Al-Arab: "people differ concerning why Adam was named Adam... some of them say he was named Adam because of the adam color that Allah gave him."
Al-Khazin (d. 971) said: "Adam was named Adam because he was created from the adeem (surface) of the earth and also because he was adam complexioned".
Moses (Musa AS) - the most mentioned Prophet in the Qur’an
"I saw Musa (Moses) and he was a black-skinned man." (Musnad Imam Ahmad Hadith #3365)
"As for Musa (Moses), he is a black-skinned man with very curly hair." (Sahih Bukhari #5913)
Al-Qutubi, the famous interpreter of the Qur'an says when talking about Musa's (AS) appearance: "Musa (AS) / Moses was extremely dark brown in skin color."
Musa was ‘adam’ — dark-skinned
Jesus (Isa AS)
"Ibn Umar said, “No! I swear by Allah that the prophet (pbuh) didn’t say that Jesus was light-skinned, but he said ‘While I was asleep, I was walking around the Kaaba when I saw a black-skinned man with straight hair between two men. I asked who the man was and I was told that he was Isa (Jesus) the son of Meryem" (Bukhari 3185)
Europeans were referred to as aḥmar, meaning red-skinned
Persians - were referred to as 'yellow-skinned'
Isa (AS) was referred to as rajalu aadam, meaning black-skinned man
Hajar - wife of Prophet Ibrahim (AS)
Hajar was of East African descent, through Egypt (before European and Middle Eastern invasion and migrations and subsequent mixing, Ancient Egyptians were genetically similar to East Africans and Nubians)
We reenact Hajar’s actions when we go to Hajj in Makkah by performing sa'ee — running seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa
Only showed a few Black individuals, such as King Najashi of the Aksum Empire, Bilal (RA), and Wahshi. But beyond these individuals, who are explicitly referred to as Black, there many other sahaba of African descent who were whitewashed in the film.
As part of the first migration (hejra) of sahaba to the Horn of Africa, many Muslims from Makkah moved to Abyssinia, making Africa the second continent Islam had reached and the first where there was an openly practicing community of Muslims.
According to Jalaluddin Suyuti and Ibn Jawzi, we know these additional sahaba are Black Muslims:
Sumayah (RA) - East African woman, first shaheeda (martyr) from the companions
Ammar ibn Yasir (RA) - the son of Sumayah (RA), escaped persecution but died later, and whose martyrdom was predicted by the Prophet ﷺ
Umm Ayman (RA) - the Prophet’s ﷺ “second mother”, helped raise him until and after his mother passed away - the Prophet ﷺ was entrusted to her by the Prophet’s ﷺ mother Aminah when she was passing away
Hamamah (RA) — one of the earliest female companions, sister or niece of Abraha (Christian king of Yemen, who marched on Makkah with the elephants). Of Ethiopian royalty, but sold into slavery, became one of the first companions to accept Islam. She was also the mother of Bilal (RA).
Lady Fidda — servant of the Ahl-al-Bayt (specifically Fatimah az-Zahra). Narrated the Hadith al-Kisa.
Al-Miqdad ibn Amir — beloved of the Prophet ﷺ, from Hadhramaut in Yemen. Among the first seven sahaba to convert.
Salim (RA), Mawla Abu Hudhayfa - teacher of Qur’an to the Companions
Ubadah ibn Samit (RA) - one of the first Madani Muslims, envoy to Egypt
8 sahaba mentioned in the Quran — Abraha, Idris, Ashraf, Ayman, Bahir, Tammamn, Tamim, and Nafi’ — among the hundreds of Ethiopians who lived in Madinah following return from the first hijra
Usama ibn Zayd (RA) - beloved son of the Prophet ﷺ - trusted to lead an army
Aslam (RA) the Shepherd - martyr of Khaybar
Abu Bakra (RA) - fought in the battle of the camel
Abu Nizyar (RA) - son of Najashi, strong supporter of the Ahl-al-Bayt
Abu Nasr (RA) - grandson of Najashi; caretaker of the Garden, martyred in Karbala alongside Imam Hussain (AS)
Additionally, there were also people who were considered hajin (a term describing half-breed horses, used by Arabs to described mixed-race people whose mothers were of non-Arab blood)
Amr ibn al-As - opened Egypt to Muslims, founded Cairo, mother was Ethiopian
Nufail ibn Abdul Uzza - grandfather of a major companion, cousin of Abdul-Muttalib (grandfather of the Prophet ﷺ)
Umar ibn al-Khattab - his father was ¾ Ethopian
Ahlul Bayt
In Tarikh Al Islam, Imam Al-Dhahabi narrates a hadith about Ali ibn Abi Taalib which describes him as Adam Shadeed Al-Udma (black-skinned)
Al-Suyuti narrates Ali ibn Abi Taalib as shadeed al-udma (black-skinned) here in Tarikh Al-Khulafaa:
”Ali was a heavyset, bald, hairy man of average height which leaned toward shortness. He had a large stomach and a large beard which filled all that was between his shoulders. His beard was white as if it was cotton and he was a black-skinned man”
Al-Hafidh Al-Dhahabi says: Muhammad Al-Nafs Al-Zakiyyah was “black-skinned and huge”. Al-Tabari says: “Muhammad Al-Nafs Al-Zakiyyah was tall, jet-black-skinned and huge. He was nick-named The Bituminous because of his blackness and Abu Ja’afar Al-Mansour used to call him Charcoal”.
Al-Zakiyyah was the grandson of both Imam al-Hasan and Hussain
His son led the rebellion against Abbasid caliphate, and his half-brother Maula Idris founded the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco
Described as “black-skinned”
The Imams of Ahl-ul-Bayt
Hamidah, mother of Imam Musa al-Kazim was from Nubia. She is renowned for her knowledge and piety. She was called Hamidah the Pure. Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq used to send the women to learn the tenets of religion from her.
The mother of Imam 'Ali al-Ridha also was also a Nubian woman, she was purchased and freed by Bibi Hamidah Khatun, the wife of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, who was of Nubian origin.
Imam Ali ibn Musa was said to be shadid udmah or aswad, meaning he had a very dark skinned or black complexion.
Imam Muhammad al-Taqi al-Jawwad's mother was also from Nubia.
Imam 'Ali al-Hadi's mother, Sammanah, was North African.
After the death of Imam Hasan al-'Askari she was the central figure around whom the whole community gathered and she guided them in the best possible way.
