Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 958 [Read full issue]
Openness and Objectivity
The story of the "sons of Arfida" — a familiar Arabian linguistic reference to Ethiopians — provides a telling illustration of the place of culture (here, of course, Black African culture) within the Prophetic dispensation. In celebration of an annual Islamic religious festival, a group of Black African converts began to beat leather drums and dance with spears in the Prophet's (peace be upon him) mosque. Umar ibn al-Khattab — one of the chief Companions — felt compelled to interfere and stop them, but the Prophet intervened on their behalf, directing Umar to leave them alone and noting to him that they were "the sons of Arfida," that is, not his people. The Prophet invited his wife Aisha to watch the dance, took her into the crowd, and lifted her over his back, so that she could watch them clearly as she eagerly leaned forward, her cheek pressing against his. The Prophet made it a point to dispel the Ethiopians' misgivings about Umar's intrusion and encouraged them to dance well and, in one account of this authentic story, reassured them to keep up their drumming and dancing, saying: "Play your games, sons of Arfida, so the Jews and Christians know there is latitude in our religion." [The story is related in Bukhari and Muslim, the concluding references is taken from Musnad al-Humaydi]
The Prophet's intervention to stop Umar made it clear that the Ethiopians were not to be judged by Umar's indigenous Arabian standards or made to conform to them. The "sons of Arfida" had their own distinctive cultural tastes and conventional usages. The fact that they had embraced Islam did not mean they were also required to commit cultural apostasy or become subservient to Arab customs. The Prophet allowed Muslim Arabs agency in their social expression and extended a similar right to non-Arabs. By his affirmation of the "sons of Arfida," he established an overriding sunna and abiding legal precedent for respecting different ethnic and cultural traditions and acknowledging the emotional needs, tastes, and cultural inclinations of all who embraced his teaching.
The Prophet cultivated openness and objectivity toward others — this was also part of his lesson to Umar — and such openness enabled his Companions to acknowledge the good in other cultures even when they were not only hostile to the rise of Islamic power but constituted Islam's most formidable enemy.
Compiled From:
"Islam and the Cultural Imperative" - Umar Faruq Abd-Allah