Al Jahiz Superiority

[Sinnerman]

Superiority of Blacks over Whites

Alternate titles: Abū ʿUthmān ʿAmr ibn Baḥr al-Jāḥiẓ; ʿAmr ibn Baḥr
al-Jāḥiẓ, in full Abū ʿUthmān ʿAmr ibn Baḥr al-Jāḥiẓ (born c. 776, Basra, Iraq—died868/869, Basra), Islamic theologian, intellectual, and litterateur known for his individual and masterful Arabic prose.

His family, possibly of Ethiopian origin, had only modest standing in Basra, but his intellect and wit gained him acceptance in scholarly circles and in society. During the reign of the ʿAbbāsid caliph al-Maʾmūn, al-Jāḥiẓ moved to the regime’s capital, Baghdad. He did not take a position at court but supported himself, at least in part, with contributions from patrons, often of high rank, in return for the dedications of his books. When the court moved to Sāmarrāʾ, al-Jāḥiẓ journeyed there, but shortly before his death he retired to Basra.

It's unclear whether he created this by himself, or he went to Africa and wrote this with the information given to him by the locals. Anyways, here's the entire document

http://www.academia.edu/5878362/Al_Jahiz_The_Glory_Superiority_of_Blacks_over_Whites

In the name of the Almighty, Merciful God; May God protect and keep you; let He make you
obey Him and make you part of his favorites. You mentioned – may Allah protect you from
deception – that you read my treatise (kitab) on the refutation of the pure Arabs to
those of mixed parentage, the replies of the mixed ones and the answers of their maternal
uncles. But I did not mention in it anything about the boasts of the Sudan. So know, -
may Allah preserve you – that I postponed that intentionally. And you mentioned that you
would like me to write to you the boasts of the Sudan, so I have written what I recall of
their boasts. Al-Asma'I said : Al-Fizr, a slave of the Fazara, who had a pierced earlobe
is known to have said: Harmony arrives quickly in the creation. Because of that goats
stay away from the sheep as long as there are goats around. The lamb avoids the
predators, and also does not feel close to the ones with big hoofs. Abu Zaid al-Nahwi
recited the following verse: Without harmony, man perishes. Saddad Al-Hariti - with
erudite eloquence - tells: “I requested from a black slave of the desert steppe:


-To whom do you belong, O Black one?
-To the Lord of Hadr (sedentary settlement), O Bald person.


-Aren't you black?
-Aren't you a bald person?
-Does truth thus puts you so much in anger?
- It is this truth which puts you so much in anger! Do not insult and you will be
dreaded; really best is than you give it up completely ".
Saddad concludes: “In truth, at the time when I addressed the word to her, I thought to
be worth all the inhabitants of Nagd and, at the time when she left me, I had the thought
not to be worth my slave”. Al 'Asma' i reports according to 'Isa b. 'Umar these words of
Du l-Rumma: “That Al1ah curses the black slave of the family of Such and Such! That she
speaks well and that she is eloquent!”. I asked him: “How is the rain which falls at your
place?” She answered: “We received as far as we wanted it”.

Qualities of the Blacks:


Among the Blacks, there is Luqman the Wise-one and it is him which said: “There are three
men who are known to us only into three (circumstances): he who preserves his control in
anger, the courageous one in the face of danger, the friend when you need him. He gave
his son the following advice: If you whish to remain with someone, make him angry before
that. You will learn in advance if he is just and good. This is the only quote of him we
regularly hear, because he had o to many sayings to chose from. More important then this
is that God called him "the Wise" in the Koran as well as his testament to his son.
Said ibn Jubair was also black. He got killed by Hajjaj at the age of 49 half a year
before Hajjaj himself died at the age of 53. Said was a very pious man highly esteemed
for his profound knowledge of the traditions of the prophet Mohamet and a companion of
Ibn Abbas. The Hadith-scholars doubt even all Hadith who come from the companions of Ibn
Abbas except those of Said ibn Jubair. His father was a marwa of the Asad tribe, and Said
himself was a marwa of the Umayads. After he was killed people felt the loss. Also among
the blacks was: the Ethiopian, Bilal, of whom Caliph Omar said that he alone was worth a
third of all Islam; Afga, the first to die in the holy wars of the Prophet; EI-Migdad,
the first to fight in the holy war as a horseman; El Wanshi, who killed the false
prophet, Musailima; known as "the Liar". He had the habit to say; I've murdered the best
one of all men; meaning Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, may God's peace rest on him - and I
killed the worst out of men, namely Musailima the impostor ".
And another Black, Makhul the lawyer. And another Black, Al-Haiqutan the poet, who was
higher [then the others] through his personal judgment, his reason and by the size of his
insights. It is him who said in connection to friends: “the friend is recognized when one
shares intimacy of the heart and when one accompanies one on a journey ". And another
Black, Gulaibib, on whom the transmitters said how the Envoy of Allah - How the blessing
and the safety of Allah are on him! - left to carry out a raid and after it asked his
companions: “Do we not miss somebody?”. They answered: “We seek Such and Such”. Then he
left again and asked them [again]; “Do we not miss somebody? “. They answered: “We seek
Such and Such”. Then he left again and asked them [again]: “Isn’t there somebody missing?
” 'They answered for the third time: “We do not seek anybody”. The Prophet said: “As for
me, I miss Gulaibib. Seek him!”. They went to seek and found him lying in the middle of
seven [men], which he in fact had killed. The Prophet - That the blessing and the safety
of Allah are on him - said: “He killed seven (men) and they killed him. This man is of me
and me of him!” The Hadith specialists adds: “Then the Prophet held him in his arms until
one had dug for him a tomb, without him having no other bed than the arms of the Prophet.
We do not know if they were able to wash him before the burial.. One of the Blacks was



Faraj, the barber-surgeon, who was so just that he was often called by the judges for
council. He was a freedmen of Jafar ibn Sulayman. He served Jafar many years cutting his
hair and beard. Jafar had never found him making mistakes in what he did or said. So he
decided to test him. If it really turns out his behavior is the result of inner- wisdom,
I will make him free, find him a wife, and make him rich. If things turn different, I
will have to take other steps. And one day when Faraj was cupping him he asked: slave do
you cup yourself to?


-Yes.
-And when?
-When I need some.
-Do you know when you need some?
- I know it most of the time, but sometimes it happens to me to make an error.
-What do you eat?
- In winter of sweetened big Dakbirah and in summer Sikbaga bitter-sweet ".
Ga' far b. Sulaiman kept his promises. It is in connection to this that Abu Firun said
(Ragaz):
“Out of the way, my wife is in front of me, I am a very close friend of Farag the layer
of suction cups ".
One says: Farag had acquired such a reputation of impartiality, of nobility of heart of
piety and religious scruple, that his owners, the descendants of Ga' far and the notable
ones of Mirbad required his testimony only for healthy businesses and without dispute ".

As for El-Haiqutan, he is the one who wrote the poem used in Yemen when arguing with the
Quaresh and Mubar. The same poem the people from Persia and Ethiopia use against the
Arabs. When the white poet, Jarir, saw El-Haiqutan in a white robe on a feast day, he
remarked, "He looks like the penis of a donkey wrapped in white paper." El-Haiqutan
replied to him in a poem in which he said, "Though my hair is wooly and my skin black as
coal I am generous and my honor shines. My color does not prevent my being valiant with
my sword in battle. Know, you who would boast of your petty glory : The people of the
Negus have more reason for glory then you. In the days that Islam was offered to
El-Julanda, Ibn Kisra, Harith, Hawdha, the Copts, and Caesar they all refused. Off al
the kings only the Negus accepted. As a result his kingdom lasted long, unmovable and
prosperous. Loqman was one of them, so to were his son and his mothers son. As well as
Abraha, the most renowned king. Abu Yaksum's invasion threatened the existence of your
country, and yet, you were as numerous as the grains (of sand), and more still, Like
the water birds, when, on them, fall in a deserted country, the bird with the bent claws
and gray of color. If another than Allah had wished to push back 'Abraha. You would
have noticed. That one which has the most experience of men is closest to the facts.
There is no claim to fame, except that you live opposite the Sanctuary, and that you lit
fires in its vicinity. If one of your chiefs, concerned his honor, advances (against
us), Or we face him, or he turns the back to us and as for what you say, that it is
about a divine prophecy, You did not know to protect the Sanctuary surrounded by veils.
You claim to be a tribe never subjugated and never paying tribute, But it is simpler to
pay a tax than to flee. If a sovereign had wanted to seize it, Then the Himyar and their
Maqawil would have come there. One can not stay there neither in summer nor in winter;
and its water is far from spouting out as in Guata. There is neither place pleasant to
the eye nor hunting ground, but only the trade, and the trade is a disdainful thing.
Aren't you (Garir) a puppy (kulaib) and your mother is she not a ewe?
Fats sheep are the source of your shame and your vanity. As for the verses: Gulanda, the
son of Chosroes, Harit, Hawda, the Copt and the worthy Cesar said no to Islam, then he
is referring to the time when the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) wrote to the Bana Julanda, but they
refused to listen. As was the case with Chosroes, of Harith ibn Abi Shamir, of Hawdha ibn
Ali al-Hanafi, of the Muqawqis, the patriarch of the Copts and ruler of Alexandria, and
of the emperor of Byzantium; Caesar. However the Bana Mulanda became Muslim some time
later, there where the Negus became Muslim before the conquest of Mecca and so retained
his dominions while God took away the treasures (meaning provinces) from the others. The
emperor of Byzantium; his diminished empire still exist, but he has been driven from
every place where the hoofs of horses can tread. What rests him are bays, the high
mountains, the strongest castles, the cold places and the rainy-windery ones. The poet
also talks proudly of Loqman and his son. When the poet says: Abu Yaksum invaded the
very heart of your country, and this despite the fact that you were as numerous as the
grains of sand. He alludes here to the Lord of the Elephant whose army's attacked Mecca
to destroy the Ka'ba. The Poet says : You were as numerous as the grains of sand, so why
did you flee from him ? None of you withstanding him until he reached Mecca. Mecca is the
mother of the cities. The Arabian Peninsula is the homeland of the Arabs and Mecca is one
of its towns, but an important and ancient one. Because of that it is considered the
mother of the peninsula. That is why with the conquest of conquests is meant the conquest
of Mecca. Similarly the Fatiha of the Book is called the Mother of the Book.

 

[Sinnerman]

It happens
that the Arabs say of a thing that it is the mother of what it did not generate. Thus the
expressions: he hid him on the top (Mother) of his head, of the same; Mother of hell. The
host calls his hostess “my hospital Mother”. A Bedouin, having been bitten by flees at a



woman of which he was the host, says (Ragaz):


O Hospital mother! That your face is saved to me; and that the supreme Master delivers
me from your residence and of the bites of flees which - I see it! - will make me die. I
spent the night to scratch me, to scratch myself as scrapes itself a scabrous camel,
during the rest. Allah - How He is exalted! - clarifies Mecca and the Temple, when He
says: “In truth, the first temple [which] was founded for people, is certainly that
located at Bakka, [temple] blessed and direction for the world ''. The poet wants to say:
when Mecca Mother of the cities, place of the Holy Temple and your claim to fame - was
the object of raids, it is you all which were the object of raids. As for the verses of
the poet: And as for what you say, it is about a divine prophecy; You did not know to
protect the Sanctuary, surrounded by veils.
You claim that your people have never been subjugated or paid tribute. But paying that
you will find easier then fleeing. This is why the poet Abid ibn al-Abras says: They
refused to submit to kings and are free-people. When they hear the call of war they go.
What he says means; you say you pay no tribute but paying is easier then fleeing and
surrender although you enormously outnumber your enemies. When the poet says: Your
country is not nice in winter or summer, nor is there the abundant water like Juatha (in
Bahrayn). He means conquering Mecca would never have brought profit, otherwise Yemen and
other countries would have. The climate is bad; in winter its people go to Taif; during
the heat to Jidda. And nothing in Mecca can compare with the lushness of Juatha. When
the poet says: There is no grazing for the male oryx, no hunting either; Only trading
places and trade is never a right occupation. He means Mecca has no lush green places,
hunting is prohibited. There are only merchants which have no good reputation. He also
says that the people of Mecca lack strength and kings refrain from taking their means of
living because they would not satisfy a king. Those from Mecca are unable to protect
themselves. Because of this the poet Muawiya ibn Aws said:
I bought, in a shop, more than one goatskin flask of wine, as swarthy as a man with the
dark skin, I folded back the opening of it on the neck, Folded back it resembled a
mutilated hand; I carried them to a greedy Arab merchant, or a wine merchant bearing
earrings and with cripple Arab. All these verses refer to the Quraysh. They say that the
Quraysh are merchants who seek the protection of the Sanctuary, and when they travel,
they carry the fruit of the palm tree and the bark of trees, so that they are recognized
and that nobody kills them.

The poet says: Are you not a member of the Kulayb tribe? Isn't your mother one of those
sheep?
Your fat sheep are both your pride and your shame. It is rumored that the Kulayd tribe is
having intercourse with their sheep just like the tribes of el-Araj and Sulaym. And the
people of the Ashja are rumored to have intercourse with goats. Al-Najashi said: If only
one of the tribes of the Quraysh had degraded me other then the goat buggers Sulaym and
Ashja.
Al Farazdaq said: As long as I live I will never be able to bring as sacrifice the milk
sheep that belonged to the Araj. After spending my money I may find the animal gives bird
to a boy. Another poet: If you want more money for your female donkey, just tell the
Darimi that you sell it. He will kiss its back, but for its dryness, would draw near to
its buttocks. The Darimi, when he copulates with the donkey wants his mouth to reach the
animals mouth. Abd ibn Rashid said: They are bad people, the best of them are still bad.
To the sheep they herd they are the male and the shepherd. When one of their women is
made ready for marriage; it will be the spotted sheep that weeps sincerely. This is why
Al 'Ahtal said (Kamil); Enjoy your ewes, O Garir. Because your heart encouraged you only
with the depravity in loneliness. This is why Al-Haiqutan says: Are not you not a puppy
(kulaib) and your mother is she not a ewe? Fat sheep are the source of your shame and
your vanity. As for shame, it is about their bad reputation in connection with the ewes.
As for their claim to fame: the poet makes it clear that, when they are prevailed of
something, it is ewes, if still they would arrive to the camels.


Among the claims to fame of the Blacks, of Zang and Abyssinians, in addition to the
fragment of the Al-Haiqutan poem, which we have mentioned, it is necessary to count,
after Garir b. Al-Hatafa who had turned against the Banu Taglib in (Kamil): Do not seek
really any maternal uncle at [Banu] Taglib, because Zang have maternal uncles nobler than
them [Banu Taglib], the verses of Sanih b. Ribah which, in anger, turns to Garir and,
against him, glorifies the Zang (Kamil): Why does this animal of the Kulayd talks bad
about us? Has he seen he is no match for Hajib and Iqal? Somebody who compares the donkey
called Maragha and her son (Jarir) to al Farazdaq is unreal and beyond understanding. If
you would meet Zanj in formation for battle, you would see noble heroes. Ask Ibn Amr,
when he sought out their spears, did he not find the Zanj spears to be long? They took
(killed) the son of Ziyad and they dismount their horses for battle. And when they have
dismounted to go to battle, what a battle. They left in their courtyards the horses of
war, while you had only sheep and lambs in your corals. Ibn Nadba, a warrior in your



ranks, was one of us blacks. So was Khufaf, who had many problems to take care of, and
the two sons of Zubayba, Antara and Harasa. We don't see other people like that in your
ranks . Ask Ibn Jayfar, when he marched against our homeland, How destructive they were
when they attacked him. Ans Sulayk, called the lion, or the respected Abbas, When they
attack, they all outshine you completely. Among them is also Ibn Khazim ibn Ajla. He
surpassed all tribes in courage and honesty. They were all sons of noble women, who were
on they turn descendents of noble women. They are the lions who bring up their little
ones.

And so are we nobler then the Kulaib because of our maternal uncles; You, however, you
are viler than them under this same report. And the sons of Al-Hubab, here are people who
can strike a lance or to nourish you. In winter, when the wind of the North blows. The
ibn 'Amr of which we talked is Hafs b. Ziyad b. 'Amr Al 'Ataki; he replaced his father as
the head of the Al-Haggag police force, when Ribah Sar az-Zangi seized the area of the
Euphrate, Hafq b. Ziyad went then to meet him. Ribah killed them, him and his men, and
pillaged his camp. As for Ibn Gaifar, it is an-Nu' man b. Gaifar b. 'Ubad b. Gaifar b. Al


Julanda (or Gulanda); they had made an incursion in Zang territory: The Zang killed them
and plundered the camp. Then the poet speaks about the sons of the Zang women, when they
draw towards the Zang in bravery and self-esteem. He mentions then Hufaf bin Nadba,
'Abbas b. Mirdas, the two sons of Saddad: 'Antara 'l-Fawaris and his brother Harasa, as
well as Sulaik bin as-Salaka. The latter, lions among the men, have the boldest hearts,
the most intrepid courage and they passed in proverb. One counts among ( the sons of the
Zang women) 'Abd Allah b. Hazim as Sulami, and the sons of Al-Hubab: 'Umair b. Al-Hubab
and his brothers. Al Jahhaf ibn Hakim was one of them to. They are also proud of Raban,
Bilal's brother, because of his piety also Amir ibn Fuhayra who was at Badr and died a
martyrs dead on the day of Bir Mauna, and those present saw him being raised up by God up
from the earth to the heaven, so he has no grave among us. Among the blacks is also
Yasir's family. They also say: El-Ghandaf who was with Ubayd Allah ibn al Hurr was one of
us, he was the most courageous among men. He would attack caravans single-handed. Also a
man with proverbial courage was Kabawayh who was with al Mughira ibn al Fizr. Marbah al
Ashram ; the young slave of general Abu Bahr was black to. He came here from Syria in the
days of Qutayba ibn Muslim. His reputation was so widespread that people tried not to
meet him. Also among them was El Maglul and his sons, who though slaves were very
generous and wise and were renowned among the people of the dessert about their knowledge
of it. Also among us was Aflah, who attacked caravans in Khorassan single handed for
twenty years. Malik ibn al-Rayb killed him after he had sodomized him in the middle of
the night, when he was to intoxicated and unarmed. The verses of his son testify about
this (Tawil): He Malik! If 'Aflah had not been drunk, you would have seen undoubtedly
that he is brother of the russet-red lion and even the eclipse! The Blacks continue:
coming from Abyssinia, we were Masters of the country of Arabia up to Mecca, and on all
the country our law reigned. We put to rout Du Nuwas, killed by the 'Aqyal Himyarites.
You, you never dominated our country. Your poet says (Tawil): They ruined Gumdan and
threw its roof down. Riyat and his troops, by an impetuous attack, with force. The
Abyssinians encircled it at night and threw down a construction built by the 'Aqyal at in
remote times, a multitude, of black color, coming from Al-Yaksum, such as the lions of
d’as-Sara, which would have been wearing a leopard skin. [Blacks] add: we count among us
Kabagila; no one of those who went up the Sulaiman channel and who fought in singular
combat did resemble him. They continue: also the forty are ours who revolted, at the time
of the qadi Sawwar b. 'Abd Allah, in the area of the Euphrates; they drove out their
dwellings the populations of this area and went on to an immense massacre of the
inhabitants of Ubulla. The one who did cut the head of Isa ibn Jafar in Oman with a
Bahrayni scythe when all were afraid was one of us.


Everybody knows that the Zanj are among the most generous of mortals ; a quality that is
found only among noble characters. These people have a natural talent for dancing to the
rhythm of the tambourine, without needing to learn it. There are no better singers
anywhere in the world, no people more polished and eloquent, and no people less given to
insulting language. All other peoples in the world have their stammerers, those who have
difficulty in pronouncing certain sounds, and those who cannot express themselves
fluently or are downright tongue-tied, except the Zanj. Sometimes some of them recite
before their ruler continuously from sunrise to sunset, without needing to turn round or
pause in their flow. No other nation can surpass them in bodily strength and physical
toughness. One of them will lift huge blocks and carry heavy loads that would be beyond
the strength of most Bedouins or members of other races. They are courageous, energetic,
and generous, which are the virtues of nobility, and also good-tempered and with little
propensity to evil. They are always cheerful, smiling, and devoid of malice, which is a
sign of noble character.

 

[Sinnerman]

Some people say that their generosity is due to their stupidity,
shortsightedness and lack of foresight, but our reply is that this is a scurvy way of
commending generosity and altruism. At that rate the wisest and most intelligent man
would be the most stingy and ungenerous. But in fact the Slavs are more stingy than the



Byzantines, and the latter more intelligent and thoughtful; according to our opponents'
argument, the Slavs ought to be more generous and open-handed than the Byzantines.
Likewise we see that women have less sense than man and children have less sense than
women, but are meaner than they are. If more sense meant greater meanness, then the child
should be the most generous of all. Yet in fact we know nothing on earth that is worth
than a boy, for he is the most untruthful of mankind, the most calumnious, the nastiest,
and the meanest, the least inclined to do good, and the most ruthless. Only gradually
does the boy leave these qualities as he gains in sense and gains in good deeds. How then
can the lack of sense be the cause of generosity in the Zanj? You have admitted that they
are generous, and then you make assertions which are untenable, and we have already shown
you the fallacy of your argument according to true reasoning. This opinion would mean
that the coward is wiser than the brave man, the treacherous wiser than the loyal, and
that the worrier is wiser than the patient man. This is something for which you have no
proof. These qualities in man are a gift of God. Sense is a gift, and good character is a
gift, and generosity and courage likewise. The Zanj say to the Arabs: You are so
ignorant that during the jahiliyya (the times of ignorance ) you regarded us as your
equals when it came to marrying Arab women, but with the advent of the justice of Islam
you decided this practice was bad. Yet the desert is full of Zanj married to Arab wives,
and they have been princes and kings and have safeguarded your rights and sheltered you
against your enemies. You even have sayings in your language which vaunt the deeds of our
kings--deeds which you often placed above your own; this you would not have done had you
not considered them superior to your own. Al Namr ibn Tawlab recited the following poem:
Bad luck came over his rule as over Tubba and the great king Abraha, placed him higher
then the princes of his own country. Labid ibn Radi'a recited the following: If a person
could reach eternity during his lifetime, Abu Yaksum would be among those. This kind of
virtue has never been ascribed to anyone before.


The (Zanj) also say: from Labid's verses it becomes also clear that you put our kings
higher then your own.
Darkness came over those who survived from Muharriq's family. Darkness that had done its
work with Tubba and Heraclius, Darkness that had vanquished Abraha, who was living in the
palace of Mawkal. So he prefers Abraha , but he would like the other kings to be his
equals. The (Zanj) say : The Ethiopian, Akym ibn Akym, was more eloquent than Eli-Ajjaj.
It is from him that the Syrians learnt the sciences and also from El Montagi ibn Nabhan,
who was a native of Negroland and had a pierced ear. He had come to the Arabian desert as
a child and left it with a complete knowledge of Arabic. Hakim ibn Ayash al Kalbi said:
Don't feel pride in the maternal uncle from the Asad tribe; because even the Zanj and
Nubians are more noble to have as uncles then they. Akym ibn Akym the Abyssinian made the
following response: On the day of the battle of Ghumdun we were like lions and on the day
of Yathrib we were the stallions of the Arabs. On the fearful day of the elephant the
hearts of the Arabs deserted them and they fled on their camels. The negus is one of us;
and Dhul Aqsayn is your brother in law. The grandfather of Abraha, the protector of Abu
Talib was one of us. I have to forgive Adnan if he makes fun with us ; because what can
be said of the genealogy of the Himyari? They are muleteers, assembled from everywhere,
gathered as a net gathers fish in the stormy sea. Gumdan, a fortress, ordinary the
residence of the king - then Persian - who reigned on Yemen. When Abyssinians seized
Yemen, they let remain only of the ruins which 'Utman b. 'Affan - That Allah satisfied
with him! - destroyed at the time of the coming of Islam, while saying: “It is necessary
to extirpate the vestiges of the gahiliya (the false prophet)”. The fortress comprised a
cistern, capped by an asbestos roof, of which Halaf Al 'Ahmar said; and an asbestos
cistern, which demolished by the attacking Abyssinian, and his king. About it, Qudama,
the wise of the Moslem East and Master in alchemy, has said (Tawil); He lit its fire
there; nevertheless fire Would last indefinitely, the cistern does not disappear,
because asbestos, even if a fire burned there thousand years, would not heat. Those
which launch the naphtha coat themselves with some, when they want to penetrate into the
fire. Labid says (Wafir); O friendly, do you not see a flash illuminating the black
night, like the flame on the wick of the lamp? I could not find the sleep, while the
flash moved away towards Nagd in the motionless night, and when the companions were held
dormant on their saddles of wood. Its shoddy cloud illuminated the heavy clouds and there
cut out silhouettes of Abyssinians, Armed with small swaths and javelins.


"Labid," he says, "used this imagery because when the Ethiopians, splendid in the
blackness of their skins and in the vigor and strength of their superb bodies, attacked
with their spears, bows, and arrows they spread an unimaginable terror around them." When
Ukaym says : On the day of Yathrib we were the stallions of the Arabs. It is a reference
to Musrif ibn Uqba al Murri the general who gave the conquered city (Medina) over to the
troops for pillage and the Negroes cohabited with the captured women, which are mentioned
in the following verses of Mudar; Ask Musrif El Mwirri the general in question about the
morning when he gave the captured virgins over to his weather-beaten Negro soldiers. On
this occasion the Zanj fought you, Whites, in spite of your rage. Wahrig defended you



with his Persians, whilst the Ethiopian general commanded in the midst of destruction. It
was then the women of your race were enjoyed by a Negro, whose phallus was the size of a
donkey's.

When the poet says: They are muleteers, assembled from everywhere, gathered as
a net gathers fish in the stormy sea. He here accepted what story tellers say about
Himyar.-That they used to be muleteers. The Negroes can also be proud of the fact that
the single dead person over whom the Prophet ever prayed was their ruler, the Emperor of
Ethiopia. He prayed for the Negus, while the Prophet was in Medina, and the tomb of the
Negus in Abyssinia. And also: “the Negus is who gave in marriage to the Prophet - That
blessing and the safety of Allah be on him! - 'Umm Habiba, girl of Abu Sufyan: he asked
Halid b. Sa' id to be the tutor of 'Umm Habiba, offering in the name of the Prophet - How
the blessing and the safety of Allah are on him! - a dowry of four hundred dinars. And
also: we made you three presents: the civet, the most sweet perfume, most exquisite and
noblest; the litter; it is the best defense for the women and best protection for what is
sacred for man; the codex: it preserves best its contents and ensure best preservation;
it is splendid and most handy. And also: we inspire the most fear in the heart and catch
most of the glances (of the onlookers), just as the carriers of black (Abbasid) inspire
more fear and fill up more the heart than the carriers of white (Umayyad), in the same
way the night inspires more fear than the day. And also: the color black always inspires
the most fear. The Arabs, to describe their camels, say: “the black horses are most
beautiful and most robust, the black cows best and most beautiful, and their skins are
most valuable, most useful and most durable. The black ewes give the fattiest milk and
creamy, moreover the dark brown ewes give more milk then the russet-red ewes”. while
every stone and hill is dryer and harder the more it is black. The black lion is
invincible. The black date is the highest quality. Healthy date palms have black stems. A
hadith of the Prophet says : Follow the great black color. The poet al-Ansari says: I'm
in debt but I do not have to worry; because I own tall date groves, well pruned and every
heavy laden palm seems to have been smeared with the pitch of blood of sacrificed
animals.


The Zanj say that the best green is the darkest green. God, may he be exalted said: And
besides these there are two gardens. When describing them so as to make people long for
them God called them dark green. Ibn Abbas said : they became dark green through
irrigation. Black ebony is the most solid and most durable of woods. It s also most
expensive , free of disease, best fit for art-work. It is so heavy that of all woods
expensive and cheap ones only ebony sinks in the water. Remember that even certain stones
do not sink while ebony sinks immediately. A person remains handsome as long as his hair
is still black and in paradise everyone will have black hair. The pupils of the eye, too
are black and are they not the most precious part of the human body. The most expensive
kohl is made of antimony which is black. This is why a hadith of the Prophet states that
God will have all the faithful enter paradise hairless (on their body) beardless, and
their eyes blackened with kohl. Man doesn’t have anything more useful in him than his
liver, which ensures the good operation of the stomach and the digestion of food and the
good functioning of the unit maintains the life of the body; however, the liver is black.
Man does not have anything more valuable, more expensive in him than the black bile of
his heart, a clot of black blood situated in the folds of this internal organ; it holds
in this heart the same place as the brain in the head. The woman does not have anything
sweeter and more pleasant than her lips, for the kiss; however, they are all the more
beautiful as they are as close to the black as possible. Du r-Rumma says (Basit): Sunk
are its lips blood-colored and purple, Of the same are her gums, fine and bright her
teeth. The most pleasant shade and freshest is the shade [well] black. The poet says
(Ragaz): Jet black, similar to the shade projected by the stone. Humaid b. Tawr says
(Tawil): We sought the shade of a cave, while our mounts Sought the wood shade shaded on
which would fall the evening, trees in the major shades, like Ascetic nuns, who prohibit
the wine. Allah created, the night for the rest and recovery, and the day for the profit
and the labor. One can also say that black is associated with activity as scorpions and
snakes come out at night and bring their poison into the night. This activity counts for
most wild animals and also ghosts. All this happens during the night. The blacks say; we
also resemble the night like this. They also say : the greatest of siestas that last the
longest is in the darkness of the closed door and windows. They also say : no color is
deeper and homogeneous then black. A proverb to say that something is very far: You will
not see this until tar becomes white and the raven gray-haired. According to the
philosophers, black is the accident that fills the area. Musk and amber are the best
perfumes. Both are black; as are the hardest rock. Abu Daddil al-Jumahi said the
following lines in praise of al Azzaq al Makhzumi who was called Abd Allah ibn Abd Shams
ibn al Mughira: My gratefulness to you is boundless; as long as there are rocks in the
valley of the Lebanon, you will be the object of praise and precious in value. Just as
there is no fault in the Black Stone.

The Arabs draw glory from the black color. If an objector advances; “On what is that
based, as they say: Such is of a pure white, bursting of whiteness, white and of clear


face? We will answer: By this, the Arabs do not mean the whiteness of the skin, but
rather the nobility and purity of character. The Hudr (of Banu) Muharib draw glory from
their dark color, and people with the black dye are called among Arabs the hudr.
As-Sammah b. Dirar says (Tawil): The camels leave in the evening Zarud, and [the setting
sun] covered Zubala with the coat of the night. The poet says (Ragaz); Until the moment
when the morning draws me from a dark night, Like the valiant knight who takes from the
sleeve the well soaked sword. The Arabs qualify the iron as dark, because it is hard,
and that it is dark means black. Al-Harit b. Hilliza says (Munsarih): When we force our
camels from the branches of palm tree of Bahrain, a race not stopped until Al-Hisau
retains them. We then put to defeat the troop of the son of Umm Qatam, The ones with
the dark weapons of Persia. Al-Muharibi said the following about his being a member of
the Khudr clan. Every man of virtue knows I'm a member of the Khudr clan of the tribe of
Qays. Not easily to command; not enduring any injustice, and mentally sharp. The clan of
Mughira are the Khudr of the tribe of Makhzum . Al Makhzumi spoke the following lines,
which were also from al-Fadl ibn al-Abbas al Lihbi: I am the famous Al Akhdar, very well
known The dark one in the land of the Arabs. Those finding me in a contest as adversary,
find a noble man. The one who fills the bucket to the knot in the rope. The Khudr of the
Ghassan tribe are the royal house of Jafna. Al Ghassani said: According to Al Hakam I'm a
descendent from the royal Khudr. Of those who paid the blood money to those of Baris.
Some poet; maybe Hassan mentions the Khudr of the Ukaym tribe; saying; You are not from
the nobles of the clan Hashim, neither from the Jumah, Khudri, and the other powerful.
The ten sons of Abd el Mottalib the grandfather of Mohammed were all black and strong.
The Amir ibn al Tufayl said that the Kaba was well guarded when he saw them on black
camels going around the Kaba. Ibn Abbas was black and very tall. Those of Abu Talib's
family , who are the most noble of men, are more or less black.

 

[Sinnerman]

The Zanj say: The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: I was send to the red and the black. And
everybody knows that the Zanj, Abyssinians and Nubians or surely not white or red but
definitely black.
We know that Allah, the Most Powerful and Exalted, sent His Prophet (to the people), all
of them: Arabs and non-Arabs (ajam) alike. And if he (Muhammad) said: I was sent to the
ruddy (Al-ahmar) and the dark-skinned (al-aswad), then in his view we are neither ruddy
nor light-skinned (bid); so he was sent to us. Indeed, his use of the dark-skinned refers
to us, as the people (of our community) are in one of these categories (i.e. either ruddy
or dark-skinned). Therefore, if the Arabs are ruddy, then they belong to the Byzantines
(Rum), Slaves (Saqaliba), Persians and Khurasanis. But if they belong to the dark-skinned
peoples, then they are a sub-category of our stock. So they are called
medium-complexioned and brownish-black (sumr sud) when they are classified with us, as
the Arabs use the masculine gender to refer to a group consisting of females and males
and if the Prophet – may Allah be pleased with him – knew that the Zanj, Ethiopians and
Nubians were not ruddy or light-skinned, rather dark-skinned, and that Allah Most High
sent him to the dark-skinned and the ruddy, then surely he made us and the Arabs equals.
Hence, we are the only dark-skinned people. If the appellation dark-skinned applies to
us, then we are the pure Sudan, and the Arabs only resemble us. Therefore we are the
first people to whom he was missioned. Thus the appellation of the Arabs is predicated on
ours, since we alone are designated dark-skinned, and they are not so designated unless
they are part of us. The Zanj also say: The Arabs think that the more people the better
but we are the most numerous on this world, and have the most children. You can say there
are two kinds of people among us (among the Zanj) the ants and the dogs. Trying to
measure the amount of Arabs with the amount of ants you will see the ants are more
numerous. Well then still add the dogs to that amount. You really have to add on the
people of Abyssinia, Nubia, Fazzan, Marawa, Zaghawa and all the other black tribes.
Qahtan is far from Adman. We are closer kin to the Abyssinians and our mothers are closer
kin then those of Adnan are to Qahtan. When talking about languages the one from Ajuz of
the Hawazin tribe is very different. Languages can be very different but still have the
same origin; or have different origins but resemble each other anyhow. The language in
the different regions of Khurasan differ as well as those of Jibal and Faris it all
depends on the region but they have the same origin.. They say: You have never seen the
genuine Zanj. You have only seen captives who came from the coasts and forests and
valleys of Qanbuluh, from our menials, our lower orders, and our slaves. The people of
Qanbaluh have neither beauty nor intelligence. Qanbaluh is the name of the place by which
your ships anchor.


The natives in the Bilad Zanj are in both Qambalu (Pemba) and Lunjuya (Unguja), just as
Arabs are the descendants of Adnan and Qahtan in the Middle East.
You have yet to see a member of the Langawiya kind, either from the coast (al-Sawahil),
or from the interior (al-Jouf). If you would meet these, you would forget the issue of
fair looks and perfection. Now if you refuse to believe this, saying that you have yet to
meet a Zanji with the brains even of a boy or a woman, we would reply to you, have you
ever met among the enslaved of India and Sindh individuals with brains, education,


culture and manners so as to expect these same qualities in what has fallen to you from
among the Zanj.

. Yet you know how much there is in India of mathematics, astronomy,
medical science, turnery and woodwork, painting, and many other wonderful crafts. How
does it happen that among the many Indian captives you have made there has never been one
of this quality, or even a tenth of this quality? If you say, People of standing,
intelligence and knowledge only live in the centre, near the seat of government; these
are hangers-on uncouth types, peasants, people of the coast and swamps and forests and
islands, plowmen and fishermen, we answer you; the same is true of those who you see and
those you do not see of us. Our answer to you is as your answer to us. They say; If a
Zanji and a Zanji women marry and their children remain after puberty in Iraq, they come
to rule the roost thanks to their numbers, endurance, knowledge, and efficiency. On the
other hand, the child of an Indian and an Indian woman, or of a Greek and a Greek woman,
or of a Khurasani and a Khurasani women remain among you and in your country in the same
condition as their fathers and mothers. The child of two Zanji parents does not remain
thus after puberty, so that we do not find, among ten thousand, one who does what we
said, except when a Zanji mates with a non-Zanji woman or a Zanji women with a non-Zanji
man. Were it not for the fact that neither the Zanji man nor the Zanji women has much
desire for people of other races, we would see an abundant progeny for Zanji men, while
Zanji women hardly respond to non-Zanji men. They say: Likewise, you whites are not very
active in seeking progeny from Zanji women, and the Zanji women falls pregnant more
swiftly to a Zanji than to a white man. They say; it hardly ever happens among you that a
man has a hundred children sprung from his loins, unless it is a Caliph, and then it is
because of the large number of his women. You don’t find this among the rest of you.
Among the Zanj so large a progeny would not be considered remarkable, for there are many
such in their country. A Zanji woman bears about 50 times in about 50 years, each bird
being twins, so that there are more then ninety. For it is said that women do not bear
children when they reach 60, except for what is told of the women of Quraysh in
particular.


The Zanj are the most eager of all God’s creatures for their women, and so also their
women for them. They are also better compared to other women. Please think about what we
have said. We have used facts from history as arguments and explained or quoted poetry
from Arabs and others. Al Farazdaq was the one specialist of women and he had tried all
races and remained unsatisfied. So he finally married Umm Makkiya the Zanj women and
stayed with her. Forgetting all others because of her qualities. He made the following
verse: He quotes Arab poet Farazdaq (d730) How many a tender daughter of the Zanj walks
about with a hotly burning oven as broad as a drinking bowl. Dananir the daughter of
Kabawayh al Zanji lived with Asha Sulaym. She was extremely black. Once she dyed her
hands with henna and her eyes with black kohl. He made the following verse of it. She
dyes the palm of her hands, palms as if clipped off from her forearm. She dyes the henna
with her black color. She seems with the kohl in her pencil, as if she is applying kohl
to her eyes with part of her skin. She answered with the following poem: Uglier than my
color is the blackness of his arse. Contrasting with his skin, which is like palm pith or
even whiter. In the streets they started calling him black and the street kids yelled it
and he divorced her. The day of their wedding he had said: Dinars are of poor metal; and
her response was: A white head is worse then my black color. The worst however are gray
eyebrows. He kept quiet for some time and then attacked again. When she finally brought
disgrace on him he divorced her. They say; If white men look on black women without
desire, so too do black men look on white women without desire, for passions are habits
and mostly convention. Thus, for the people of Basra, the most desirable women are
Indians, the daughters of Indian women and Ghuris; for the Yemenis the most desirable
women are Ethiopians and the daughters of Ethiopian women; for the Syrians the most
desirable women are Greeks and the daughters of Greek women. Each people has a taste for
the women whom they import as slaves and captives, apart from the exceptions, and no
inferences can be drawn from exceptions.

The Negroes also have the sweetest breath and the greatest amount of saliva being in this
respect like the dog as compared with other animals. The Zanj say: Black delights the
eye. When the eyes hurt a common prescription is sitting in the dark with a rag over the
eyes. Good eyesight is the most precious thing for a person. They say : The blacks are
more numerous than the whites. The whites at most consist of the people of Persia, Jibal,
and Khurasan, the Greeks, Slavs, Franks, and Avars, and some few others, not very
numerous; the blacks include the Zanj, Ethiopians, the people of Fazzan, the Berbers, the
Copts, and Nubians, the people of Zaghawa, Marw, Sind and India, Qamar and Dabila, China,
and Masin... the islands in the seas between China and Africa are full of blacks, such as
Ceylon, Kalah, Amal, Zabij, and their islands, as far as India, China, Kabul, and those
shores.


They say; Al-Ishtiyan the blind man used to say; There are more blacks than whites, more


rocks than mud, more sand than soil, more saltwater than sweet water. They say; The Arabs
belong with us and not with the whites, because their color is nearer to ours. The
Indians are more bronzed than the Arabs, and they belong to the blacks. For the Prophet,
God bless and save him, said; I was sent to the red and the black, and everyone knows
that the Arabs are not red, as we already have stated above. He said; This advantage
belongs to us and to the Arabs, as against the whites, if the Arabs want it. If they do
not want it, then the advantage is ours alone against all the rest. The Zanj also say: If
we are more numerous because of Zabaj alone we would still be far superior to you because
of our merit. If it happens that the king of Zabaj has problems with the citizens, and
they don't pay their taxes, he sends his army of thousands of people not with orders to
beat and fight them. He does give orders for his soldiers to settle between them till
they pay them. His army is bothering the people so badly by taking food and clothing from
them that it is easier to pay the taxes. If they still don't pay he sends more regiments.
The local rulers always wind up paying for fear he and his people will finally be
destroyed by the army.


Once a king of Zabay reached an estuary which is several parasangs long and wide. In his
camp he heard a women crying. He interrupted his meal to go and ask what had happened. He
was told that the son of the women was eaten by a crocodile in the swamp. The king got
angry because a creature existed that just like him took the right to decide on live or
dead of his people. He dived into the water, all his soldiers followed him. They
finished every single crocodile in the place with their hands. The people of Zabay alone
are half of the population on earth. On the ends of the inhabited world all are black
people. These ends are more populated then the central area, just like the circumference
of a windmill in the wind is bigger than the pivot of that windmill. It is like the
balcony of a house; it is narrow but as it goes all around the house its total area is
bigger then the house itself. After the land of Zabay there are no more white people as
we have reached there the periphery of the world where all are black. This is a proof
that we are more numerous then the whites and we have the right to be proud of it. One of
the white poets said: You are not more then they in number and glory belongs to those
bigger in number. The Zanj also say: The Copts too are blacks. Abraham the friend of God
married one of them and so was born a big prophet the ancestor of the Arabs; Ismael. The
Prophet (p.b.u.h.) also married one of them and Ibrahim was born. The angel Gabriel when
addressing the prophet called him father of Ibrahim. The Zanj also say: The Black Stone
is from paradise. The darker a piece of copper the more it is worth.

 

[Sinnerman]

To those who despise the color black, we would reply that the excessive lanky, thin, and
reddish hair of the Franks, Greeks, and Slavs, the redness of their locks and beards,
the whiteness of their eyelashes, are uglier and more loathsome. There are no albinos
among blacks, but only among you. The Zanj also say : We also have philosophers from
among us as well as theologians and we have fine manners. God may he be exalted , did not
make them black in order to disfigure them; rather it is their environment that made them
so. The best evidence of this is that there are black tribes among the Arabs, such as the
Banu Sulaim bin Mansur, and that all the peoples settled in the Harra, besides the Banu
Sulaim are black. These tribes take slaves from among the Ashban to mend their flocks and
for irrigation work, manual labor, and domestic service, and they take their wives from
among the Byzantines; and yet it takes less than three generations for the Harra region
to give them all the complexion of the Banu Sulaim. This region is such that the
gazelles, ostriches, insects, wolves, foxes, sheep, asses, horses and birds that live
there are all black. White and black are the results of environment, the natural
properties of water and soil, distance from the sun, and intensity of heat. There is no
question of metamorphosis, or of punishment, disfigurement or favor meted out by Allah.
Besides, the land of the Banu Sulaim has much in common with the land of the Turks, where
the camels, beasts of burden, and everything belonging to these people is similar in
appearance: everything of theirs has a Turkish look. The soldiers of the frontier
garrisons on this side of the Awsim sometimes come across Byzantine sheep mixed up with
sheep belonging to the local inhabitants, but they have no difficulty in distinguishing
the Byzantine flocks from the Syrian by their Byzantinity. When one comes across the
descendents of Bedouin men and women who have ended up in Kurasan it is immediately
apparent that they are the barbarians of these parts.


This exists in all things. Thus we see that locusts and worms on plants are green, and we
see that the louse is black on a young man’s head, white if his hair whitens, red if it
is dyed.
Our blackness, O people of the Zanj, is not different from the blackness of the Banu
Sulaym and other Arab tribes we have mentioned. And the very blackness of the
Zanj is like the total whiteness of the white men.


The same rules apply to the brown color of the children of mixed marriages, also on their
appearance, their habits in eating and desires. A poet when talking about Usaylim ibn al
Alnaf al Asadi mentioned the blackness of the people of Yemen. There is Usaylim, easily
noticed by those searching . He belongs to the elite chiefs through his line of descent.
Others then in fear of his royal birth clap their hands. Black musk is applied to his hair as well as perfumed oil. If the black Yemenites would make him a woolen cloak, they
have to make it thin and wide. A slave of the Bana Jada; being laughed at because of his
black color said: They ridicule me because of my black color. I answered that only very
stupid men can do so. Because as much as my skin is black I am in character white. I help
friends in their needs as well as women traveling in their litters. When I have to face a
fight (litt: the lance) I am called father of Saraq. The wife of Amr ibn Sha treated Irar
ibn Amr badly. Because he was the son of a black women. Because of this he said the
following on the children of Abyssinian and Zanj women: Did she not notice that I'm grown
up and humble, so that I do not answer anger with anger? Like the courageous I bow in
silence. If a courageous man would find it proper he would bite deeply. Her aim was to
humiliate Irar and those wanting to do so are very unjust. Although he is dark, he has
a very good figure If you really are like me and have principles, then be for him like
the date butter which smoothens the skin. If not get away even by horse, with provisions
for 5 days without rest stops. As regards the Indians, they are among the leaders in
astronomy, mathematics in particular, they have Indian numerals, and medicine; they alone
possess the secrets of the latter, and use them to practice some remarkable forms of
treatment. They have the art of carving statues and painted figures. They possess the
game of chess, which is the noblest of games and requires more judgment and intelligence
than any other. They make Kedah swords, and excel in their use. They have splendid music,
including that of the kankala, an instrument with a single string mounted on a gourd,
which takes the place of the many stringed lute and cymbals. They know a number of
sprightly dances.

To them belong the variety of arts from sword fighters to magicians and fumigators and
medical skills. They posses a script capable of expressing the sounds of all languages as
well as many numerals. They have a great deal of poetry, many long treatises, and a deep
understanding of philosophy and letters; the book Kalila wa-Dimna originated with them.
They are intelligent and courageous, and have more good qualities than the Chinese. Their
sound judgment and sensible habits led them to invent pins, cork and toothpicks, the
drape of clothes and the dyeing of hair. They are handsome, attractive and forbearing,
their women are proverbial, and their country produces the matchless Indian aloes which
are supplied to kings. They were the originators of the science of fikr by which a poison
can be counteracted after it has been used, and of astronomical reckoning, subsequently
adopted by the rest of the world. When Adam descended from Paradise, it was to their land
that he made his way.


The Zanj also say : Among our good qualities are our good singers. As you can find among
the slave girls from Sind. Also nobody is a better cook then the black slaves from Sind.
Also moneychangers will never entrust their money then to those from Sind or their
descendents as they are found to be better in those affairs, more alert and worthy of
thrusting . One hardly ever finds a Greek or a Khorassan in a position of trust in a
bank. When the bankers of Basra saw the excellent affairs that Faraj Abu Kub, a Sindi,
had negotiated for his master, each of them took a Sindi assistant. They all wanted to
make the profit his master had made. Caliph Sultan Abdelmalik ibn Mcrwan often said, "El
Adgham is a master among all the Orientals." This El Adgham is also mentioned by Abdullar
ibn Khnazim, who calls him, "An Ethiopian, a black son of Ethiopia. And this is all that
came to my mind about what the blacks could be proud about. In former books we wrote of
the pride of the Qahtan and later on if God whishes I will write on the pride of the
Adnam against the Qahtan in much of what they said.

 

[Sinnerman]

upping

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Refutes the idea that blacks were subordinate to other races throughout history.

 

[Sinnerman]

upping

 

[Bawon Samedi]

I'm bumping this thread. I may post some stuff in here.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Just posted this on Egyptsearch. Found some sources on how the early Arabs viewed themselves and how they were not always racist against blacks but looked up to them. From an article (note they cite their sources).

Also called Mobarrad, full name Abu Al-‘Abbas Muhammad Ibn Yazid, is a book on grammar

What he (Fadl ibn al Abas) meant by: I am the green one; is the dark one, the black one. The Arabs used to take pride in their darkness and blackness and they had a distaste for a light complexion and they used to say that a light complexion was the complexion of the non-Arabs.

^^^So the early Arabs were proud of their blackness and had a distate for lighter skin complexion? How did Islam become so anti-black later on when the early Arabs were fond of their blackness? But note "light skin complexion is that if non-Arab".

Al Marvazi: Kitab Taba’i al Hayawan (1120) (Book on Animals) from Persia.

—————————————————–

Taken from: Marvazi on China, the Turks and India 1942

Complete name: Sharaf al-Zaman Tahir MarvaziAlso called: Al Marwazi

He took his information from a missing geographical work from Al-Jayhani

On the Habasha:

The Habasha (Ethiopians) are a category under which come different classes of people such as the Nubians, Zanj, etc.. Their territories consist of extensive countries with a wide-stretching periphery the extremity of which ends where habitation ends and cultivation and procreation ceases…..

As for the heat in the lands of Habasha and Zanj, it reaches the extreme limit in scorching. They find beauty in the intensity of blackness and abhor whiteness and hold that a white man cannot be healthy...

...It is said in the Tawarikh (Histories) that one of the kings of Khorasan crossed the Oxus in order to fight the Turks. In his troops there were some Zanj. When the Turks sallied forth to meet them, they saw the Zanj,

^^^If I'm reading this correctly, it seems "blackness" was not looked upon negative, but something of beauty? Not only that but it appears Zanj were probably a mix of free and enslave men.


But lets see what Africans thought about the Arabs:

The Blacks continue: coming from Abyssinia, we were Masters of the country of Arabia up to Mecca, and on all the country our law reigned. We put to rout Du Nuwas, killed by the ‘Aqyal Himyarites. You, you never dominated our country.

Its over-exaggerrated that blacks were always enslaved in Arabia. Blacks came as conquerors, and Abyssinia(modern day Ethiopia) ruled over Yemen and had kings over there. The text also reveals there were free Zanj amongst the Arabs and that the Zanj married Arab women. The Arabs use to look up to the Zanj. The Zanj were highly advanced even before Islam. Male Zanj also use to marry Arab women and the Arabs use to look up to Zanj kings.

The Zanj say to the Arabs: You are so ignorant that during the jahiliyya (the times of ignorance ) you regarded us as your equals when it came to marrying Arab women, but with the advent of the justice of Islam you decided this practice was bad. Yet the desert is full of Zanj married to Arab wives, and they have been princes and kings and have safeguarded your rights and sheltered you against your enemies.

You even have sayings in your language which vaunt the deeds of our kings–deeds which you often placed above your own; this you would not have done had you not considered them superior to your own.

Labid ibn Radi’a recited the following:

If a person could reach eternity during his lifetime, Abu Yaksum would be among those.

This kind of virtue has never been ascribed to anyone before.

The (Zanj) also say: from Labid’s verses it becomes also clear that you put our kings higher then your own. Darkness came over those who survived from Muharriq’s family. Darkness that had done its work with Tubba and Heraclius, Darkness that had vanquished Abraha, who was living in the palace of Mawkal. So he prefers Abraha , but he would like the other kings to be his equals.

A hadith of the Prophet says : Follow the great black color.

So again there was a different view of blacks in general back then.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Also I should note that it is important to know that Abyssinians/Ethiopians thought themselves as rightful rulers of Arabia as late as the 14th century. Showing that Africans often saw Arabia as a colony.

Adjoining the Berber are the Abyssinians, the most numerous and powerful of the Blacks. From their country Yemen once had its kings. The king of the Abyssinians was entitled Al Negashi and the capital of his kingdom was the city of Kaber. The Abyssinians are Christians but it is said that one of their kings embraced the true faith when Mohammed visited their country in the Hijra. They believe they are destined to become masters of Yemen and all Arabia 93

The Negroland of Arabs Examined and Explained

It should be similar to Ancient Egypt and Ancient Nubia. We assume that Zanj and Nubia are just in the shadow of Egypt and Arabs, but the Egyptians were influenced by the Nubians and often intermaried with Nubians...

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Bump.

Those interested in black/Arab relations in early periods should read through this thread.

 

[I.AM.PIFF]

"Though my hair is wooly and my skin black as coal I am generous and my honor shines. My color does not prevent my being valiant with my sword in battle. Know, you who would boast of your petty glory :
The people of the Negus have more reason for glory then you.
In the days that Islam was offered to El-Julanda, Ibn Kisra, Harith, Hawdha, the Copts, and Caesar they all refused.
Off al the kings only the Negus accepted.
As a result his kingdom lasted long, unmovable and prosperous.
Loqman was one of them, so to were his son and his mothers son.
As well as Abraha, the most renowned king.
Abu Yaksum's invasion threatened the existence of your country,
And yet, you were as numerous as the grains (of sand), and more still,
Like the water birds, when, on them, fall
In a deserted country, the bird with the bent claws and gray of color.
If another than Allah had wished to push back 'Abraha.
You would have noticed. That one which has the most experience of men is closest to the facts.
There is no claim to fame, except that you live opposite the Sanctuary,
And that you lit fires in its vicinity.
If one of your chiefs, concerned his honor, advances (against us),
Or we face him, or he turns the back to us.
And as for what you say, that it is about a divine prophecy,
You did not know to protect the Sanctuary surrounded by veils.
You claim to be a tribe never subjugated and never paying tribute,
But it is simpler to pay a tax than to flee.
If a sovereign had wanted to seize it,
Then the Himyar and their Maqawil would have come there.
One can not stay there neither in summer nor in winter;
And its water is far from spouting out as in Guata.
There is neither place pleasant to the eye nor hunting ground,
But only the trade, and the trade is a disdainful thing.
Aren't you (Garir) a puppy (kulaib) and your mother is she not a ewe?
Fats sheep are the source of your shame and your vanity. "

That's got to be one of the GOAT ethers ever delivered to someone

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Found this interesting.


On Africans in Arabia and Greater Syria, M.C. Zilfi says in Women and Slavery in the Late Ottoman Empire (2010):"Discrimination based on color was not unknown in these regions, but in many respects, black Africans seem not to have been worse off than free Arabs from the less pedigreed tribes. In any case, many free Arab tribesmen of long lineage were phenotypically indistinguishable from black Africans."

 

[Bawon Samedi]

IMO the Zanj and the Abyssinians were the Moors of East Africa, with their contribution, influence and sometimes dominance(Abyssinian).

Many people say that the Zanj revolt was a large slave rebellion, but many sources/historians argue that it was not due to there being a number of Zanj free people and how organized it was.