Ibrahim Issa

Ibrahim Issa is one of my favorite journalists. I also enjoy his TV program "Al Fihres" (Contents) which airs on Dream2 every Thursday at 7:30 pm Egypt time. Although he is strongly opinionated, Issa always speaks to ones mind & logic and is far from being biased or prejudiced in his views.

For example, in last Thursday's episode, Issa reminded all Arabs that the Islamic civilization, that has directly and indirectly influenced societies on every continent, did not flourish solely on the shoulders of Arab scholars, but rather was the result of the collective minds and works of Arabs and non-Arabs.

Here are some of great Islamic scholars who are non-Arab or of mixed origin:

• Al Bukhari - Sunna: Bukhara - Uzbekistan
• Muslim - Sunna: Nishapur - Persia
• Ibn Maja - Sunna: Qazwin - Persia
• Abu Dawood - Sunna: Sijistan - Afghanistan
• Al-Nasa'i - Sunna: Nasā - Persia
• Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna) - Medicine, Chemistry, Philosophy, & Astronomy: Bukhara - Uzbekistan
• Razi (Rhazes) - Chemistry & Medicine: Rayy, Persia
• Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī - Anthropology, Psychology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Historian, Geography, Geology, Mathematician, Pharmacy, Philosophy,Ash'ari & Sunna: Persia
• Al-Khwārizmī - Mathematics, Astronomy, Astrology, and Geography: Khwārizm - Persia
• Gaber ibn Hayan - Father of Chemistry, Chemistry, Astronomy, Engineer, Philosophy, and pharmacy, and Medicine: Persia (could be of Arab origins)
  
• AlFarabi - Philosophy, Cosmology, Logic, Music, Psychology, and Sociology : Persia
  
• And many more
  

The above mentioned great scholars, all of whom would have defiantly won the Nobel prize in every branch of science they specialized in had there been such a prize in their time, are enough reminder that Islam and the Islamic civilization are not an exclusive property of Arabs. Accordingly, the Islam of non-Arabs should never be doubted or looked upon as less than that of Arabs. To summarize what Issa wanted to stress (and I fully agree with him), I quote prophet Muhammad's last sermon:

"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action."