“Anyone who says that the Prophet is black should be killed”: The ...

To speak of someone as white complexioned, like the Romans, Persians, Turks, etc., the Arabs
used the term aÈmar, red. 156 Abya∙ ‘white’ had a different connotation: it signified a blemish-free
black complexion with a sheen (thus the ‘golden-brown’ appearance). In other words, what we
call white today the Arabs called red, and what they called white often was what we would today
call black.
Further, as Goldenberg notes, ‘white’ in pre-modern Arabic was about luminosity, not
chromaticity. 157 Arab usage distinguished between whiteness related to redness or whiteskinnedness
(al-baya∙ al-mushrab bi-Èumra) and whiteness related to yellowness or luminance (albaya∙
al-mushrab bi-ßufra). The former (bi-Èumra) arises from the blood visible from within the
body, and the latter (bi-ßufra) arises from gloss and sheen (ßaq§la wa ßaf§#). 158 According to al-
Tha#labÊ, the whiteness that is praise-worthy is that which associates a person’s complexion
“closer to yellowness (ßufra), like the color of the moon and pearls, then he is azhar, luminous.” 159
Not unexpectedly MuÈammad is described as luminous. “The Messenger of Allah was luminous
of complexion (azhar al-lawn).” 160 His face shone with resplendence like that of a full moon and
his azhar and abya∙ complexion had a luster (når) resembling that of a statue made of clear
silver. 161 Indeed, according to one Companion under his cloths the Prophet was like the halfmoon
in luminance. 162 Luminance, rather than a white complexion, is no doubt the significance
of these reports describing MuÈammad as abya∙. 163
In Classical Arabic there is no incompatibility between being black-skinned and being
luminous (azhar/abya∙). The verb, ißfarra, which in Modern Standard Arabic means “to become
yellow,” in Classical Arabic also meant “to become black.” 164 ‘ufra meant both “yellowness” and
“blackness.” 165 The same is true for human complexions. Ja#far al-‘§diq (d. 148/765), the sixth
Shiite Imam, had a black complexion (§dam§ l-lawn), 166 but like the Prophet was also described as
possessing a luminous face (azhar al-wajh). 167
156 Ibn Maníår, Lis§n al-#arab, s.v. ﺮﻤﺣ IV: 209: “al-aÈmar is a general white complexion (al-abya∙ muãlaqan).”
See further Goldziher, Muslim Studies, 1:268 and below.
157 Goldenberg, Curse of Ham, 93.
158 al-B§jårÊ, Maw§hib al-ladunÊyah #al§ al-Sham§"il al-MuÈammadÊyah, apud al-TirmidhÊ, al-Sham§"il
al-MuÈammadÊyah, 22.
159 Al-Tha#labÊ, Fiqh al-lugha, 77.
160 Al-TirmidhÊ, Sham§"il al-nabÊ, no. 8; Ibn Sa#d, Kit§b al-ãabaq§t al-kabÊr, I/i:121, 123 (Ar.); 484, 488
(Eng.)
161 Al-TirmidhÊ, Sham§"il al-nabÊ, no. 8, 12; Ibn Sa#d, Kit§b al-ãabaq§t al-kabÊr, I/ii:121 (Ar.); 484 (Eng.)
162 Ibn Sa#d, Kit§b al-ãabaq§t al-kabÊr, I/i:127 (Ar.); 495 (Eng.)
163 Vollers, “Rassenfarben,” 90-91: “Weit mehr fällt ins Gewicht, dass der Prophet MuÈammad, der doch auch
körperlich der vollendetste Araber sein musste, so geschildert wird: von heller Hautfarbe, zwischen hellweiss und
bräunlich, von schwarzen Haar und sehr dunkeln Augen. Ebenso im \adÊth, wo der Beduine 4imâm ibn Tha‘laba
den Propheten in einem Kreise sucht und fragt, worauf er die Antwort erhält: ﺾﻴﺑﻷﺍ ﻞﺟﺮﻟﺍ ‘der weisse (helle) Mann
da,. Für unsern Zweck ist es einerlei, ob diese Scene historisch ist oder der Legende angehört; in beiden Fällen
gewinnen wir das Resultat, dass die Araber das Bedürfnis empfanden, den vollendetsten Mann ihres Volkes als hell
zu schildern.”
164 Allam, “Sociolinguistic Study,” 82.
165 Ibn Maníår, Lis§n al-#arab, s.v. ﺮﻔﺻ IV:244 “aßfar (“yellow”) is black”. See also Allam, “Sociolinguistic Study,”
82.
166 Ibn al-‘abb§gh, Al-Fusål, 205.
167 Ibn Sharhr§shåb, Man§qib $l AbÊ •§lib, 4 vols. (Qum: al-Maãba#ah al-#IlmÊyah [Tamma al-Kit§b], 1959) IV:
281.
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