Thread on Arab superiority in the Muslim world (particularly the Sunnis)

There are 4 madhabs (schools) of Sunni Islam
-Hanafi
-Hanbali
-Shafi'i
-Maliki

Note: Indian Muslims are largely Hanafi except Kerala where most are Shafi'i

Although the Prophet said all were equal before Allah, founders of 3/4 madhabs explicitly mentioned superiority of Arabs.

-Sayyids (descendants of the Prophet)
-Quraysh (the tribe the prophet was from)
-other Arabs
-non Arabs

Only Maliki school doesn't preach Arab superiority.

Ibn Taymiyyah, a prominent Hanbali theologian holding the view that Arabs were better than non- Arabs when it came to marriage.

"The Hanbali School of Law and Ibn Taymiyyah: Conflict Or Conciliation" - Abdul Hakim I Al-Matroudi

Qablis (tribals) are superior to khadris (non-tribals) and will avoid marrying with them.

"The Internet Within Structuration: Agency and Tribal Relations through the Internet in Jordan" - Hussam Kanaan

Ibn Hanbal, the founder of the Hanbali school said that mawla (non Arabs) men are unsuitable to marry Arab women.

Non-Quraysh men can't marry Quaraysh women, non Arab men can't marry Arab women.

"The Formation of Hanbalism: Piety Into Power" - Nimrod Hurvitz

Ibn Hanbal believed that Arabs were tied to Islam, so one cannot be a Muslim and hate Arabs.

"From Muhammad to Bin Laden: Religious and Ideological Sources of the Homicide Bombers Phenomenon" - David Bukay

"The Qureish and the Arabs were superior, because they deserved this superiority..."

"MODERN REFORMIST THOUGHT IN MUSLIM WORLD" - M. M. Siddiqui

Abu Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi school (who himself was a non Arab) said Ajam (non Arabs) are unfit to marry Arab women.

"Al-Tawḥīd - Volume 6 - Page 111"

Kafaah is a system of marriage meaning "equality"

"The Spiritual Background of Early Islam: Studies in Ancient Arab Concepts" - Meïr Max Bravmann

In maritime Southeast Asia, Muslims with Arab ancestries are considered superior to native converts.

Many Sultanates in Indonesia were founded by Sayyids.

"The Hadrami Awakening: Community and Identity in the Netherlands East Indies ..." - Natalie Mobini-Kesheh

Shafi'i school (which is followed in Kerala, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc) recommends female genital mutilation (the removal of part of the clitoris).

"Tournaments of Value: Sociability and Hierarchy in a Yemeni Town" - Anne Meneley

While a Hadhrami (sayyid) man can marry a local woman, the reverse is not permissible. Children born of a Hadhrami man will be considered Hadhrami as well.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14442213.2012.699089
https://brill.com/view/journals/haww/11/2-3/article-p252_8.xml

"All Saiyids are united on the issue...never marry their daughters to anyone but a Saiyid or Sharif..."

"The Saiyids of Hadramat" - RB Serjeant

There was reactionary movement against the Arab superiority during medieval era.

"Introduction: Representing Others in Medieval Iberia" - Michelle M Hamilton

"Pluralism and Identity: Studies in Ritual Behaviour" - Jan. G. Platvoet, Karel Van Der Toorn

Arab culture was given more preference by the rulers against the native customs

"Reappraisals and New Studies of the Modern Jewish Experience: Essays in Honor of Robert M. Seltzer" - Brian Smollett, Christian Wiese

"Spaniards: An Introduction to Their History" - Americo Castro

Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools all follow the same hierarchy

•Sayyids (plural Sadah)
•non-Sayyid Quraishi
•other Arabs
•non-Arabs

"Women in Classical Islamic Law: A Survey of the Sources" - Susan Ann Spectorsky

Even Zaydi Shias give them the same special privileges.

"Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen: The Huthi Phenomenon" - Barak A. Salmoni, Bryce Loidolt, Madeleine Wells

"The Arab State and Women's Rights: The Trap of Authoritarian Governance" - Elham Manea

The hierarchical system is v strong among the Muslims of Indonesia, particularly the observant santris.

"Maudu’: A Way of Union with God" - Muhammad Adlin Sila

Sayyids are also entitled to special stipends from khums (compulsory tax paid by all Muslims)

Shia cleric Nusrat Bukhari.

Aurangzeb exempted Sayyids from punishments.

The Mughals could marry any Indian women they desired but never gave away their daughters to native converts.

"Islam in South Asia: A Short History" - Jamal Malik

The Ottomans gave special stipends to the Sayyids

"The Ottoman State and Descendants of the Prophet in Anatolia and the Balkans (c. 1500-1700)" - Hülya Canbakal

Many people forged ancestries from the Prophet and his family in order to become eligible for such stipends.

The Ottoman Empire experienced a rapid increase in the number of people claiming to be Sayyids.

"ON THE ‘NOBILITY’ OF PROVINCIAL NOTABLES"
- Hülya CANBAKAL

"The Ottoman State and Descendants of the Prophet in Anatolia and the Balkans (c. 1500-1700)" - Hülya Canbakal

https://iis.ac.uk/academic-article/kinship-camaraderie-and-contestation-fatimid-relations-ashraf-fourth-ah-tenth-ce

Twelver hadiths preach against marriage with certain ethnicities like Zanj (black people), Kurds, Turks, transgender, Indians, Sindhis, etc.

https://islamicvirtues.com/2014/01/26/shiite-racism/

Sayyid women in Yemen are discouraged from marrying non Sayyids.

"Islam, Memory, and Morality in Yemen: Ruling Families in Transition" - Gabriele vom Bruck

Al Akhdam are a group of people who are considered untouchables in Yemen. https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/thousands-of-yemen-s-al-akhdam-minority-are-trapped-between-frontlines-1.864470

Shias are not as conservative when it comes to intermarriages between Arab women and non-Arab men unlike Sunnis, although they also prefer Sayyid-Sayyid more.

Alawis consider it insulting to the prophet if an Alawi girl marries a non-Alawi man.

"Islamic Law in Africa" - J N D Anderson