Differences in Skin Colors and Their Relationship With Melanin (Courtesy: The Unchallengeable Miracles of the Quran by Yousuf Al-Hajj Ahmad)

Differences in Skin Colors and Their Relationship With Melanin (Courtesy: The Unchallengeable Miracles of the Quran by Yousuf Al-Hajj Ahmad)

Allah, Most High, says:  

"And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the Earth, and the difference of your languages and colors. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." (Soorah Ar-Rum 30:22) 

Let us have a quick reflection on Allah's statement: 

 "And the difference of your languages and colors': 

The scientists say: "There are web-like cells in the skin on the sides of which extend subtle appendices. These cells can be up to sixty thousand in number in each square inch. There are no difference between white and black people in terms of the number of these cells: both white and black people have the same number of cells. However, the difference :in color comes from the thickness of the coloring substance. It is this substance that is known as melanin.

There is a difference between a fair-skinned person and a dark-skinned one in terms of this coloring substance, even to the extent of one gram of the substance. It is noticed that these cells diminish by an average of 10 percent to 20 percent every ten years hence a person's skin inclines - with the advancement of age - toward being fairer. This does not, however, concern us. What concerns us is the precipitation of this coloring substance in the web-like cells which are under the skin and which number more than sixty thousand cells in one square inch. The ratio of this substance is determined by hereditary nucleoli.

What is the relationship and what is the interpretation of the dark color among people who live in the equatorial line while the color of people who live in the North Pole and South Pole region is fair! There is indeed a Divine wisdom in this!

Some say: The dark substance has properties that absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation and because sun radiations in the equatorial line are intensively vertical, the people who live in this region are dark- skinned. 

Now let us go back to the noble Verse:

"And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the Earth, and the difference of your languages and colors. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." (Soorah At-Rum 30:22)

The difference in the colors of humans is a sign indicating the greatness of Allah, High and Exalted. We need to deeply study this and search for the underlying reason for this. 

If you look at people's faces, you will never see two persons who have exactly the same color. If you take their photographs, you will find that they approximately have the same color but when you look keenly at each of them you will realize that each has a distinct color. 

The human eye, as you know. is able to differentiate between eight hundred thousand degrees of color out of single color. 

Abu Nadrah narrated that someone who heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, on the second day of Tashriq (11th Dhul-Hijjah) informed him that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 

O you people! Indeed, your Lord is One. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, neither is for a non-Arab over an Arab; nor is there superiority for a red-skinned over a dark-skinned, neither is for a dark-skinned over a red-skinned except by riqhteousness," (Recorded by Ahmad) 

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 

"Indeed, Allah does not look to your appearances and wealth. He only looks to your hearts and your deeds!' (Muslim) 

Houses are wealth and vehicles are wealth, but Allah does not look to your appearances and wealth. He only looks to your hearts and your deeds. 

When one of the Prophet's Companions said to Bilal: "O son of a black woman!", the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was very angry. Al-Ma'rur Ibn Suwayd narrated: I saw Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a cloak We asked him about that (i.e. how both were wearing similar cloaks). He replied, 

"Ones I abused a man and he complained of me to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked me, 'did you abuse him by slighting his mother?' He added, 'your slaves are your brethren upon whom Allah has given you authority. So, if one has one's brethren under one's control, one should feed them with the like of what one eats and clothe them with the like of what one wears. You should not overburden them with what they cannot bear, and if you do so, help them (in their hard job)'." (Recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) 

When Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, may Allah be pleased with him, came forward to buy Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, from his master Safwan Ibn Umayyah, the latter said: "By Allah, if you pay only one dirham for him I will sell him to you!" But Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "By Allah, if you insist on selling him for a thousand dirhams, I would pay it." After taking him from Safwan, Abu Bakr held Bilal's hand under his armpit in demonstration of Islamic brotherhood and then said: "This is my brother in truth." 

'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, would say: "Abu Bakr is our leader who manumitted our leader - meaning Bilal." 1

1 From the book: Al-'Ijaz Ai-Timi Fil-Kitab Was-Swmah, by An-Nabulsi 

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). (Quran 49:13)

Its a great blessing of Allah that just by looking at a person we can closely guess and recognise from which region of the world he or she belongs or was born in which region of the earth. It is a great blessing of Allah that we humans can easily recognize each other by looking at different features of which skin color is one of the many feature for recognition.