ln the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful Tribalism is a pernicious belief that has afflicted all human societies in every time period, originating in the worship of idols and reconstructing itself into many ideological forms throughout the ages. In modern times, we know it as the scourges of racism, xenophobia, supremacism, and militarism. In practice, it rears its ugly head to us in the shape of prejudice, bigotry, discrimination, and violence. Allah has commanded us to uphold justice with all other human beings regardless of their race, religion, lineage, status, or identity. Allah said: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا O you who believe, be persistently standing firm in justice as witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. Follow not your desires, lest you not be just. Surat al-Nisa 4:135 Tribalists, by contrast, reject universal standards of justice. They divide the world into the privileged in-group and the demonized out-groups, holding to the slogan, “My people (or nation) right or wrong.” Their love of their own people, and hatred of others, causes them to rationalize and justify the unjustifiable. Love for one’s people is normal and healthy, if it leads to good deeds. But such love that comes at the expense of justice is no praiseworthy love at all. Wathila ibn Al-Asqa’ reported: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, is it part of tribalism that a man loves his people?” The Prophet said: لَا وَلَكِنْ مِنَ الْعَصَبِيَّةِ أَنْ يُعِينَ الرَّجُلُ قَوْمَهُ عَلَى الظُّلْمِ No, rather it is tribalism that he supports his people in wrongdoing. Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 3949, Grade: Hasan Tribalism by this definition has been rejected by Islam in the harshest terms. Tribalism is a form of “blind following” whose adherents live in “ignorance,” an allusion to the pre-Islamic worship of idols. Jundab ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: مَنْ قُتِلَ تَحْتَ رَايَةٍ عِمِّيَّةٍ يَدْعُو عَصَبِيَّةً أَوْ يَنْصُرُ عَصَبِيَّةً فَقِتْلَةٌ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ Whoever is killed under the banner of blind following, who calls to tribalism or supports tribalism, then he has died upon ignorance