In the Islamic narrations, 'Ta`asub' has been introduced as a despicable ethical trait and has been severely discouraged to such a point that in a tradition from the Noble Prophet of Islam (S), we are told that: مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِه حَبَّةٌ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ عَصَبِيَّةٍ، بَعَثَهُ اللٌّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَعَ أَعْرَابِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ.
“The person who has even the weight of a mustard-seed of nationalism in his heart, Allah will raise him up on the Day of Judgement with the pre-Islamic desert `Arabs.” In another tradition, this time from Imam Ja`far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (as) we read that: مَنْ تَعَصَّبَ اَوْ تُعُصِّبَ لَهُ، فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رِبْقَةَ الإِيْمَانِ مِنْ عُنُقِه.
“A person who shows discrimination or is discriminated against, surely has severed true faith from himself.” From the Islamic narrations, we can deduce that it was Iblis who was the first creation to show discrimination. In the Khutbah known as al-Qasiah (Khutbah 192) in Nahj al-Balaghah, the Commander of the Faithful, `Ali b.
Abi Talib (as) has mentioned in detail and completely clarifies the issue of nationalism and discrimination, and we will quote just an excerpt from it: أَمٌّا إِبْليسُ، فَتَعَصَّبَ عَلى آدَمَ لاَِصْلِهِ وَ طَعَنَ عَلَيْهِ فِي خِلْقَتِه، فَقَالَ: أَنَا نَارِيٌّ وَ أَنْتَ طِينِيٌّ.
“As for Iblis, he showed bigotry over Adam due to his origin and challenged him in relation to his creation and said, “I am made form fire and you are made form Earth.” The Imam (as) then continued: فَإِنْ كَانَ لاَ بُدَّ مِنَ الْعَصَبِيَّةِ، فَلْيَكُنْ تَعَصُّبُكُمْ لِمَكَارِمِ الْخِصَالِ وَ مَحَامِدِ الأَفْعَالِ وَ مَحَاسِنِ الأُُمُورِ.
“So if you are compelled to show discrimination, then let your discrimination be due to righteous etiquette, characteristics and beautified (good) deeds.” In this tradition we clearly see that firmly standing for that which is the truth is something good, and not only is this act not considered as discrimination, rather, it is through this act that the soul of a person is actually emptied from all the incorrect actions of the ignorant and filled with true faith.
We read in a tradition from Imam `Ali b. al-Husain (as) that when this Imam was asked about bigotry, he replied: أَلْعَصَبِيَّةُ الَّتِي يَأْثِمُ عَلَيْهَا صَاحِبُهَا، أَنْ يَرَى الرَّجُلُ شِرَارَ قَوْمِهِ خَيْراً مِنْ خِيَارِ قَوْمٍ آخِرِينَ. وَ لَيْسَ مِنَ الْعَصَبِيَّةِ أَنْ يُحِبَّ الرَّجُلُ قَوْمَهُ، وَلٌكِنْ مِنَ الْعَصَبِيَّةِ أَنْ يُعِينَ قَوْمَهُ عَلى الظُّلْمِ.