Voice of British Muslim Women

Fatiha Nadeem, Bradford

Imagine a world where everyone spoke the same language, wore the same kind of clothes and had similar personalities. At first glance, this may seem ideal, however it would be a world without diversity – a world without the beauty that our differences bring.

It is this very beauty that F.R. Tennant, the British theologian and philosopher, highlights in his aesthetic principle, which proposes that Darwin’s theory of evolution cannot account for the beauty in the world, and instead, Tennant argues for the existence of an intelligent Designer, God. As Tennant observes ‘beauty seems to be superfluous and of little value’ from an evolutionary perspective. This points towards a Living, Omnibenevolent God, Who has meticulously designed the world, not only for humankind to enjoy, but also to appreciate.

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah the Almighty states in Chapter 30, verse 23, ‘And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours.’ Regarding this verse, the Five Volume Commentary states, ‘This diversity again points to a design and a Designer. That Designer is the Creator of heavens and earth.’

Rather than being accidental, our differences are presented as deliberate signs of God’s creation. These differences also play a wider part in society.

From a young age, we are shaped by our environment and by the people with whom we interact. For example, as children begin primary school, they befriend classmates who come from various backgrounds and these first encounters indirectly allow them to recognise the significance of diversity from a young age.

If society were made up entirely of people who shared similar experiences and backgrounds to us, there would be little left to discover and no new experiences, perspectives and ways of life to learn from, leaving socialisation with limited purpose. Furthermore, in our everyday interactions with people, we trust their testimonies and different ways of thinking, because otherwise, as Socrates claims, society would turn into a ‘sceptical bog’, in which neither party would trust one another.

History itself clearly demonstrates the value of diversity, leading to progress in society, as significant scientific and intellectual discoveries could not have been made possible if it wasn’t for the diverse, wide range of thinking of others. For example, the Islamic Golden Age, the Renaissance or even the development of the recent Covid-19 vaccines, which were produced as a result of scientists from many countries sharing research.

This is humankind. And this is why diversity matters. Think about the Football World Cup taking place right now; if only one team competed or if every team possessed similar skills and abilities, the tournament would lose its excitement and purpose, right? Likewise, our differences enrich society and are an essential part of what makes humanity flourish.

Regarding the nature of Qur’anic teachings, Sir Muhammad Zafarulla Khan writes, ”Islam recognises and indeed stresses the diversity of talents, skills, initiative and so on…in fact, a certain diversity is part of the purpose of life. Like all other limitations and qualifications Islam seeks to employ this diversity for the purpose of promoting social co-operation on a beneficent basis.”ⁱ

He continues, “Islam takes note of and encourages the spirit of competition but seeks to divert it into wholly beneficent channels. Chapter 2, verse 149 of the Holy Qur’an states, ‘And every one has a goal which dominates him: vie, then, with one another in good works.’”

Now imagine the world again, with one language, one style of clothing and one outlook on life – it would be boring. Perhaps, then, the greatest beauty in the world lies in our differences, not similarities, enabling us to reflect upon the wisdom of our Creator.