Did you know that a 9th century Arab wrote a book entitled "The Superiority of Blacks over Whites"?

[AndroidHero]

That blog post is so full of inaccuracies and outright lies.

"just as the carriers of black (Abbasid) inspire more fear and fill up more the heart than the carriers of white (Umayyad)"

Abbasids weren't black and Umayyads weren't white either, both of them were arab Qureishis and they were both related by blood and marriage.

 

[AndroidHero]

-------------
Everybody agrees that there is no people on earth in whom generosity is as universally well developed as the Zanj. These people have a natural talent for dancing to the rhythm of the tambourine, without needing to learn it. There are no better singers anywhere in the world, no people more polished and eloquent, and no people less given to insulting language. No other nation can surpass them in bodily strength and physical toughness. One of them will lift huge blocks and carry heavy loads that would be beyond the strength of most Bedouins or members of other races. They are courageous, energetic, and generous, which are the virtues of nobility, and also good-tempered and with little propensity to evil. They are always cheerful, smiling, and devoid of malice, which is a sign of noble character
---------------

He was clearly either a racist or a self hating c00n, this is what he wrote about black people in another book.

"We know that the Zanj (blacks) are the least intelligent and the least discerning of mankind, and the least capable of understanding the consequences of actions."

-- Jahiz (d. 868 AD), Kitab al-Bukhala (The Book of Misers)

"Like the crow among mankind are the Zanj [African Blacks] for they are the worst of men and the most vicious of creatures in character and temperament."[4]

--Jahiz, Kitab al-Hayawan, vol. 2

 

[TillWeDie]

subs

 

[Dihsarm]

Hope this isn't another case of misinterpretation

 

[ChatGPT-5]

He was clearly either a racist or a self hating c00n, this is what he wrote about black people in another book.

"We know that the Zanj (blacks) are the least intelligent and the least discerning of mankind, and the least capable of understanding the consequences of actions."

-- Jahiz (d. 868 AD), Kitab al-Bukhala (The Book of Misers)

"Like the crow among mankind are the Zanj [African Blacks] for they are the worst of men and the most vicious of creatures in character and temperament."[4]

--Jahiz, Kitab al-Hayawan, vol. 2

The Book of Misers is a comical satire book.

 

[AndroidHero]

The Book of Misers is a comical satire book.

And Kitab al-Hayawan or book of animals isn't a satirical book.

 

[ChatGPT-5]

And Kitab al-Hayawan or book of animals isn't a satirical book.

I'm researching. It appears to be a science book, but on animals and plants, so that's quite left field of a statement. Trying to find the overall chapter and have a read.

 

[ChatGPT-5]

I found one chapter where he goes into detail on castrating slavics.

He really didn't like those east europeans. Seems like he goes in on 'non believers' of any colour.

 

[VegasCAC]

He was clearly either a racist or a self hating c00n, this is what he wrote about black people in another book.

"We know that the Zanj (blacks) are the least intelligent and the least discerning of mankind, and the least capable of understanding the consequences of actions."

-- Jahiz (d. 868 AD), Kitab al-Bukhala (The Book of Misers)

"Like the crow among mankind are the Zanj [African Blacks] for they are the worst of men and the most vicious of creatures in character and temperament."[4]

--Jahiz, Kitab al-Hayawan, vol. 2

The issue is that the translation of "white" or "black" in most of these contexts is not how we understand it. I doubt he viewed the colors as a designation of an immutable biological category. "White" and "black" as we understand them were European-created constructs that did not exist in the 9th century.

A lot of his intended meaning is being lost in translation imo, both linguistically and culturally.

 

[AndroidHero]

I'm researching. It appears to be a science book, but on animals and plants, so that's quite left field of a statement. Trying to find the overall chapter and have a read.

Honestly I don't know, I google him and its difficult to find any English translation of his books, but these quotes are very for me.

 

[Hiphoplives4eva]

Amazing how in 800 Ad they had such a sophisticated knowledge of science. Meanwhile, morons in Europe were going on and on about humors and bullshyt.

I really need to read more Arabic authors on black history.

 

[AndroidHero]

The issue is that the translation of "white" or "black" in most of these contexts is not how we understand it. I doubt he viewed the colors as a designation of an immutable biological category. "White" and "black" as we understand them were European-created constructs that did not exist in the 9th century.

"We know that the Zanj are the least intelligent and the least discerning of mankind, and the least capable of understanding the consequences of actions."

When he is talking about zanj he is clearly talking about black people specifically people of the Swahili coast who were brought as slaves to the middle-east during the Arab slave trade.

Zanj - Wikipedia

 

[VegasCAC]

"We know that the Zanj are the least intelligent and the least discerning of mankind, and the least capable of understanding the consequences of actions."

When he is talking about zanj he is clearly talking about black people specifically people of the Swahili coast who were brought as slaves to the middle-east during the Arab slave trade.

Zanj - Wikipedia

Right, he's talking about people we would consider black, but my hunch is that he didn't consider them so. He just considered them Zanj. "Black" probably wasn't even on his mind when he wrote that. Ethnic and cultural difference is what made them "less intelligent" in his estimation, not race. I mean, it couldn't, race as a concept didn't really exist then.

 

[Adidacs]

Right, he's talking about people we would consider black, but my hunch is that he didn't consider them so. He just considered them Zanj. "Black" probably wasn't even on his mind when he wrote that. Ethnic and cultural difference is what made them "less intelligent" in his estimation, not race. I mean, it couldn't, race as a concept didn't really exist then.

some people are just in their perception bubble and cannot fathom any other perceptions that would contradict it. zanj != black, distinctions were not so crude and broad among "black" people then. it's like spanish vs. italian or korean vs. japanese.

 

[ChatGPT-5]

Honestly I don't know, I google him and its difficult to find any English translation of his books, but these quotes are very for me.

Yea I can't seem to find an english version either. I see a couple of pages translated but not even a half a chapter.