Dawud Walid explores the spiritual and metaphysical roots of racism through the lens of Islamic theology, Qur’anic teachings, and the science of purification of the soul (tazkiyyah al-nafs). Moving beyond political or sociological analyses, the book identifies racism as a manifestation of deep-seated spiritual maladies—arrogance, envy, ignorance, rage, fear, grief, and self-loathing—and offers remedies rooted in Islamic ethics and metaphysics.
With the murder of George Floyd and the resurgence of global anti-racism movements as a backdrop, Walid insists that no legislative or activist framework alone can eradicate racism unless it is accompanied by inner transformation. Drawing on the works of Imam al-Ghazali, Usman dan Fodio, Ahmadou Bamba, and the legacy of Malcolm X, Walid presents a spiritually anchored path of healing and redemption.
In the same vein as classical masters such as al-Ghazali, al-Muhasibi, and other luminaries of the Islamic tradition who wrote on the purification of the heart, Dawud Walid stands on their shoulders by seeking to understand contemporary social crises through the lens of intrinsic human diseases of the heart and their timeless remedies, making this spiritual wisdom urgently relevant to modern debates on racism and justice.
This book is both timely and enduring: a call to purify the soul, cleanse communities of prejudice, and reimagine human solidarity in light of divine truth.