We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the legendary Hank Aaron. It may seem odd to some or even a point of disapproval that a Muslim religious community leader would find it necessary to offer public condolences in acknowledging the life and death of this man. Those who would disapprove are victims of the ignorant trends that have swept over America in recent years that have even affected Muslims in their understanding of our religion and what it invites us to.
Henry Aaron, for me and for those I represent, is not only a sports figure. He is known to have been a man of great decency and dignity in the face of white racial arrogance and white supremacist stupidity in America. He is known to have been a friend to all people, and especially striving people. He was a sort of protector of the downtrodden in his example of sincerity and purity of the human spirit and devotion to authentic social progress. His status as a celebrity or public figure was in no way shallow pretense.
He is known to have been a man of great charity and generosity, not only with his personal resources, but with his personal time. He was a revered and respected businessman and a public servant to the people of Atlanta and many humane causes in that community and the world. In other words, he was a very fine example of a human being. And so, in the same way that our Prophet Muhammed stood for a funeral procession of a Jewish citizen of Madinah, I stand in salute of this great human person.
It is not necessary for me to rehearse Mr. Aaron’s great sports achievements. They are well known, or should be, and much will be said about them. To us, he is much more than the Major League Baseball home-run champion. What I would like to point to is that he is recognized by us as a man accepting responsibility to speak to African-American attitudes and expressions in establishing codes of excellence for the honorable pursuit of a full human recognition in America. It is clear to me that he possessed a thoughtful, enlightened race pride, and he is among the last of this type in a generation of African-American social and cultural contributors.
To me, his life is a sign of G’d’s favor on the African-American people and America. For most who read this it will take some reflection to appreciate what I am pointing to, but he is in the line of those who had a very important role in our special story as a people in this country and for many more reasons than what he accomplished on the baseball diamond. In my estimation, his sports achievements were only an opportunity for us to be able to see more clearly the beautiful human soul present in that human body.
I am standing for him in the name of Muslim African-American leadership, and I salute his humanity with high reverence. I pray to G’d for the best upon his family and loved ones and offer our sincerest sympathies to them.