Determine the status of the classist lifestyle in the light of the teachings of Islam and examine its effects on human society.

Introduction

A classist lifestyle is one in which people are divided and ranked by wealth, family, caste, profession or status, and in which the privileged display superiority through extravagant living and look down on others. Islam came to dismantle such hierarchies and establish a society of equality and brotherhood.

Status in Islam

Equality of humanity. "O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you" (Al-Hujurat 49:13). In the Farewell Sermon the Prophet ﷺ declared that no Arab is superior to a non-Arab, nor white to black, except by piety.

Prohibition of arrogance. The Prophet ﷺ said: "No one will enter Paradise who has an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart" (Muslim). "And do not turn your cheek in contempt toward people and do not walk through the earth exultantly" (Luqman 31:18).

Condemnation of extravagance and showing off. "Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils" (Al-Isra 17:27); "Competition in worldly increase diverts you" (At-Takathur 102:1). Islam prescribes moderation: "those who, when they spend, do so neither excessively nor sparingly" (Al-Furqan 25:67).

Abolition of pride in lineage. When Abu Dharr (RA) taunted Bilal (RA) about his mother's colour, the Prophet ﷺ rebuked him: "You are a man who still has some ignorance (jahiliyyah) in him" (Bukhari).

Measures against class division: zakat and charity, the law of inheritance, the prohibition of riba and hoarding, the duty to feed and clothe servants as one feeds oneself, and equality in worship — rich and poor stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer and wear the same garments in Hajj.

Practical examples

Bilal, a freed Abyssinian slave, was chosen as the first muezzin; Zaid ibn Harithah, a freed slave, and later his son Usamah commanded armies that included leading Companions; Salman al-Farsi was honoured as "one of the Prophet's household". Hazrat Umar (RA) lived simply and shared his provisions with his servant on the journey to Jerusalem.

Effects of classism on society

Inequality and resentment: deprived groups feel humiliated, which breeds anger, crime and unrest. Moral decay: arrogance, greed, show-off and competition for status. Injustice: the powerful escape the law while the weak are punished — the very cause of destruction of earlier nations, as the Prophet ﷺ warned (Bukhari). Waste: resources are spent on luxury rather than education and welfare. Weak social cohesion: classes live in separate worlds — separate schools, hospitals and neighbourhoods — undermining national unity. Barriers to marriage and mobility: dowry, lavish weddings and caste considerations.

Classism in Pakistan

Pakistan shows many of these features: elite and public schools that create separate classes; VIP culture and protocol; extravagant weddings; caste (biradari) politics; contempt for manual labour and domestic workers; and unequal access to justice.

Remedies

A uniform, high-quality education system; ending VIP culture and ensuring equality before law; progressive taxation and effective zakat; enforcement of laws on wedding expenses; dignity and fair wages for workers; religious and media campaigns promoting simplicity; and leaders who live modestly, following the example of the Prophet ﷺ and the Rightly Guided Caliphs.

Conclusion

Islam rejects a classist lifestyle. It honours human beings for piety and character, not wealth or lineage, condemns arrogance and extravagance, and institutes measures to reduce inequality. Classism breeds injustice, resentment and moral decline; Islamic equality and simplicity offer the path to a just and cohesive society.