Caste system in Islam
Whenever the question of caste system among Muslims comes up, the typical response from the community is that its just something South Asian Muslims picked up from Hindus, and it has nothing to do with Islam.
Apart from the arrogance displayed in dismissing such a pervasive practice so casually, the claim is also laughably false.
I mean, just look at you own fiqh books. Except for the Malikis, all schools of Sunni jurisprudence consider lineage as an important factor in considering if two people are fit to marry each other.
Most books are pretty clear that if the father (or grandfather) objects to a marriage between people of "unequal" lineage (among other factors), then the marriage can be declared null and void.
Were the authors of these leading fiqh books that are taught in religious seminaries across the world, also inspired by Hindus?
Outside the Indian subcontinent, the Hadrami Arab community of Malaysia is well-known for its division between Syeds and non-Syeds, with Syeds having historically avoided all marriages with the "lower" non-Syed inhabitants (things have changed in recent years)
There have been several high-profile controversies regarding such intercaste marriages in Singapore and other southeast Asian states, with al-Azhar having to sometimes intervene. Also, its a very common feature in some Arab states to have separate offices (private or governmental) that dole out certificates of your lineage, which are then consulted before marriage.
Sure, there have been scholars who have opposed this hierarchy among believers, but to say that the "pure" Islamic teachings of equality was corrupted by contact with Hindus, is disingenuous. Caste heirarchies, alongside the good bits, is also part of the Islamic tradition, and must be owned.
(Please check the first comment on the post for a little more detail on intermarriage on the basis of caste)
References:
- "Sayyids and Sharifs in Muslim society", Kazuo Morimoto
- "The Conflict among Hadrami Arab Community in Malaysia Regarding the Issues of Kafā’a in Muslim Marriage", Zanariah Noor, Nazirah Lee
- Reference for kafaa'ah rules: "Jawahir-ul-fiqh" by Sheikh Mufti Muhammad Shafii, Volume 4 (https://tinyurl.com/yyvd9zw8)