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Islamic Flags

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Muslim Flags through the years
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Page 1: Islamic Flags

Muslim Flags through the years

Page 2: Islamic Flags

The early Muslim community did not really have a symbol. During the time of the Prophet

Muhammad (peace be upon him), Islamic armies and caravans flew simple solid-

colored flags (generally black, green, or white) for identification purposes. In later

generations, the Muslim leaders continued to use a simple black, white, or green flag

with no markings, writings, or symbolism on it.

The Prophet used flags of different colors in different Ghazwat (campaigns commanded

by the Prophet himself) and Saraya (campaign commanded by any Sahabi). The major

flag of the Prophet was known as "Al- Uqaab", it was pure black with and without

symbol or marking. Its name and color was derived from Quraish's flag.

Other minor flags were known as Al-Raya, the most important flag among them was

white, others were red, yellow, and perhaps green and zebra-striped.

Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Flag

Flags of Rashidun Khilafa with Sahada

Page 3: Islamic Flags

An authentic statement about the Umayyad flag is not available; however perhaps they

used a white flag because this was also used by Umayyad’s of Spain later, this flag may

be a memory of their glorious empire.

The Abbasid Dynasty which succeeded them used a black flag. The Fatimid Dymasty of

caliphs, meanwhile, had green as their traditional colour, while the Hashemites used red.

Fatimid’s of north Africa Flag

Libya (solid green)

Page 4: Islamic Flags

Hashimite Flag

Ghaznavid Flag

Sultanate of Rum (The Great Seljuk Empire)

Page 5: Islamic Flags

Mamluk Flag

Timur Lane Flag

Flag of Babur

Page 6: Islamic Flags

Crescent moon and star

It wasn't until the Ottoman Empire that the crescent moon and star became affiliated

with the Muslim world. When the Turks conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, they

adopted the city's existing flag and symbol. Legend holds that the founder of the

Ottoman Empire, Osman, had a dream in which the crescent moon stretched from one

end of the earth to the other. Taking this as a good omen, he chose to keep the

crescent and make it the symbol of his dynasty. There is speculation that the five points

on the star represent the five pillars of Islam, but this is pure conjecture. The five points

were not standard on the Ottoman flags, and it is still not standard on flags used in the

Muslim world today.

The Crescent Moon and the Star

For hundreds of years, the Ottoman Empire ruled over the Muslim world. After centuries of

battle with Christian Europe, it is understandable how the symbols of this empire became

linked in people's minds with the faith of Islam as a whole.

Ottomans being Turks were using a crescent bearing flag. When Selim I resumed power

as the caliph, the Ottoman flag was red with a green circle and three yellow crescents.

Ottomans for the first time separate the religious flag and the national flag. The national

flag was red with crescent facing right, while the religious flag green with crescent facing

right. Later, a five-cornered star was added to symbolize the five pillars of Islam.

Page 7: Islamic Flags

Ottoman Flag

Ottoman Flag

Later Flag of the Mughal Empire

The typical green flag with crescent and star became a standard Islamic flag and is used

till date, and it is very interesting that most of the people think that this flag has been

used by Muslims since the beginning. This crescent bearing flag has been used by

different Muslim empires and nations in the history especially those having Turkish origin.

This crescent flag with some variations is still in use by different Muslim entities, e.g.,

Page 8: Islamic Flags

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Comoros, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey,

Turkmenistan, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Uzbekistan, and Western Sahara.

Based on this history, many Muslims reject using the crescent moon as a symbol of Islam

especially Arab countries (Algeria and Tunisia being exceptions). The faith of Islam has

historically had no symbol, and many refuse to accept what is essentially an ancient

Page 9: Islamic Flags

pagan icon. It is certainly not in uniform use among Muslims, but commonly seen in many

Non-Arab Muslim countries.

Script

Script takes one of two forms, either the Shahadah or Allahu Akbar ("God is great"). Iraq

and Iran use both the pan-Arab colours (in the case of Iran slightly modified in shade and

excluding black) with the addition of Allahu Akbar—in recognizable form on Iraq's flag,

and stylised on Iran's. Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan use the Shahadah, a declaration of

faith: lā ilāha illā-llāh, wa muħammadan rasūlu-llāh in Arabic, translation "There is no

god but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet".

Afghanistan Saudi Arabia

Iraq Iran

Page 10: Islamic Flags

Limitations on the use of Flags

Flags containing Allahu Akbar or Shahaadah are highly respected to due to the

association of core Islamic belief shared by all Muslims. Misuse of such flags can be

perceived as an attack on Islam regardless of nationality, whereas attacking a Muslim

country flag containing none of these phrases will not be seen as an attack on Islam

itself, but merely an attack on the country. Misuse of such a flag is understood to include

stepping on the flag, burning it, hanging it in a pub or club, and association of flag with

non-Islamic subjects, while the same treatment of a Muslim country's flag without the

Shahaadah or Allahu Akbar might be considered perfectly normal.

Flags are used as a badge on army, naval and government official uniforms as well as in

government or emergency vehicles. Such usage is impermissible, however, with a flag

bearing the Shahaadah or Allahu Akbar. This is in part because, in accordance to Islamic

teaching, it is not recommended that one use the toilet in the presence of such phrases

because they are extraction from Quran, the holy book which Muslims believe to be the

word of Allah (God) and there is no doubt.

In Islamic countries Muslims are required treat non-Muslim citizens with respect and

dignity. A non-Muslim in an Islamic country can not be expected to fly the flag of

Shahaadah or Allahu Akbar as he/she may not believe in these phrases. Hence, there is

no infringement of human rights. Therefore, non-Shahaadah or non-Allahu Akbar flags

may be more practical given the limitation above.

Representation of flags

Unlike the practice in most Western nations, flags are usually depicted in Islamic countries

with the staff to the right. This is analogous to the right-to-left form of Arabic script. This

can make for confusion when flag images are shown without an accompanying

flagstaff, as it may not be immediately obvious which way around the flag is being

depicted.

In keeping with Islamic law, Muslim flags generally do not bear any representations of

real creatures, though some flags have animal depictions on them such as Egypt having

the Golden Eagle of Salahuddin al-Ayyubi (Saladin) that are used as supporters on the

Coats of Arms. These flags are not necessarily Islamic in their nature; rather they more

likely to derive from the Pan-Arabist movement. It is rare to find plants depicted on flags

of Muslim nations, even though this is permissible under Islamic guidelines. Some state

and royal flags of Saudi Arabia do, however, depict palm trees.

Page 11: Islamic Flags

The Pan-Arab Flag

In 1911, at a meeting in Istanbul, it was decided that a modern flag to represent all Arabs

should include all four of these colours. Three years later, the Young Arab Society

decreed that a future independent Arab state should use a flag of these colours, and on

May 30, 1917 Sharif Hussein, leader of the Hejaz revolt replaced his plain red flag with

one horizontally striped in black, green, and white with a red triangular area at the hoist.

This was seen as the birth of the pan-Arab flag.

The Flag of the Arab Revolt

Since that time, many Arab nations, upon achieving independence or upon change of

political regime, have used a combination of these colours in a design reflecting the

Hejaz Revolt flag.

Page 12: Islamic Flags

Current flags with Pan-Arab colors

Page 13: Islamic Flags

Former flags with the Pan-Arab colors

Page 14: Islamic Flags

Muslim Flags with Pan African Colors

The Pan-African flag, also referred to as the UNIA flag, Afro-American flag or Black

Liberation Flag, is a tri-color flag consisting of three equal horizontal bands colored red,

black and green. It was originally created as the official banner of the African Race by

the members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities

League (UNIA). They formally adopted it in article 39 of the Declaration of Rights of the

Negro Peoples of the World on August 13, 1920 during their month long convention held

in Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States. The three colors represent:

• red: the blood that unites all people of African ancestry, and shed for liberation;

• black: black people whose existence as a nation, though not a nation-state, is

affirmed by the existence of the flag; and

• green: the abundant natural wealth of Africa.

The flag later became an African nationalist symbol for the liberation of African people

everywhere. As an emblem of black pride, the flag became popular during the Black

Liberation movement of the 1960s.

Pan-African flag

Page 15: Islamic Flags

Burkina Faso Eritrea Guinea Guinea-Bissau

Mali Senegal


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