Geoffthe3rd
Member
I was always wondering why the crescent and star represent Islam? Is it a passage from the Quran or what? Any explanation would be helpful
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Crescent and star
- Thread starter Geoffthe3rd
- Start date
Nehustan
Well-Known Member
Well it is not actually such an old symbol. I'm pretty sure it was adopted as a military symbol by the turks/ottomans I think...just wiki'd and it says it was the symbol of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) empire and was adopted by the Turk. People oft' say that Allah was a 'moon god', but this is fallacious as the muslims are clearly instructed not to worship the sun, moon or stars.
Personally I like the symbol of crescent and star, as the number 666 corresponds by kamea to the sun, and I believe that the true and real nature of the first heaven i.e. space is hidden during the day, but visible at night.
Personally I like the symbol of crescent and star, as the number 666 corresponds by kamea to the sun, and I believe that the true and real nature of the first heaven i.e. space is hidden during the day, but visible at night.
Smoke
Done here.
If I understand correctly, the star and crescent is called the hilal, and Hilal (not Allah) was also the name of the pre-Islamic moon god. But hilal also means new moon, and Islam observes a lunar calendar, so there's nothing strange about a new moon symbol or the use of the name hilal.Nehustan said:
You wouldn't say that modern-day Englishmen worship the sun and the moon because they call the first two days of the week Sunday and Monday.
Allah, as far as I can tell so far, is the great god, equivalent to El, who was worshiped by Hebrews and Canaanites alike.
James the Persian
Dreptcredincios Crestin
Nehustan said:
Then wiki's wrong. I've no idea where the Turks got their symbol from but it certainly wasn't from Constantinople. The Byzantine flag was a two headed eagle that you can still see used by certain people in the Orthodox Church, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and certain countries that were once part of the eastern Empire (Albania, for instance).
James
Nehustan
Well-Known Member
Just followed some links from Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent
and it seems that strictly you are right, it was not the symbol of the Byzantines, rather the/a symbol (on the flag) of Constantinople, with this explanation given here...
http://www.fotw.net/flags/islam.html#ori
The Flag of Constantinople
Constantinople or present Istanbul was the capital of Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. Before Christ it was once sieged by Goths, when the Romans defeated the Goths, it was first of the lunar month. Therefore, to remember this occasion they added the new crescent on the city flag. Later, the direction of the crescent was inverted because the new crescent faces the pole side of the flag and looked odd. During the course of centuries, this crescent bearing flag spread all over Anatolia (Asian Turkey). Turkic tribes of Central Asia embraced Islam and their different tribes spread westward conquering heartlands of Asia Minor, including parts of Anatolia. Hence, when Ottomans became caliphs their flag was red colored with a green circle in the center and three yellow crescents all facing the right side. Then they altered the flag.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent
and it seems that strictly you are right, it was not the symbol of the Byzantines, rather the/a symbol (on the flag) of Constantinople, with this explanation given here...
http://www.fotw.net/flags/islam.html#ori
The Flag of Constantinople
Constantinople or present Istanbul was the capital of Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. Before Christ it was once sieged by Goths, when the Romans defeated the Goths, it was first of the lunar month. Therefore, to remember this occasion they added the new crescent on the city flag. Later, the direction of the crescent was inverted because the new crescent faces the pole side of the flag and looked odd. During the course of centuries, this crescent bearing flag spread all over Anatolia (Asian Turkey). Turkic tribes of Central Asia embraced Islam and their different tribes spread westward conquering heartlands of Asia Minor, including parts of Anatolia. Hence, when Ottomans became caliphs their flag was red colored with a green circle in the center and three yellow crescents all facing the right side. Then they altered the flag.
Judgement Day
Active Member
Here's from another source:
The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years. Information on the origins of the symbol are difficult to ascertain, but most sources agree that these ancient celestial symbols were in use by the peoples of Central Asia and Siberia in their worship of sun, moon, and sky gods. There are also reports that the crescent moon and star were used to represent the Carthaginian goddess Tanit or the Greek goddess Diana.
The city of Byzantium (later known as Constantinople and Istanbul) adopted the crescent moon symbol. According to some reports, they chose it in honor of the goddess Diana. Others indicate that it dates back to a battle in which the Romans defeated the Goths on the first day of a lunar month. In any event, the crescent moon was featured on the city's flag even before the birth of Christ.
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, writing, or symbolism on it.
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 as you will see on the following page, it is still not standard on flags used in the Muslim world today.
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.
Based on this history, many Muslims reject using the crescent moon as a symbol of Islam. The faith of Islam has historically had no symbol, and many refuse to accept what is essentially an ancient pagan icon. It is certainly not in uniform use among Muslims.
http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa060401a.htm
JD
The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years. Information on the origins of the symbol are difficult to ascertain, but most sources agree that these ancient celestial symbols were in use by the peoples of Central Asia and Siberia in their worship of sun, moon, and sky gods. There are also reports that the crescent moon and star were used to represent the Carthaginian goddess Tanit or the Greek goddess Diana.
The city of Byzantium (later known as Constantinople and Istanbul) adopted the crescent moon symbol. According to some reports, they chose it in honor of the goddess Diana. Others indicate that it dates back to a battle in which the Romans defeated the Goths on the first day of a lunar month. In any event, the crescent moon was featured on the city's flag even before the birth of Christ.
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, writing, or symbolism on it.
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 as you will see on the following page, it is still not standard on flags used in the Muslim world today.
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.
Based on this history, many Muslims reject using the crescent moon as a symbol of Islam. The faith of Islam has historically had no symbol, and many refuse to accept what is essentially an ancient pagan icon. It is certainly not in uniform use among Muslims.
http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa060401a.htm
JD
Nehustan
Well-Known Member
DISCLAIMER!!!!
By the way when I said it 'wasn't that old' I meant in the context of Islam i.e. it was adopted later. The moon and star are very very very old symbols as they have been there for a very very very long time. I may be stupid....just not when it comes to semiotics.
By the way when I said it 'wasn't that old' I meant in the context of Islam i.e. it was adopted later. The moon and star are very very very old symbols as they have been there for a very very very long time. I may be stupid....just not when it comes to semiotics.
Judgement Day
Active Member
You're not stupid. Im pretty sure we understood what you meantNehustan said:
.