The use of the star moon symbol is identified as a symbol of Islam. But does the symbol really come from Islam? in this post misterhidayat will discuss the controversy over the use of the moon and star symbol in Islam and its relation to pagan religion.
Assalamu’alaikum all Muslim friends,
Lately, many people have questioned the symbols of the moon and stars which have long been widely used in the lives of Muslims around the world. This Moon and Star symbol did not exist at the time of the Prophet, Khulafaur Rashidun, until the next 2 major dynasties, namely the Abbasid dynasty and the Umayyad dynasty.
It was only later during the Ottoman dynasty that the crescent moon and star became affiliated with the Muslim world. There is a legend that says that the founder of the Ottoman Empire, namely Osman 1, dreamed of seeing a crescent moon stretching from one end of the earth to the other.
He interpreted it as a good sign and he chose to use this crescent as a symbol of his dynasty. However, its use at that time was not so attached to the attributes of the sultanate. Some khalaf scholars argue that the crescent symbol is a symbol of the Pagan religion which was inserted into the body of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Sultan Selim 1 in the 16th century and later became a symbol of the flag of the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Empire was an Islamic caliphate which was recorded as having the largest area compared to other Islamic caliphates. The most unforgettable victory was when the Ottomans succeeded in overthrowing the Byzantine empire in Constantinople which was the heart of Europe at that time. It is very natural that the use of this symbol is widespread and then adopted by many countries whose population is predominantly Muslim as a symbol of their respective countries.
Along with the increasing literacy of scholars towards the science of Eschatology or the science of the end times because of the increasing number of hadiths of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam about the End times which have been proven one by one.
Some muta’akhirin scholars protested the use of this star moon symbol as a symbol of Islam. Because even though they have a good philosophy, the point is that these pagan symbols are then placed in the highest positions both on the flag, in buildings and especially in mosques. Even its position is sometimes higher than the symbol of Allah’s pronunciation.
They claim that the moon and stars are indeed mentioned in the Qur’an, for example as the name of a surah or when discussing the issue of the Hilal. However, it does not necessarily become a religious symbol, because Al Baqarah or Al Ankabut is also the name of a surah in the Koran.
Is it then that the female cow or spider also deserves to be a symbol of Islam? Exactly what pagan religious symbol is this star moon?
Cresent Moon & Star originally came from ancient Babylonian religious beliefs which were later also used by Egyptian Pagan religions. The crescent moon is usually associated with the moon god Sin (Nanna), while the star is associated with Ishtar (Inanna, or Venus).
In its history, this symbol was also used by the ancient Greek government and the Western Roman Catholic empire. Furthermore, this symbol was also used by the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Orthodox Christian empire. This symbol was later used also by the Ottomans. Even though at that time, God willing, the Ottoman sultans did not realize and did not consider it a symbol of paganism, but because they had other Islamic philosophies.
The following is a video dialogue of the international ruqyah cleric Sheikh Abdul Raouf ben Halima with the jinn which provides information about this star moon symbol. We can take it as an additional reference or we can ignore it.
Once again we do not accuse the Ottoman Caliphate of installing this symbol with bad intentions against the religion of Islam. Because they are the largest Islamic caliphate in the world and it is thanks to their services that Islam spread to various parts of the world. they are likely only interested in the unique shape and philosophical meaning of this Star Moon symbol. There was no deliberate intention of them to incorporate pagan symbols into Islam.
Wallahu’alam Bissahwab
