Crescent symbol

[Chesterton]

I'm new to browsing this sub-forum. Forgive me if this question has been asked before, but can anyone explain why a crescent moon and star is a symbol for Islam? I understand it's not an "official" symbol, but it's a widely accepted symbol nonetheless.

 

[Disippelen]

I think it's because Midianites who were counted as Ishamelites (Arabs) (Genesis 37:25,36) wore crescent ornaments, such as told of here: Judges 8.

8:21:
"Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise up yourself, and fall on us; for as the man, so is his strength." So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments which were on their camels' necks."

8:26:
"The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the neck bands that were on their camels' necks."

So, it seems as if the crescent moon was a symbol used by Midianites (Ishmalites), and that this custom lived on well into the Middle Ages when Islam rose in Arabia.

 

[Arthra]

That's an interesting one I hadn't heard.. Of course a Muslim I am sure will respond..

If you look at the coins of the Sassanids of Persia who were supplanted by being defeated by the Muslim Arab armies you will see the crescent pretty prominently so the crescent was already a widely held symbol in the Middle East:

 

[Futuwwa]

The star and the crescent were the official coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman claim of the Caliphate, and their widespread worldly power, turned their coat of arms into the symbol of Islam. Prior to that, there was no comparably universal Islamic symbol.

 

[Minty]

I've always wondered about the crescent and star...thanks for explaining

 

[Chesterton]

As two posters have pointed out, the symbol's use in the Arab world pre-dates the Ottomans. I'm curious what the original meaning was. Some historians say Allah was an ancient pagan moon god.

 

[ahmid]

As two posters have pointed out, the symbol's use in the Arab world pre-dates the Ottomans. I'm curious what the original meaning was. Some historians say Allah was an ancient pagan moon god.

I suspect you'll like this answer.

The Assyrians, 740 BC, had a pagan god named ‘Sin’ and the crescent moon was its symbol. The god Ishtar had a star as a symbol; in addition they held other deities of which Assur was the main one, (star and crescent moon are over the Kaaba). The Assyrians were known for beheading captives and impaling the decapitated heads upright, (very much like Caliphs and Sultans that followed Muhammad only they made pyramids out of decapitated heads). The Assyrians considered warfare a requirement of their religion; their priests would constantly demand warfare because it was a show of their faith, (very much like Islamic Jihad of today).

The Assyrian main city was Nineveh. In the Old Testament book of Jonah, G*d tells them to turn from wickedness and they did...it is the only instance where G*d preaches need for repentance outside of Israel. A century later, the book of Nahum records the destruction of Nineveh because it returned to its wickedness. Babylon took over the Assyrian empire. Today, Nineveh has been found and is undergoing archeological digs.

I am glad you brought up this topic. Look at the Assyrian god Assur (wikipedia), it looks like an angel, a man with wings... exactly identical to Muhammad’s fallen angel that brought the Qur’an. The Assyrians and Islam have many similarities.

Futuwwa, your explanation of the Ottoman empire is 1500 years off.

 

[Futuwwa]

As two posters have pointed out, the symbol's use in the Arab world pre-dates the Ottomans. I'm curious what the original meaning was. Some historians say Allah was an ancient pagan moon god.

To assign an "original meaning" to a symbol such as the crescent moon is like trying to assign an original meaning to the sun as a symbol, to a triangle, or to a star. It is such an obvious, inituitive symbol that any culture with a little bit of imagination can pick it up, without needing to be influenced by anyone else using it. To ask who originally assigned a meaning to it is like asking who originally invented sex.

There is no pre-Ottoman evidence of the crescent being used as a symbol of Islam, let alone *the* symbol of Islam. On the contrary, it was a fairly common heraldic device in medieval Europe, used by (among others) none other than the famous crusader-king Richard I Lionheart. Ahmid, do you also think that medieval Christian knights unknowingly worshipped Assur?

 

[ApplePie7]

I'm new to browsing this sub-forum. Forgive me if this question has been asked before, but can anyone explain why a crescent moon and star is a symbol for Islam? I understand it's not an "official" symbol, but it's a widely accepted symbol nonetheless.

A possible answer within the Koran itself...



Sura 97



The Question:


وما أدريك ما ليلة القدر

Wama adraka ma laylatu alqadri

97.2 And who told you what the divine decree by night is?





The Answer:


ليلة القدر خير من ألف شهر

Laylatu alqadri khayrun min alfi shahrin

97.3 The divine decree by night is better than a thousand new moons.

Sura 97 refers to a “divine decree by night”, which, when viewed from the insight of the Morning Star (alttariqi), informs us that this is Jesus Christ, as the night-comer.

The question is posed to John.

The answer comes from Jesus Christ as He reveals that He is the Morning Star.


As an aside, this passage would seem to give great insight into the insignia on the Islamic flag…as the “new moon” is a crescent shape, and it is shown along side of a “star” – which would represent the Morning Star, the divine decree by night (i.e. Jesus Christ).

Jesus Christ is represented by a celestial body, a Star.

The new moon (as previously identified) has its roots in the pagan Arab idol worship of the Koranic god “allah” – and it is represented by a celestial body.

“allah” is represented by a celestial body, a new moon.


Thus:

• Star = Jesus Christ
• Crescent = “allah”


If true, then this ayah clearly mandates that Jesus Christ is far superior to “allah”, by the statement that He “is better than a thousand new moons.” This would be in keeping with other Koranic ayahs which also state similar things.

It is interesting that some Koranic ayahs define Jesus Christ as being superior to “allah”. This could be the rational used by the Koranic authors who repeatedly attempt to align the god “allah” to the deity of Jesus Christ – hence, having both represented on their flag.

 

[BruceDLimber]

The thing I always find annoying/amusing is when geniuses place the star inside the circumference of the moon (clearly an impossible situation)!

Bruce

 

[Bombila]

I suspect you'll like this answer.

The Assyrians, 740 BC, had a pagan god named ‘Sin’ and the crescent moon was its symbol. The god Ishtar had a star as a symbol; in addition they held other deities of which Assur was the main one, (star and crescent moon are over the Kaaba). The Assyrians were known for beheading captives and impaling the decapitated heads upright, (very much like Caliphs and Sultans that followed Muhammad only they made pyramids out of decapitated heads). The Assyrians considered warfare a requirement of their religion; their priests would constantly demand warfare because it was a show of their faith, (very much like Islamic Jihad of today).

The Assyrian main city was Nineveh. In the Old Testament book of Jonah, G*d tells them to turn from wickedness and they did...it is the only instance where G*d preaches need for repentance outside of Israel. A century later, the book of Nahum records the destruction of Nineveh because it returned to its wickedness. Babylon took over the Assyrian empire. Today, Nineveh has been found and is undergoing archeological digs.

I am glad you brought up this topic. Look at the Assyrian god Assur (wikipedia), it looks like an angel, a man with wings... exactly identical to Muhammad’s fallen angel that brought the Qur’an. The Assyrians and Islam have many similarities.

Futuwwa, your explanation of the Ottoman empire is 1500 years off.

Before someone with an abysmal knowledge of world history (and I have met many) misapprehends and thinks that Muslims and their precursor tribes were alone in the barbarity of beheadings and displays of said heads, may I point out that England practiced decapitation and head display of enemies and criminals, that the early Irish may have formally worshipped using heads, and were prone to riding around with bunches of heads hanging off their horses to show their military prowess and display the persons they had killed, that some South American cultures also liked to display pyramids of rotting heads and skulls, and that it seems to have been a pretty common feature of a wide variety of cultures around the world.

 

[MichaelNZ]

I remember asking Muslims about this, and they didn't really know why the crescent moon was the symbol of Islam. One answer I got was that the holy month of Ramadan begins and ends with the crescent moon (here in Malaysia, the crescent moon has to be sighted from Kuala Lumpur Tower before Aidilfitri can begin). But then, all other months begin and end with the crescent moon as well, so this argument doesn't make any sense, either.

 

[Bookofknowledge]

I recommend people to stop acting childish. Creating or accepting a symbol after the death of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) is totally foolish and confirm lack of education.

Those who associate pagan moon god to Islam are the most uneducated and incapable of using common sense because I can clam cross was a symbol of mass murder and inhumane act of killing innocents by dictators and filthy barbaric rulers - Does this mean christian are those who are the decendants of barbaric dictators of history? - Certainly not - right?

I encourage people to be rational about understanding, think out of the box, be humble to use common sense.

 

[Rasta]

I recommend people to stop acting childish. Creating or accepting a symbol after the death of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) is totally foolish and confirm lack of education.

Those who associate pagan moon god to Islam are the most uneducated and incapable of using common sense because I can clam cross was a symbol of mass murder and inhumane act of killing innocents by dictators and filthy barbaric rulers - Does this mean christian are those who are the decendants of barbaric dictators of history? - Certainly not - right?

I encourage people to be rational about understanding, think out of the box, be humble to use common sense.

This is good advice. Christians often forget that they are subject to most if not all of the same critisism they raise against Islam.

Other symbols of Christianity are the fish and dove.

That means that Jesus has connections to Pagans right? Or no, it only applies to other faiths right Christians?

How about the pagan tree shrine that Christians adorn in their houses every year to commemorate Jesus birthday?

 

[ApplePie7]

Those who associate pagan moon god to Islam are the most uneducated and incapable of using common sense

Would this also include the authors who penned your book of faith...?

because I can clam cross was a symbol of mass murder and inhumane act of killing innocents by dictators and filthy barbaric rulers - Does this mean christian are those who are the decendants of barbaric dictators of history? - Certainly not - right?

I encourage people to be rational about understanding, think out of the box, be humble to use common sense.

The authors of the Koran understood that the cross stands for salvation....what is taking you so long...?

 

[Bookofknowledge]

Would this also include the authors who penned your book of faith...?

The authors of the Koran understood that the cross stands for salvation....what is taking you so long...?

Open the eyes of your soul and what does it mean by opening the eyes of your soul?

The author of Qur'aan (Allah) confirmed that Jesus himself will break the cross in half, far superior is your Creator who never allowed an atom worth of injustice in his rule - think why would he allow an innocent son of a holy mother to be punished in pain for the sins of other criminals.

 

[ApplePie7]

The author of Qur'aan (Allah) confirmed that Jesus himself will break the cross in half, far superior is your Creator who never allowed an atom worth of injustice in his rule - think why would he allow an innocent son of a holy mother to be punished in pain for the sins of other criminals.

False.

The authors of the Koran never state this...

Perhaps you are once again confusing islam with its book of faith.

 

[Bookofknowledge]

False.

The authors of the Koran never state this...

Perhaps you are once again confusing islam with its book of faith.

Why are you so selfish in responding to the questions I ask you?

what do you mean by "confusing Islam with its book of faith" - are you saying faith in Islam and it's scriptures are different then Islam?

 

[HumbleSiPilot77]

The thing I always find annoying/amusing is when geniuses place the star inside the circumference of the moon (clearly an impossible situation)!

Bruce

Like this?

 

[ApplePie7]

what do you mean by "confusing Islam with its book of faith" - are you saying faith in Islam and it's scriptures are different then Islam?

Bing brother...