View source for Islamic flag

{{Short description|Flags of Islamic states or other entities}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}[[File:Shahada flag.svg|thumb|A representation of the ''[[shahada]]'', a symbol commonly used as a flag by various [[Islamism|Islamist movements]]]]
An '''Islamic flag''' is the [[flag]] representing an Islamic [[caliphate]], religious order, state, civil society, military force or other entity associated with Islam. Islamic flags have a distinct history due to the [[aniconism in Islam|Islamic prescription on aniconism]], making particular colours, inscriptions or symbols such as [[Star and crescent|crescent-and-star]] popular choices. Since the time of the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]], flags with certain colours were associated with Islam according to the traditions. Since then, historical caliphates, modern [[nation state]]s, certain denominations as well as religious movements have adopted flags to symbolize their Islamic identity. Some secular states and ethnic or national movements also use symbols of Islamic origin as markers of heritage and identity.

==History==
===Early Islam===
{{further|Black Standard}}
Before the advent of Islam, banners as tools for signaling had already been employed by the [[pre-Islamic Arabia|pre-Islamic Arab]] tribes and the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]]. [[Rashidun army|Early Muslim armies]] naturally deployed banners for the same purpose.{{sfn|Hathaway|2003|p=95}} Early Islamic flags, however, greatly simplified its design by using plain color, due to the Islamic prescriptions on aniconism.<ref name="Britannica">[https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-heraldry Flag]. ''Britannica''. Retrieved 15 February 2019.</ref> According to the Islamic traditions, the [[Quraysh]] had a black banner and a white-and-black banner.{{sfn|Hinds|1996|p=133}} It further states that Muhammad had a banner in white nicknamed "the Young Eagle" ({{langx|ar|العقاب}}, {{transliteration|ar|DIN|al-ʿuqāb}}); and a flag in black, said to be made from his wife [[Aisha]]'s head-cloth.{{sfn|Nicolle|1993|p=6}} This larger flag was known as the "Banner of the Eagle" ({{langx|ar|الراية العقاب|al-rāyat al-ʿuqāb}}), as well as the "[[Black Standard|Black Banner]]" ({{langx|ar|الراية السوداء|al-rāyat as-sawdāʾ}}).{{sfn|Hinds|1996|p=108}} In the Islamic tradition, Muhammad used the white flag to represent both the leader of the Muslim army and the Muslim state.<ref>[https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/19674/Islamic_Imagery_Project.pdf The Islamic Imagery Project] The Combating Terrorism Center Retrieved 27 May 2023</ref> Other examples are the prominent Arab military commander [['Amr ibn al-'As]] using a red banner,<ref>Nour, "L’Histoire du croissant," p. 66/295. See also Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddimah, pp. 214–15.</ref> and the [[Khawarij]] rebels using a red banner as well.{{sfn|Wellhausen|1927|p=533}} Banners of the early Muslim armies in general, however, employed a variety of colors, both singly and in combination.{{sfn|Hathaway|2003|pp=95–96}}

The [[Umayyad Caliphate]], which ruled the largest geographical extent of the medieval Islamic Empire,<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D1tmDwAAQBAJ&dq=islamic+empire+largest+extent+umayyad&pg=PA63 | title=The Islamic Empire | isbn=9781420508024 | last1=Nardo | first1=Don | date=12 September 2011 | publisher=Greenhaven Publishing LLC }}</ref> adopted white flags.<ref name="EI2">{{EI2|last=David-Weill|first=J.|title=ʿAlam|volume=1|page=349|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0497}}</ref> During the [[Abbasid Revolution]], the Abbasids incorporated the Black Standard based on the [[Islamic eschatology|early Islamic eschatological]] [[Hadith of black flags|saying]] that "a people coming from the East with black banners" would herald the arrival of the messianic figure [[Mahdi]].<ref>Muhammad b. Yazid b. Maja (d. 887), Sunan, ed. Muhammad Fu˘ad ˜Abd al-Baqi, 2 vols. (Cairo: Halabi, 1372/1952), vol. 2: 1366–67; ˜Ala al-Din ˜Ali b. Husam al-Din al-Muttaqi (1477–1567), Kanz al-˜ummål, 8 parts (Hyderabad: Da˘irat al-Ma˜arif, 1312/1894–95), part 3: 203; part 4: 38, 39, 45, 53</ref> The [[Shiite]] [[Alids]] chose the color of white to distinguish themselves from the Abbasids,{{sfn|Wellhausen|1927|p=533}} but also adopted [[green]] flags.<ref name="EI2"/> Thus in 817, when the Abbasid caliph [[al-Ma'mun]] adopted the Alid [[Ali al-Ridha]] as his heir apparent, he also changed the dynastic color from black to green. The change was reverted when al-Ma'mun had Ali killed, and returned to [[Baghdad]] in 819.<ref>{{The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates | edition = Second | pages = 152–153, 161}}</ref> The Abbasids continued to use black as their dynastic color. However, their caliphal banner was made of white silk with the [[Quranic]] inscriptions. The white color was then adopted, in deliberate opposition to the Abbasids, by the [[Ismaili]] Shiite [[Fatimid Caliphate]], and cemented the association of black and white with [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and Shia respectively.{{sfn|Hathaway|2003|pp=96–97}} It was also used by the [[Almohads]].<ref name=Almohad>{{cite book|author=Amira K. Bennison|title=Almoravid and Almohad Empires |year=2016|publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-4682-1|pages=101}}<br/>{{cite book|author=Pascal Buresi, Hicham El Aallaoui|title=Governing the Empire: Provincial Administration in the Almohad Caliphate (1224-1269)|year=2012|publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-23333-1|pages=76}}<br/>{{cite book|author=Amira K. Bennison, Alison L. Gascoigne|title=Cities in the Pre-Modern Islamic World The Urban Impact of Religion, State and Society|year=2007|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-09650-3|pages=88}}</ref> The Fatimid caliphal banner was decorated in red and yellow, sometimes emblazoned with the picture of a lion.{{sfn|Hathaway|2003|pp=96–97}} Early Muslim rulers are generally not known to have used emblems of a distinctly dynastic, religious, or personal nature.{{sfn|Grabar|2005|p=252}}

<gallery class="center" widths="120">
File:Abbassid_banner.svg|[[Abbasid Caliphate]] used Black standards and are also attributed to [[Muhammad]].
File:Umayyad_Flag.svg|The [[Umayyad Caliphate]], [[Fatimid Caliphate]] and [[Almohad Caliphate]] used white standards. White flags are also attributed to Muhammad.
File:Rectangular green flag.svg|Green flags were sometimes used by [[Shi'ites]].
File:Red_flag.svg|The [[Kharjites]] used red standards
</gallery>

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-Wâsitî 006.jpg|thumb|A troop of spectators on horseback and with inscribed banners watching a procession. Illustration from the seventh ''[[Maqama]]'' of [[al-Hariri of Basra]] in a [[Maqamat of Al-Hariri (manuscript)|13th-century manuscript created by al-Wasiti]] (BNF ms. arabe 5847).]]
The [[Ayyubid]]s and [[Mamluk]]s, succeeding the Fatimid caliphate, retained the association with yellow. The Ayyubid founder [[Saladin]] carried a yellow flag adorned with an eagle. Mamluk sultanic banners were yellow, but on occasion they used red banners.{{sfn|Hathaway|2003|pp=96–97}} [[Mongol Empire|Mongol]] and Turkic dynasties to the east, including the [[Ilkhanate]], [[Oghuz Turks]] and the [[Seljuq dynasty]], preferred the white banner.{{sfn|Hathaway|2003|p=98}} Religious flags with inscriptions were in use in the medieval period, as shown in miniatures by 13th-century illustrator [[Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti]]. 14th-century illustrations of the ''History of the Tatars'' by [[Hayton of Corycus]] (1243) shows both [[Mongols]] and Seljuqs using a variety of war ensigns.

The [[crescent]] appears in flags attributed to [[Tunis]] from as early as the 14th century ''[[Book of Knowledge of All Kingdoms]]'', long before Tunis fell under Ottoman rule in 1574. The Spanish Navy Museum in Madrid shows two Ottoman naval flags dated 1613; both are swallow-tailed, one green with a white crescent near the hoist, the other white with two red stripes near the edges of the flag and a red crescent near the hoist.<ref>Nozomi Karyasu & António Martins, 8 October 2006 on [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/tr_ott16.html Flags of the World].</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=July 2024|certain=yes|reason=Flags of the world is an amateur flag enthusiast website that anyone can contribute to, it is not a scholarly source and many flags there may be fictional or speculative.}}

The [[hexagram]] was also a popular symbol among the Islamic flags. It is known in Arabic as ''Khātem Sulaymān'' ([[Seal of Solomon]]; {{lang|ar|خاتم سليمان}}) or ''Najmat Dāūd'' ([[Star of David]]; {{lang|ar|نجمة داوود}}). The "Seal of Solomon" may also be represented by a five-pointed star or [[pentagram]]. In the [[Qur'an]], it is written that David and [[King Solomon]] (Arabic, ''Suliman'' or ''Sulayman'') were prophets and kings, and are figures revered by Muslims. The Medieval pre-Ottoman [[Hanafi]] [[Anatolian beyliks]] of the [[Karamanids]] and [[Jandarids]] used the star on their flag.<ref name="Muwahhidists">The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals, By Stephen F. Dale, 2009</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=July 2024}}

The Mamluks served the [[Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques]] during their reign. During this time, they deployed what was believed to be the genuine relic of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's banner. The banner was later captured by the Ottomans, who called the flag the "noble banner" (''[[Sancak-ı Şerif]]'') and used it during their military campaign. The flag was made of black wool, according to the Ottoman historian [[Silahdar Findiklili Mehmed Agha]], but there is no further information available.{{sfn|Hathaway|2003|pp=97–8}}

<gallery class="center" widths="120">
File:Flag of Ayyubid Dynasty.svg|The [[Ayyubid]] yellow standard
File:Flag of the Mameluke Sultanate.png|A flag of the Mamluk Sultanate according to the [[Catalan Atlas]]
</gallery>

===Pre-modern era===
;Ottoman Empire
{{main|Ottoman flags}}
War flags came into use by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the 16th century, gradually replacing (but long coexisting with) their traditional ''[[tugh]]'' or horse-tail standards. During the 16th and 17th centuries, war flags often depicted the bifurcated sword of [[Ali]], [[Zulfiqar]], which was often misinterpreted in Western literature as showing a pair of [[scissors]].<ref>e.g. Jaques Nicolas Bellin, ''Tableau des Pavillons de le nations que aborent à la mer'' (1756).</ref> A Zulfiqar flag used by [[Selim I]] (d. 1520) is on exhibit in [[Topkapı Palace]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/tr-topk.html|title=Ottoman Empire: Flags and coats of arms shown in the Topkapi Museum (Istanbul)|website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref> Two Zulfiqar flags are also depicted in a plate dedicated to Turkish flags in vol. 7 of [[Bernard Picart]]'s ''Cérémonies et coutumes religieuses de tous les peuples du monde'' (1737), attributed to the [[Janissaries]] and [[Sipahi]]s.

[[Tanzimat]] of 1844, the [[flags of the Ottoman Empire]] were redesigned in the style of European armies of the day. The flag of the [[Ottoman Navy]] was made red as red was to be the flag of secular institutions and green of religious ones. As the reforms abolished all the various sub-sultanates, pashaliks, beyliks and emirates, a single new flag was designed to replace all the various flags used by these entities with one single national flag. The result was the red and white flag with the crescent moon and star, which is the precursor to the modern Turkish flag. A plain red flag was introduced as the [[civil ensign]] for all Ottoman subjects.

<gallery class="center" widths="120">
File:Türkei Seidenfahne makffm.jpg|An early 19th-century example of a [[Zulfiqar]] flag
File:Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1844–1922).svg|The flag of the [[Ottoman Empire]] (1844–1922)
File:BarbarosSancagi.svg|[[Hayreddin Barbarossa#The Flag (Sanjak) of Hayreddin Barbarossa|The flag of Hayreddin Barbarossa]]
</gallery>

;Mughal Empire
{{main|Flag of the Mughal Empire}}

[[File:One of six figures from the Mughal emperor's ceremonial procession on the occasion of the Id..jpg|thumb|upright|An elephant with a mahout and a standard-bearer carrying a green standard with a gold sun.]]
The [[Mughal Empire]] had a number of imperial flags and standards. The principal imperial standard of the Mughals was known as the ''[[Flag of the Mughal Empire|alam]]''  ({{lang|fa-Latn|Alam}} {{lang|fa|علم|rtl=yes}}). It was primarily [[moss green]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/addorimss/a/zoomify55414.html |title=Zoomify image: A panorama in 12 folds showing the procession of the Emperor Bahadur Shah to celebrate the feast of the 'Id. f. 59v-A |publisher=Bl.uk |date=2003-11-30 |accessdate=2022-04-17 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323023533/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/addorimss/a/zoomify55414.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> It displayed a [[lion and sun]] ({{lang|fa-Latn|Shir-u-khurshid}} {{lang|fa|شیر و خورشید|rtl=yes}}) facing the hoist of the flag.<ref name="KDP">{{cite web|title=Alam – The Flag of the Mughals|url=http://kdpindia.com/Alam%20The%20Flag%20of%20The%20Mughal.html|publisher=Khadi Dyers & Printers|access-date=26 February 2010|location=Mumbai|quote=primarily [[moss green]] and some flags were scarlet. Against a green field it displayed a rising sun, partially eclipsed by a body of a couching lion facing the hoist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121052922/http://kdpindia.com/Alam%20The%20Flag%20of%20The%20Mughal.html|archive-date=21 November 2010|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The Mughals traced their use of the ''alam'' back to [[Timur]].<ref name="singh">{{cite book|last=Singh|first=K.V.|title=Our National Flag|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India|location=New Delhi|year=1991|page=14}}</ref> The imperial standard was displayed to the right of the throne and also at the entrance of the Emperor's encampment and in front of the emperor during military marches.<ref name="singh"/>

According to the ''[[Ain-i-Akbari]]'', during [[Akbar]]'s reign, whenever the emperor rode out, not less than five ''alams'' were carried along with the ''qur'' (a collection of flags and other insignia) wrapped up in scarlet cloth bags. They were unfurled on the days of festivity, and in battle.<ref>[[Heinrich Blochmann|Blochmann, H.]] (tr.) (1927, reprint 1993). ''The Ain-I Akbari by Abu'l-Fazl Allami'', Vol. I, Calcutta: The Asiatic Society, p.52</ref> [[Edward Terry (author)|Edward Terry]], chaplain to Sir [[Thomas Roe]], who came during the reign of [[Jahangir]], described in his ''Voyage to East-India'' (1655) that the royal standard, made of silk, with a crouching lion shadowing part of the body of the sun inscribed on it, was carried on an elephant whenever the emperor travelled.<ref>Foster, William (ed.) (1921) ''Early Travels in India, 1583–1619'', London: Oxford University Press, p. 306</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Terry|first=Edward |title=A Voyage to East-India|publisher=J. Wilkie|location=London|orig-year=1655|year=1777|page=347|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nnUIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA347}}</ref>
<gallery class="center" widths="120">
File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|[[Flag of the Mughal Empire|Alam]] of the Mughal Empire
File:Shah Jahan Flag.png|Flag of the Mughal Empire (1631)<ref>{{cite web|title=File:The siege of Qandahar (May 1631).jpg|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_siege_of_Qandahar_(May_1631).jpg}}</ref>
</gallery>

;Persian Empires
{{main|Flag of Iran}}
The [[Safavid dynasty]] (1501–1736) employed various ''[[Black Standard#Origin|alams]]'' and banners, especially during the reign of the first two kings, each with a different emblem. [[Ismail I]], the first Safavid king, designed a green flag with a golden full moon. In 1524 [[Tahmasp I]] replaced the moon with an emblem of a sheep and sun; this flag was used until 1576. It was then that [[Ismail II]] adopted the first Lion and Sun device, embroidered in gold, which was to remain in use until the end of the Safavid era. During this period the Lion and Sun stood for two pillars of the society: the state and Islam.

The [[Afsharid dynasty]] (1736–1796) had two royal standards, one with red, white, and blue stripes and one with red, blue, white, and yellow stripes. [[Nader Shah]]'s personal flag was a yellow pennant with a red border and a lion and sun emblem in the centre. All three of these flags were triangular in shape.<ref name=xvi>{{cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/ir_per16.html#qaj |title=Flags of the World: Persia (Iran) from XVI to XVIIIth century |access-date=11 November 2010}}</ref><ref name=kavehfarrokh>{{cite web |url=http://www.kavehfarrokh.com/news/the-lion-and-sun-motif-of-iran-a-brief-analysis/ |title=The Lion and Sun Motif of Iran: A brief Analysis |access-date=12 November 2010}}</ref> [[Nader Shah]] consciously avoided the using the colour green, as green was associated with [[Shia Islam]] and the [[Safavid dynasty]].<ref name=iranica>{{cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/flags-i |title=Encyclopædia Iranica: FLAGS i. Of Persia |access-date=12 November 2010}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" widths="120">
Safavid Flag.svg|Flag of Safavid dynasty after [[Ismail II]] (1576–1732)
Afsharid Imperial Standard (3 Stripes).svg|An Imperial Standard of the [[Afsharid dynasty]]
</gallery>

===Modern history===
;Flags of the Mahdiyya
{{further|Mahdist war}}
[[File:Flag of the Mahdi movement in Sudan.svg|thumb|Flag of the Mahdi movement in Sudan, late 19th century.]]
[[Muhammad Ahmad]] declared himself al-Mahdī al-Muntaẓar (the Expected Rightly-guided One, successor to the prophet Mohammed) in 1881 and lead an Islamic revolution against the Ottoman-Egyptian rule of Sudan until his death in 1885.<ref>[https://www.npg.si.edu/object/nmafa_91-20-1?destination=edan-search/default_search%3Fpage%3D404%26edan_fq%255B0%255D%3Dobject_type%253A%2522Costume%2520%2528mode%2520of%2520fashion%2529%2522%26search_si%3D1 Mahdi Flag]. ''National Portrait Gallery''. Retrieved 19 December 2020.</ref> During the [[Mahdist War]], the followers of al-Mahdi (''[[Ansar (Sudan)|Anṣār]]'' or ‘helpers’) adapted a traditional form of flag used in prayer by followers of Sufi religious orders, for military purposes.<ref name="auto"/> Sufi flags typically feature the Muslim [[shahada]] – "There is no God but [[God in Islam|God]]; Muḥammad is God’s Messenger" – and the name of the sect's founder, an individual usually regarded as a saint.<ref name="auto">[https://makingafricanconnections.org/s/archive/item/2023 Flags of the Mahdiyya]. ''Making African Connections''. Retrieved 19 December 2020.</ref> The traditional form of Sufi flag was adapted by adding a quotation from the Quran – "Yā allah yā ḥayy yā qayūm yā ḍhi’l-jalāl wa’l-ikrām" (O God! O Ever-living, O Everlasting, O Lord of Majesty and Generosity) – and the highly charged claim - "Muḥammad al-Mahdī khalifat rasūl Allah" (Muḥammad al-Mahdī is the successor of God's messenger). The flags were specifically colour coded to direct soldiers of the three main divisions of the Mahdist army – the Black, Green and Red Banners (''rāyāt'').

;Star and crescent
{{main|Star and crescent}}
By the mid 20th century, the star and crescent was used by a number successor states of the Ottoman Empire, including [[Flag of Algeria|Algeria]], [[Flag of Azerbaijan|Azerbaijan]], [[Flag of Mauritania|Mauritania]], [[Flag of Tunisia|Tunisia]], [[Flag of Turkey|Turkey]], [[Flag of Northern Cyprus|the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]] and [[Flag of Libya|Libya]]. Because of its supposed "[[Pan-Turkism|Turkic]]" associations, the symbol also came to be used in [[Central Asia]], as in the flags of [[Flag of Turkmenistan|Turkmenistan]] and [[Flag of Uzbekistan|Uzbekistan]].
The star-and-crescent in the [[Flag of Pakistan]] is stated as symbolizing "progress and light" (while the green colour is stated as [[Green in Islam|representing Islam]]). The star-and-crescent in these flags was not originally intended as religious symbolism, but an association of the symbol with Islam seems to have developed beginning in the 1950s or 1960s.<ref>The symbolism of the star and crescent in the flag of the [[Kingdom of Libya]] (1951–1969) was explained in an English language booklet, ''The Libyan Flag & The National Anthem'', issued by the Ministry of Information and Guidance of the Kingdom of Libya (year unknown, cited after Jos Poels at [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/Flags/ly_1951.html FOTW], 1997) as follows: "The crescent is symbolic of the beginning of the lunar month according to the Muslim calendar. It brings back to our minds the story of the [[Hegira|Hijra]] (migration) of our Prophet Mohammed from his home in order to spread Islam and teach the principles of right and virtue. The Star represents our smiling hope, the beauty of aim and object and the light of our belief in God, in our country, its dignity and honour which illuminate our way and puts an end to darkness."</ref>
By the 1970s, this symbol was embraced by both [[Arab nationalism]] or [[Islamism]], such as the proposed  [[Arab Islamic Republic]] (1974) and the American [[Nation of Islam]] (1973).<ref>Edward E. Curtis, ''Black Muslim religion in the Nation of Islam, 1960–1975'' (2006), [https://books.google.com/books?id=VdcQNcJZoSgC&dq=%22Nation+of+Islam%22+crescent+flag&pg=PA157 p. 157].</ref>

;The Pan-Arab flag and colours
{{main|Pan-Arab colors}}
The [[Pan-Arab colors]] were first introduced in 1916, with the [[Flag of the Arab Revolt]]. Although they represent secular [[Arab nationalism]] as opposed to Islamism, the choice of colours has been explained by Islamic symbolism in retrospect, so  by Mahdi Abdul Hadi in ''Evolution of the Arab Flag'' (1986): black as the [[Black Standard]] of Muhammad, the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] and the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], white as the flag of the [[Umayyad Caliphate]], green as the flag of the [[Fatimid Caliphate]] and red as the flag of the [[Khawarij]]. On 30  1917 [[Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca]], leader of the [[Arab 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 colors|pan-Arab flag]]. 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 [[Flag of the Arab Revolt|Hejaz Revolt flag]]. These flags include the current flags of [[Flag of Iraq|Iraq]], [[Flag of Syria|Syria]], [[Flag of Yemen|Yemen]], [[Flag of Egypt|Egypt]], [[Flag of Kuwait|Kuwait]], [[Flag of the United Arab Emirates|United Arab Emirates]], [[Flag of Jordan|Jordan]], [[Palestinian flag|Palestinian National Authority]], [[Algeria]], and [[Flag of Sudan|Sudan]], and former [[List of flags of Iraq|flags of Iraq]] and [[Libya]].

{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center
|File:Flag of Hejaz (1917).svg|The [[Flag of the Arab Revolt]] (1916)<ref>[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/arabcol.html Pan-Arab Colours], crwflags.com; Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, [http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/flag/20.htm The Great Arab Revolt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505081320/http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/flag/20.htm |date=2014-05-05 }}, passia.org</ref>
|File:Drapeau_de_la_République_Arabe_Islamique_(Union_tuniso-libyenne).svg|The flag of the [[Arab Islamic Republic]] (1974)
}}

==Contemporary flags==

===Islamic states===
{{further|Islamic state}}
{{main|List of countries with the Islamic symbols displayed on their flag}}{{More citations needed|section|date=February 2024}}
The modern conceptualization of the [[Islamic state]] is attributed to [[Abul A'la Maududi]] (1903–1979), a Pakistani Muslim theologian who founded the political party [[Jamaat-e-Islami]] and inspired other Islamic revolutionaries such as [[Ruhollah Khomeini]]. Six internationally recognized states identify as Islamic states: Saudi Arabia (formed 1932 out of the Wahhabist [[Emirate of Diriyah|predecessor states]]), [[Pakistan]] (since 1947), [[Mauritania]] (since 1958), Iran (since 1979), [[Yemen]] (since 1991). The majority of countries of the [[Arab world]] define Islam as their [[state religion]]. Most of these states have national flags that include Islamic symbolism. Besides these, there have been unrecognized jihadist de facto states, such as the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] which at one time controlled parts of Iraq and Syria, the unrecognized government of the [[Afghanistan|Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]], and [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]] and [[Boko Haram]] ruling parts of Somalia and Nigeria respectively, which use [[jihadist flags]].

Some flags of Muslim states use inscribed flags, either with the ''[[shahada]]'', as in [[Flag of Saudi Arabia|the flags]] of [[Saudi Arabia]], or  in the case of the 1979 Islamic Republic of [[Iran]], stylized writing of the word ''[[Allah]]''. The [[flag of Iraq]] uses the pan-Arab colours since 1921, with the addition of the takbir since 1991. The practice of inscribing the shahada on flags may go back to the 18th century, used by the [[Wahhabi]] religious movement.<ref name=firefly>{{cite book |title=Firefly Guide to Flags of the World  |year=2003 |isbn=978-1552978139 |page=165 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FsxaAAAAYAAJ&q=wahhabi+flag+shahada |access-date=12 September 2012|publisher= Firefly Books}}</ref> In 1902 [[Ibn Saud]], leader of the [[House of Saud]] and the future founder of the Kingdom of [[Saudi Arabia]], added a sword to this flag.<ref name=firefly/> The current flag of Saudi Arabia is a continuation of the flag of the [[Emirate of Nejd and Hasa]] introduced in 1902. The [[First East Turkestan Republic]] of 1933 used it on their flag, and the [[Taliban]] introduced it on their [[flag of Afghanistan]] in 1997.

====With inscription====
{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center
|File:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg |The [[flag of Saudi Arabia]] (1932, based on a [[Sultanate of Nejd|1921 variant]]), the shahada and a sword on a green field
|File:Flag of Taliban.svg | The [[flag of Afghanistan]], displaying the phrase: "There is no god but [[God in Islam|God]]. Mohamed is the messenger of God" in [[Arabic]]
|File:Flag of the Syrian Transitional Government (Shahada).svg | The secondary [[List of Syrian flags|flag of Syria]] displaying the phrase: "There is no god but [[God in Islam|God]]. Mohamed is the messenger of God" in [[Arabic]]  
|File:Flag of Iran.svg | The  [[Flag of Iran]] (1980), a highly stylized  [[Emblem of Iran|emblem]] representing the word ''Allah''
|File:Flag of Iraq.svg|The [[Flag of Iraq]] containing colors of the [[Arab Liberation Flag]], with ''[[Takbir|takbīr]]'' ''{{Transliteration|ar|DIN|''' ʾAllāhu ʾakbar{{smallsup|u}}'''}}'' ({{lang|ar|ٱللَّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ}}), meaning "God is greater / the greatest<ref>{{Cite web |last=Engber |first=Daniel |date=2006-09-12|title=Why do Muslims say, "God is great?"|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2006/09/why-do-muslims-say-god-is-great.html|access-date=2021-12-26|website=Slate Magazine|language=en}}</ref> in [[Kufic|Kufic script]] written in the center.
}}

====With crescent and star====
{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center
|File:Flag of Turkey.svg|[[Flag of Turkey]]
|File:Flag of Algeria.svg|[[Flag of Algeria]]
|File:Flag of Azerbaijan.svg|[[Flag of Azerbaijan]]
|File:Flag of Libya.svg|[[Flag of Libya]]
|File:Flag_of_Mauritania (2016 proposal).svg | The [[Flag of Mauritania]] (2017, variants since 1959), star-and-crescent on green
|File:Flag of Pakistan.svg| The [[Flag of Pakistan]] has a dark green to symbolize [[Islam in Pakistan|the Muslim-majority population]], and it is also one of the many Muslim flags with a star-and-crescent.
|File:Flag of Tunisia.svg|[[Flag of Tunisia]]

}}

====With crescent====
{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center
|File:Flag of Maldives.svg|Flag of [[Maldives]]
}}

====With star====
{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center
|File:Flag of Morocco.svg|Flag of [[Morocco]]
}}

====With [[Eagle of Saladin]]====
{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center
|File:Flag of Egypt.svg|[[Flag of Egypt]]
|File:Flag of Egypt (1953–1958).svg|[[Flag of Egypt|Flag of Egypt (1953–1958)]]
|File:Flag of the President of the Kurdistan Region.svg|Flag of the President of the [[Kurdistan Region]], [[Iraq]]
|File:Flag of Palestine (state).svg|[[Flag of Palestine|State flag of Palestine]]
|File:Standard of the President of United Arab Republic (1958–1971).svg|Standard of the President of [[United Arab Republic]] (1958–1971)
|File:Presidential standard of South Yemen 1967-1990.svg|[[Flag of South Yemen|Presidential standard of South Yemen (1967-1990)]]
|File:Presidential Standard of Yemen.svg|[[Flag of Yemen|Presidential Standard of Yemen]]

}}

====With [[Hawk of Quraish]]====
{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center

|Flag of Syria (1972–1980).svg|[[:w:Flag of Egypt|Flag of Egypt (1972–1984)]]
|Presidential Standard of Egypt 1972-1984.svg|[[:w:Flag of Egypt|Presidential Standard of Egypt (1972-1984)]]
|Flag of Libya (1972–1977).svg|[[:w:Flag of Libya|Flag of Libya (1972–1977)]]
|Flag of Syria (1972–1980).svg|[[:w:Flag of Syria|Flag of Syria (1972–1980)]]

}}

===Multinational organizations===
{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center
|File:Flag of the Arab League.svg|[[Flag of the Arab League]]
|File:OIC Logo since 2011.svg|[[Flag of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]
}}

===Denominational flags===
[[File:Mourning of Muharram in cities and villages of Iran-342 16 (19).jpg|thumb|Flags hung during the [[Mourning of Muharram]], Iran.]] 
Although a flag representing Islam as a whole does not exist, some Islamic denominational branches and [[Sufi]] brotherhoods employ flags to symbolize themselves. Among specific Islamic branches, [[Nizari]] branch of [[Ismaili]]-[[Shia Islam]] employs an official flag made of green which represents Muhammad's standard and Ali's cloak, as well as a red stripe meaning blood and fire. The flag was ordained by the [[Aga Khan IV]] as a part of the new constitution in 1986. The flag is flown on the [[Ismaili Jamatkhana]], a place for congregational worship for Ismaili Muslims during the festive occasions.<ref>[http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/831 Ismaili flag & New Ismaili Constitution of 1986]. ''Ismaili''. Retrieved 16 February 2019.</ref> The [[Ahmadiyya]] movement also employs an official flag (''Liwaa-i Ahmadiyya'') with black and white colors, first hoisted in 1939.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alislam.org/library/history/ahmadiyya/68.html |title=A Brief History of Ahmadiyya Movement In Islam |publisher=Alislam.org |date=1939-12-28 |access-date=2016-03-23}}</ref> [[Mirza Tahir Ahmad]], the fourth caliph of the [[Ahmadiyya Caliphate]], explained the symbolism of the colours black and white in terms of the concept of revelation and prophethood.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.askislam.org/practices/question_681.html 
 |title=Question: Why do Muslims use black flags if the color black is associated with death and mourning? 
 |website=Askislam.org 
 |date=1984-10-22 
 |access-date=2016-03-23 
}}<br/>{{*}}{{cite web
 |quote=Black absorbs total light, [it] does not emit an iota of light, so from looking heavenly-wards black indicates that we absorb entire light from heaven, and white reflects total light without being dishonest about it, so a Messenger has two aspects. One of receiving things from Allah, in that respect he's ''nabi'' [prophet], whatever he receives he completely, totally absorbs, and when he speaks to the others he reflects the entire light without being dishonest or stingy about it, so that reflection makes it white. So reception that is a complete reception without leaving anything out and reflection that is a complete reflection without leaving anything out, they are witnessed only in two colours: black and white. So both have been employed in Islam as flags.
 |url=http://www2.alislam.org/askislam/mp3/MEI_19841022_02.mp3 
 |title=Audio Answer
 |website=Askislam.org 
 |access-date=2015-06-27 
 |url-status=live
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630013953/http://www2.alislam.org/askislam/mp3/MEI_19841022_02.mp3 
 |archive-date=2015-06-30 
}}</ref> Muslim [[African-American]] religious movement [[Nation of Islam]] deploys an official flag known as "The Flag of Islam" which symbolizes universal peace and harmony.<ref>[https://www.noi.org/noi-history/ Brief history on origin of the Nation of Islam]. ''Nation of Islam''. Retrieved 16 February 2019.</ref> Some Muslim communities organized on a national basis by official corporate bodies that have specific denominational commitments, such as the [[Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina]] or the [[Islam in Bulgaria#Religious infrastructure|Chief Muftiate (Главно мюфтийство) <!--of the Supreme Muslim Council (Висш духовен съвет) of the Muslim Denomination (Мюсюлманско изповедание)--> of Bulgaria]], also have flags.

In Shia Muslim traditions, flags are a significant part of the rituals for the [[Mourning of Muharram]]. Mourners take round the flags or banners in the ritual known as ''Alam Gardani'' as a performance for the mourning ceremonies. Mourners also use flags to signal the beginning and the end of the mourning. All flags have guardians and they are passed down through generations.<ref>[http://parstoday.com/en/radio/programs-i34807-muharram_mourning_traditions_in_different_lands_31 Muharram mourning traditions in different lands – 31]. ''Parstoday''. Retrieved 16 February 2019.</ref>

{{gallery|align=center|width=200|height=100|whitebg=no|captionstyle=text-align: center
|File:Ismaili colors.svg|The [[Nizari|Nizārī]] [[Ismailism|Ismā'īlī]] flag (1986)
|File:Nation of Islam flag.svg|The [[Nation of Islam]] flag (1973)
|File:Khatmiyya Order Flag.svg|The [[Khatmiyya]] tariqa flag
|File:Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya 1-2.svg|Flag of the [[Ahmadiyya|Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ)]]
|File:Flag of the Islamska Zajednica.svg|Flag of the [[Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
|File:Flag of Bulgarian General Mufti.svg|Flag of the [[Islam in Bulgaria#Religious infrastructure|Chief Muftiate of Bulgaria]]
|File:Flag of JUI.svg|Flag of the [[Deobandi]] [[Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam]]
}}

==See also==
{{portal|Islam}}
*[[Religion in national symbols]]
*[[Black Standard]]
*[[Christian Flag]]
*[[Jihadist flag]]

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book | last = Grabar | first = Oleg | author-link = Oleg Grabar | chapter = Fatimid Art, Precursor or Culmination | pages = 243–255 | title = Early Islamic Art, 650-1100, Volume I: Constructing the Study of Islamic Art | location = Hampshire | publisher = Ashgate | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-0-86078921-5}}, originally published in ''Ismaili Contributions to Islamic Culture'' (1977), Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy, pp.&nbsp;207–224
* {{cite book |last=Hathaway |first=Jane |title=A Tale of Two Factions: Myth, Memory, and Identity in Ottoman Egypt and Yemen |location=Albany, New York |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7914-5883-9 |url={{Gbook|L-lPC7DgepEC|plainurl=y}} }}
* {{cite book|last=Hinds|first=Martin|title=Studies in Early Islamic History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0dtAAAAMAAJ |year=1996|publisher=Darwin Press|isbn=978-0-87850-109-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Nicolle|first=David|author-link=David Nicolle|title=Armies of the Muslim Conquest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HCKEjusDE6MC&pg=PA6|year=1993|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-85532-279-0}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{cite book |last=Hrbek |first=I. |date=1997 |chapter=The disintegration of political unity in the Maghrib |editor1=Joseph Ki-Zerbo |editor2=Djibril T. Niane |title=General History of Africa |volume=IV: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century |publisher=UNESCO, James Curry Ltd., and University of California Press}}
* Sparavigna, A.C. (2016). The Sun, the Moon and the Mughal Emperors. ''SSRN Electronic Journal''.
* {{cite book |last=Wellhausen |first=Julius |date=1927 |title=The Arab Kingdom and its Fall |translator=Margaret Graham Weir |location=Beirut |publisher=Khayats |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.282968/}}

== Further reading ==

* {{Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition|volume=3|last1=Ettinghausen|first1=Richard|article=Hilāl|pages=381–385}} (On the use of the crescent moon as symbol in Islamic art and emblems.)

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{FOTW|id=rel-is|title=Islamic flags}}
*[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags//rel-ishi.html Historic flags of Islam (Flags of the World website)]
*[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/rel-ishi.html  The Flag of Quraish (Flags of the World website]
*[http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa060401a.htm "Crescent Moon: Is It a Symbol of Islam?" on Islam.about.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070318202939/http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa060401a.htm |date=2007-03-18 }}

{{Islam topics}}

[[Category:Flags representing the Shahada]]
[[Category:Types of flags]]
[[Category:Islamic culture|Flags]]
[[Category:Religious flags]]
[[Category:Islamic symbols]]