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Moon God
- Thread starter Heneni
- Start date
Muslims depend on the moon stages as the basis for their calendar.
For instace the biggining of Ramadan (the fasting month) and so on..
May be this is why tht moon has been regarded as the symbol of Islam.
However, the Islamic religion has not decided on the moon to be the symbol of Islam. I mean no decree or a Quranic verse has decided that the moon should be the symbol of Islam.
I went through many books of Narrations of the prophet and the 12 successors appointed by him...never came across anything like this..
thank you,
For instace the biggining of Ramadan (the fasting month) and so on..
May be this is why tht moon has been regarded as the symbol of Islam.
However, the Islamic religion has not decided on the moon to be the symbol of Islam. I mean no decree or a Quranic verse has decided that the moon should be the symbol of Islam.
I went through many books of Narrations of the prophet and the 12 successors appointed by him...never came across anything like this..
thank you,
Heneni
Miss Independent
Is the only reason the moon is prominent in the religion due to the moon's link to the islamic calendar or is there deper spiritual meaning to the moon?
Are there any mosques that dont have the moon as a symbol?
Response: The moon symbol has nothing to do with any teaching of islam. It first appeared during the Ottomon empire by the Turks. It was just a symbol they used, just like many empires used symbols. I believe it was Alexander the Great who used a rams horns or head or something to that affect as a symbol during his reign. Many empires did so to distinguish themselves from others. When you see the symbol in those days, you know who's in charge and which empire is being represented. We all use symbols to represent something even to this day. Every country has a flag as their symbol. The bald eagle is supposed to be the symbol of the US. I know a polo shirt because of their symbol (The man on the horse).
So the crescent moon is just a symbol used by the Ottomon empire and the symbol has been used by muslims to this day.
Heneni
Miss Independent
Ok i understand that you feel that the symbol must not be taken for more than it is. But im curious why the ottomon empire would choose the symbol of the moon in the first place.
Christian have a symbol the cross. It has deep spiritual meaning, and yet the muslims have the moon as a symbol, but it has no spiritual meaning?
Can you elaborate for me?
Thanks fatima!
monta
.
I think the only true answer is no one is really 100% sure, there are some claims that it is linked to a battle between the goths and the romans on the first day of the lunar month but it is just not recorded, and there have been claims that it is linked to some more ancient godesses.
As fatihah said
When the Turks ruled Istanbul in the 15th century they took the cities flag as their own, there is a story that Othman dreamed the Crescent moon stretched across the whole of the earth, which was taken as a good omen, and he decided to keep the crescent as a symbol.
Union
Well-Known Member
Thanks Heneni for your inquisition . The following verse from the Quran utterly uprooted all the confusions about moon-god lies in Islam :
[041:037] Among His proofs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate before the sun, nor the moon; you shall fall prostrate before the GOD who created them, if you truly worship Him alone.
Moreover Quran clearly mentioned the function of moon as we should use it in a very rational rather astronomical way :
[002:189] They ask you about the phases of the moon! Say, "They provide a timing device for the people, and determine the time of Hajj."
Christians have been using the cross for their churches , for lockets , rings , books etc. They kiss it , hug it , feel secured in distress in its presence and even they prostrate in front of it . Do these in reason imply that Christians worship of cross ? Think rationally dear .
Another thing is very important to mention here . Whatever Muslims are doing or saying are not representing Islam . What is Islam , is described in their holly scripture , e.g., the Quran .
Response: Yes. The symbol has no spiritual meaning in islam. As I mentioned before, it's just a symbol which states to everyone who you are. That's what symbols are for. It distinguishes you from the rest. When a clothing designer makes clothes but wants their clothes to be distinguished from others, they use symbols. Polo uses a man on a horse. Izod uses an alligator. Nike uses a check sign. It's just a symbol to let you know who the owner is. In the case of an empire, the display of their symbol let's the world know who's in ownership of a land. Some wear the symbol or use it out of admiration to the owner. So this is why the symbol was chosen.
As for why the crescent moon in particular, well actually, it was the symbol used by christians during their reign of the city of Constinople. When the Ottomons defeated Constantinople, they adopted the symbol themselves.
With all respect to every body,
but how one could even imagine that Muslims worship the Moon?!!
but how one could even imagine that Muslims worship the Moon?!!
Heneni
Miss Independent
Thanks for the text you provided.
Dont worry, im not trying to make your 'moon' to be more that it is. But in the same way, i wouldnt want you to hide stuff about it, i mean if the moon is just a dead symbol with absolutely no other signicance than to identify one group of people then that is fine with me. Im not a catholic so i dont bow or kiss things.
Powerful statement im going to use it in the future.
Now you told me to think rationally, and im trying ok, so dont shoot me down here im trying to understand.
If somebody tried to steal the NIKE brand or the Loreal brand they would be taken to court. The name and the symbol represent a set of standards in craftmenship, quality and brings with it a sense of distinction.
Now the moon is ontop of muslim mosques, that would certainly mean they indentify closely too it. If its just a symbol to distinguish them that does not make sense to me, because the NIKE symbol is not only for distinction but is suppose to remind the byer of the quality and craftmanship and standards that the NIKE brand promotes.
So i think that to say the moon is just a symbol does not quite sound rational. One does not simply adopt a symbol especially a religous symbol unless it has religous implications. It would be questionable also, if the muslims simply adopted a symbol used by another kingdom. Can you give more detail?
Heneni
Response: It wouldn't make sense to adopt a religous symbol without religous implication. But the symbol is not religious at all. So there is no connection. That being said, why is adopting a symbol not rational? Also, why is adopting the symbol of another empire questionable? I must also mention that the symbol is not the symbol of islam. Islam has no symbol. If the builder of a mosque decides to put a moon crescent on top, neither the inventor, nor the symbol, represents islam. The person's reason for using a symbol is their own reason. They do not represent me or any teaching of islam. You can take away every symbol off of every mosque. It would not mean a thing to any muslim. Just like if I decided to build a mosque with a certain color. Does the color have to have religous implication as well? As I've said before, many symbols are adopted out of admiration. A person will represent a symbol simply because someone or some group they admire has done so. It does not have to mean anything at all. The crescent moon does not mean anything to any muslim. Not at all. Not one bit.
Btw, not all mosque are built with a crescent. In fact, a mosque with a crescent is very rare.
Heneni
Miss Independent
I think i was trying to say that the reason why someone adopts a symbol needs to have some rational explanation.
Its not if the empire represented all that muslims believed in. Did they?
thanks for you answers!
can i ask a few more?
Who was the first muslim?
Do muslims believe that christians and jews and themselves believe in the same god (excluding jesus)
Response: The empire did not represent islam. The qur'an and the sunnah defines islam.
As for your other questions, the first muslim was Adam. "Muslim" means, one who submits their will to Allah(God). Adam had done just that, as well as all of the prophets like Abraham, Moses, Jesus, David,etc. So they were muslims as well.
Muslims also worship the same God as jews and christians. The difference is with those christians who say that Jesus is God, which is not the teaching in islam. Jesus is a well beloved prophet in islam. Also, the difference between jews and christians from muslims is what is credited to God through scripture.
Peace
Quran & Sunnah
Hi Heneni,
while searching the islamonline website I came across the same question that you asked and this is the answer:
Is Crescent Moon Symbol of Islam?
iloveislam
Muslim
The concept of moon god does not exist in Islam.
It is merely a cheap shot by desperate Christians (and others) to belittle Islam.
Allah Says in the Noble Qur'an:
It is merely a cheap shot by desperate Christians (and others) to belittle Islam.
Allah Says in the Noble Qur'an:
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
"And none is like Him."
[Qur'an 112:4]
"And none is like Him."
[Qur'an 112:4]
Meaning nothing is equal or comparible to Allah.
Turks in Middle Asia and Siberia never worshiped Moon, Sun, stars or sky gods. They had only one god named Tengri meaning Celestial God in English. They believed Sun (güneş, Moon (ay) were parts of God, just like Earth (yurt, toprak) and sea (su, deniz) But they never worshiped them!
In ancient Turks Tengrism, Tengri had 99 names in Turkic culture and one of the names was Alla. When Turks prayed they opened their palms and said Al - la. Al means "hand" in Turkic languages, it also means "take"
la,lo,lah,loh are adressing, salutation words in Turkic languages.
Allah is pure Turkic word and it is tens of thousands of years old.
The crescents on the mosques shows Ottomans' supremacy on Islam. It was politics. It has nothing to do with Islam.
If we could say crescent is the symbol of Islam, than we could easily say all Christians are Turks because they use the ancient Turkic cross. ⊕ Haç (Hajj) (it also means to be without any sins) which is the thamga (older form of runes) that symbolisez Tengri (God)
, Moon (ay) were parts of God, just like Earth (yurt, toprak) and sea (su, deniz) But they never worshiped them!In ancient Turks Tengrism, Tengri had 99 names in Turkic culture and one of the names was Alla. When Turks prayed they opened their palms and said Al - la. Al means "hand" in Turkic languages, it also means "take"
la,lo,lah,loh are adressing, salutation words in Turkic languages.
Allah is pure Turkic word and it is tens of thousands of years old.
The crescents on the mosques shows Ottomans' supremacy on Islam. It was politics. It has nothing to do with Islam.
If we could say crescent is the symbol of Islam, than we could easily say all Christians are Turks because they use the ancient Turkic cross. ⊕ Haç (Hajj) (it also means to be without any sins) which is the thamga (older form of runes) that symbolisez Tengri (God)
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
Doesn't Islam forbid symbols and imagery from having religious significance to prevent idolatry? They probably see the crucifix and Star of David as forms of idolatry that divert true attention and focus from god. That is why images of Mohamed are forbidden, I think.
This doesn't apply to Shia Islam which encourages art. you can see my Signature, representing the prophet's grandson (peace be upon him).
iloveislam
Muslim
In Islam images of idols and statues are forbidden so as to prevent idolatry. This is the reason why we Muslims do not have images of any of the Prophet (peace be upon them).
Had Islam not been so strict upon Monotheism, then you would probably see that Muslims also worshipping statues of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) just like the Christians worshiping the statues of Jesus (peace be upon him) and Mary.
As for Shia's, they are an heretical sect which do not belong to Islam. Not only have they distorted the teachings of Islam, but they have gone as far as worshipping the dead "saints" at their graves.