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Last modified: 2014-07-19 by rob raeside
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![[Islamic Khilafah]](../images/i/isl-2f.gif)
by Glenn Stevens, 15 November 2000
Here is an image of the flags (there are two) of the Islamic Khilafah (state). One is the flag of
jihad, and the other is the flag of the state.
Glenn Stevens, 15 November 2000
The image shows two flags bearing an Arabic inscription (which I believe is the Shahada), on one flag black on white, on the other white on black. What is the "Islamic Khilafah (state)" supposed to be? By saying "One is the flag of jihad, and the other is the flag of the state" he appears to identify one as the war flag and the other as state flag.
Santiago Dotor, 15 November 2000
Yes it contains the shehadeh (creed of Islam). The Islamic Khilafah was the state which existed from the time of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) until 1924, when it was dismantled by Mustafa Kemal. It is more well known in English texts as "Caliphate", but the actual Arabic term is Khilafah. One was carried into battle, and the other was reserved for state purposes.
Glenn Stevens, 16 November 2000
Hitti (History of the Arabs, 1943) writes: 'Succession to Muhammad (khilafah) meant succession to the sovereignty of the state.'
The concise encyclopaedia of Arabic civilization, by Ronart, 1959: 'Abu-Bakr, Uthman and Ali, the so-called Khulafa'al-Rashidun (The well-directed Caliphs, 632-661) conceived the caliphate (al-khilafah) as a spiritual, political and military leadership.'
What does the flag of the caliphate mean today? It is probably connected with the Khilafat-movement, which wanted to restore the Ottoman Empire after the first world war (1919-1924).
Jarig Bakker, 16 November 2000
The "khalifate" refers to the succession of temporal rulers after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him), and is associated with the "Sunni" Islamic community. The khalif was technically the ruler of the Islamic world, and all
other Islamic governments were supposed to be beholden unto his position. This is not how it worked out in real life, however, and the khalifs were often puppets of other regimes, especially once the invasions from central Asia began in earnest. The Shi'i have followed different successions of authority called Imamates, who (in brief) derive their power from a religious context, namely that they are direct descendants of 'Ali. The "true" khalifate lasted through the end of the Abbassid Empire when (in the 1270's, Gregorian, I believe) Hulegu Khan levelled Baghdad and had the last khalif rolled in a rug and trampled to death by honored mounted cavalrymen. The Ottomans originally referred to themselves as
"sultans" and only a few hundred years into their dynastic succession did they begin also to call themselves khalifs.
So, it is unlikely those flags were "ottoman revivalist." More likely, they were flags possibly flown by the Abbasid (or
previous) khalifate. The Prophet (pbuh) himself was said to have carried a black flag into battle, perhaps with the Shahaddah on it (as seen still on the Saudi, Iraqi, Iranian, and other flags), and to have flown a green standard at other times (per: for instance, Libyan and Saudi flags). I believe that the Abbassids were said to have similarly flown a black flag with a white Shahadda, as depicted.
As for the flag of "jihad," I am not certain what this could really mean beyond the obvious; but I'm unaware of any staple flag for the Holy War!
Osman Malik Khan, 22 January 2001
I have found in several "hard Islamic" websites the symbol of a white
Taliban flag crossed with its inverted colour version (probably identified as
Al-Qaeda flag): black background with shahada in white. I do not know if this flag is recognised by
Al-Qaeda; but it is normally flying in pro-Al-Qaeda sites.
Santiago Tazon, 17 November 2001
This black flag with the Shahada in white on it is the RAYAH, the flag of the
Jihad in Islam. Not the banner of single group claiming for Jihad but the banner
of the Jihad. The flag is Black and the Shahada always remains in white. Every
Muslim fighting in Jihad will hold this flag. You can find the Rayah over the
shoulders of Muslim fighters in Chechnya, sometimes in the street of Palestine,
in Bosnia was very used by the "Black Swans" group of the Muslim Bosnian Army.
Gontzal Royo, 8 April 2003
Osman Malik Khan noted "the Ottomans originally referred to themselves as "sultans" and only a few
hundred years into their dynastic succession did they begin also to call themselves
khalifs."
---
The term "Sultan" is also an Arabic word (not Turkish as many people think) and is used interchangeably in the Hadith with Khaleefah (and also with
Imam), to mean leader of the worldwide Islamic community. Linguistically, "Sultan" is the Arabic word for "Authority", so it can mean any general
authority, or specifically, the authority in charge of the Muslim community.
The Uthmaniyya (Ottomans) were given the bay'ah (pledge of allegiance) by the Muslim community in 1520 C.E when they finally conquered the Hejaz
(Makkah and Madinah) and took custody of the two holy Mosques.
Glenn Stevens, 22 January 2002
From Wikipedia:
The Black Banner or Black Standard (راية السوداء rāyat al-sawdā' , also
known as راية العقاب rāyat al-`uqāb "banner
of the
eagle" or simply as
الراية
al-rāya "the banner") is the historical flag flown by
Muhammad
in Islamic
tradition, an
eschatological
symbol in
Shi'a
Islam
(heralding the advent of the
Mahdi),
and a symbol used in
Islamism
and
Jihadism.
Bill Garrison, 26 June 2013
Before Islam, visible standards were used at least in the Roman army to identify the core of the legion - the Eagles. By the middle 600s CE, the Arabs were using standards for the same purpose. Among the Arabs the rāya was a square banner; not to be confused with the liwā' or `alam, an identifying mark like a red turban.
Islamic tradition states that the Quraysh had a black liwā' and a white-and-black rāya. It further states that Muhammad had an `alam in white, nicknamed "The Young Eagle (العقاب al-`uqāb)"; and (relevant here) a rāya in black, said to be made from his wife Aisha's head-cloth. This larger flag was known as the Eagle. The name may have referred to the Byzantine eagle. The tradition reports Muhammad said that the advent of the Mahdi would be signaled by "Black Standards" proceeding from Khorasan.
At
Siffin it was said that `Ali
used the liwā' of the Prophet, which as noted above was white;
but those who fought with him did use black banners as well.
Bill Garrison, 26 June 2013
Historically the Abbasid Revolution adopted black for its rāya; for which their partisans were called the musawwids. Their rivals chose other colours in reaction; among these, forces loyal to Marwan II adopted red.
After the revolution, Islamic apocalyptic circles admitted that the Abbasid banners would be black but asserted that the Mahdi's standard would be black and larger. Anti-Abbasid circles cursed "the black banners from the East", "first and last". The Bábí leader Mullá Husayn-i-Bushru'i raised the Black Standard in his westward march from Mashhad starting 21 July 1848, to proclaim the Báb's message. The people of Barfurush confronted the march and a series of battles ensued. The Bábís stopped and built the fort Shaykh Tabarsi which developed into one of the most significant battles of the Bábí religion. It is reported the Black Standard flew above the fortress. The flag flown by the Emirate of Afghanistan under Abdur Rahman Khan (1880–1901) was also solid black.
As
Arab nationalism developed in the early 20th century, the black within the
Pan-Arab colors
was chosen to represent the black banner of Muhammad, while the name of "The
Eagle" gave rise to the eagle depicted in the flag of the
Federation of Arab Republics
(1972), which survives as the modern
flag of Egypt.
Bill Garrison, 26 June 2013
A black flag with the
shahada
inscribed in white was spotted on
Jihadist
websites from at least 2001. Even though the historical black banner did not
have any inscription, this variant is commonly known as al-rāya "the
banner" or rayat al-`uqab "banner of the eagle" after the hadith
tradition, and has been dubbed the black flag of jihad by western
observers.[12]
Islamic extremist organizations that used such a black flag include
al‑Qaeda,
al‑Shabaab,
the
Islamic Courts Union,
the
Islamic State of Iraq
and
Hizbul Islam
(2009). Some variant designs depict the second phrase of the shahada in the form
of the historical
seal of Muhammad.
Bill Garrison, 26 June 2013
The recurrent appearance of black flags related to the installation of
Islamic fundamentalist regimes in different countries, has led me to the
conclusion that even though some of them are coordinated and strictly related
armed proscribed movements, not all of them act as one umbrella organization,
but rather share common objectives, such as the installation of Sharia law,
among other concepts.
This use of black flags with a Shahada inscription
on them and with the motto "There's no God but Allah" as representing a global
jihad, was first pointed out when
discussing the black flag with white disk. Now
after several years of
seeing these flags with minor variations (ISIS in Iraq,
ICU 8 in Sudan, and even flags of the same sort
spotted in Palestine),
one can also see these flags appear in Syria, Chechnya, Afghanistan, etc.,
where local (and even international Islamic fundamentalist groups) promote
such armed actions. The flag that most of these
movements use and its inspiration refers to "the Mahdi, a long-since
disappeared Imam who is believed by Shi'a Muslims to be due to reappear when
the end of time approaches. The tradition mentions that prophet Muhammad said
that the advent of the Mahdi would be signaled by "Black Standards"
proceeding from Khorasan. Hence the use of black flags referring to
Jihadists movements".
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muqtada_al-Sadr
Esteban Rivera, 17 June 2014
