The Ruling on the National Anthem
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
In some schools, at the end of the morning assembly, the students recite what is called the national anthem. What is your opinion on this?The Shaykh: What is the national anthem?The questioner: By Allah, I do not have it memorized; I do not know if any of the brothers have it memorized! But it is their saying:
Hurry to glory and the heights, glorify the Creator of the heavens
The Shaykh: Hurry! Who is being addressed? A woman? Or is he addressing himself?The questioner: His homeland.
Interjection: The flag.
The Shaykh: If it is the flag, it is said: Hurry, is not the flag masculine?Interjection: So: the banner.
The Shaykh: The banner! The questioner:
Hurry to glory and the heights, glorify the Creator of the heavens
And raise the fluttering green one that carries the illuminated light
Recite: Allahu Akbar.
O my homeland
Long live the King for the flag and the homeland
The Shaykh: In any case, I see that those who should be asked about it are the ones who have the power to abolish it or keep it. This is a rule I wish those who are asked for fatwas would pay attention to. For example, some people who are under a certain administration come, and there are some transgressions and some evil in that administration. A brother comes and asks about them. Perhaps the one answering responds with good intentions, and the questioner takes this answer as a ladder to dispute with the authorities and cause confusion for them, and the intended result is not achieved. Because if the authorities receive the matter from below, they may not submit or respond, and they may increase in what they are doing. But these matters must be addressed from above.It is looked at: First: Is the flag, which is inanimate, addressed with this kind of address or not? This is one point.
Second: When it is said:
Long live the King for the flag and the homeland
What is the meaning of this phrase? Long live the King, that is fine. We pray for him for a good life, a good existence, that Allah guides his steps, and that He directs him to good. That is fine. We pray for him with that.
But the second phrase: ..
For the flag and the homeland, what is the meaning of for the flag and the homeland?! Is the meaning: Long live for the flag, and long live for the homeland?! Or is the meaning: That I say that to honor the flag and the homeland? We do not know! And the truth is that what should be done is to direct our youth to be enthusiastic for the religion, not for the homeland. Because enthusiasm for the homeland, or for nationalism, or something similar, is not appropriate in the presence of enthusiasm for the religion of Allah the Exalted and Mighty. For this reason, the Companions left their homelands after the Islamic conquests and went to live in Kufa, Basra, Sham, and Egypt. Because the Muslim's homeland is where his religion is established.
So, that we raise generations to defend the homeland and the like, without making them aware that we are protecting our homeland and defending our homeland for the sake of our religion. Because our homeland—and praise be to Allah—and I mean by that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—is among the best of the Muslims' homelands in establishing the religion of Allah.If the person means by nationalism, that is: That our homeland is the best of homelands in the present time regarding the establishment of the religion. So I defend my homeland because it is the Islamic homeland that applies from the rulings of the Shari'ah what no other applies. And even if we have much deficiency, that is fine. But mere nationalism is a failed call.
And as you know, the call to Arab nationalism during the time of presidents who preceded and perished, and their call perished, became a great commotion and a great call. But it failed to the utmost degree. Even the Arabs themselves are not now of one heart. They are fragmented. And there is no clearer proof of this than that the Jews, who are the enemy of everyone, have each one of them made peace with them individually, and do not care about the others. And Arab nationalism has disintegrated.
Then, the call to Arab nationalism brought millions of Muslims out from under the banner of Islam, or the Islamic Ummah, more correctly. And it brought into Arab nationalism those who are enemies of Islam, such as Christians and others.
For this reason, I urge the guides who direct the youth to make them enthusiastic for the call to Islam, and to encourage it, and to take hold of its teachings. So that the Islamic Ummah returns to what it was before, so that it takes pride in its Islam, and takes pride in what it has of the Shari'ah of Allah the Exalted and Mighty. And Allah will never honor a people with something and then they leave that thing to take pride in something else, ever.As is narrated from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: [We are a people whom Allah has honored with Islam] Meaning: that if we leave Islam, the honor is gone. And this is a reality. The pure Arabs, who are pure Arabs, are those who were in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and before him in the time of Jahiliyyah. And yet, they did not triumph over the others, the Persians and the Romans, except by Islam.
Hurry to glory and the heights, glorify the Creator of the heavens
The Shaykh: Hurry! Who is being addressed? A woman? Or is he addressing himself?The questioner: His homeland.
Interjection: The flag.
The Shaykh: If it is the flag, it is said: Hurry, is not the flag masculine?Interjection: So: the banner.
The Shaykh: The banner! The questioner:
Hurry to glory and the heights, glorify the Creator of the heavens
And raise the fluttering green one that carries the illuminated light
Recite: Allahu Akbar.
O my homeland
Long live the King for the flag and the homeland
The Shaykh: In any case, I see that those who should be asked about it are the ones who have the power to abolish it or keep it. This is a rule I wish those who are asked for fatwas would pay attention to. For example, some people who are under a certain administration come, and there are some transgressions and some evil in that administration. A brother comes and asks about them. Perhaps the one answering responds with good intentions, and the questioner takes this answer as a ladder to dispute with the authorities and cause confusion for them, and the intended result is not achieved. Because if the authorities receive the matter from below, they may not submit or respond, and they may increase in what they are doing. But these matters must be addressed from above.It is looked at: First: Is the flag, which is inanimate, addressed with this kind of address or not? This is one point.
Second: When it is said:
Long live the King for the flag and the homeland
What is the meaning of this phrase? Long live the King, that is fine. We pray for him for a good life, a good existence, that Allah guides his steps, and that He directs him to good. That is fine. We pray for him with that.
But the second phrase: ..
For the flag and the homeland, what is the meaning of for the flag and the homeland?! Is the meaning: Long live for the flag, and long live for the homeland?! Or is the meaning: That I say that to honor the flag and the homeland? We do not know! And the truth is that what should be done is to direct our youth to be enthusiastic for the religion, not for the homeland. Because enthusiasm for the homeland, or for nationalism, or something similar, is not appropriate in the presence of enthusiasm for the religion of Allah the Exalted and Mighty. For this reason, the Companions left their homelands after the Islamic conquests and went to live in Kufa, Basra, Sham, and Egypt. Because the Muslim's homeland is where his religion is established.
So, that we raise generations to defend the homeland and the like, without making them aware that we are protecting our homeland and defending our homeland for the sake of our religion. Because our homeland—and praise be to Allah—and I mean by that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—is among the best of the Muslims' homelands in establishing the religion of Allah.If the person means by nationalism, that is: That our homeland is the best of homelands in the present time regarding the establishment of the religion. So I defend my homeland because it is the Islamic homeland that applies from the rulings of the Shari'ah what no other applies. And even if we have much deficiency, that is fine. But mere nationalism is a failed call.
And as you know, the call to Arab nationalism during the time of presidents who preceded and perished, and their call perished, became a great commotion and a great call. But it failed to the utmost degree. Even the Arabs themselves are not now of one heart. They are fragmented. And there is no clearer proof of this than that the Jews, who are the enemy of everyone, have each one of them made peace with them individually, and do not care about the others. And Arab nationalism has disintegrated.
Then, the call to Arab nationalism brought millions of Muslims out from under the banner of Islam, or the Islamic Ummah, more correctly. And it brought into Arab nationalism those who are enemies of Islam, such as Christians and others.
For this reason, I urge the guides who direct the youth to make them enthusiastic for the call to Islam, and to encourage it, and to take hold of its teachings. So that the Islamic Ummah returns to what it was before, so that it takes pride in its Islam, and takes pride in what it has of the Shari'ah of Allah the Exalted and Mighty. And Allah will never honor a people with something and then they leave that thing to take pride in something else, ever.As is narrated from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: [We are a people whom Allah has honored with Islam] Meaning: that if we leave Islam, the honor is gone. And this is a reality. The pure Arabs, who are pure Arabs, are those who were in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and before him in the time of Jahiliyyah. And yet, they did not triumph over the others, the Persians and the Romans, except by Islam.