The remainder of the answer to: What is the ruling on students reciting the national anthem in the morning assembly, and the Shaykh mentioning the text of the Saudi national anthem?
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The questioner :"Long live the King for the flag and the homeland"?
The Shaykh : And the truth is that what should be done is to direct our youth to enthusiasm 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 (Mighty and Majestic). 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 upright.
First: Is the flag, which is an inanimate object, addressed with this kind of address or not? That is one point.
Second: Is it said, for example, "For Allah and the homeland," like "For Allah and the homeland"?
The student: Long live the King for the flag and the homeland.
The Shaykh : Long live the King for the flag and the homeland, what does this sentence mean?
Long live the King, there is nothing wrong with that. We pray for him for a good life, a good existence, that Allah guide his steps, and that He direct him to good. There is nothing wrong with that; we pray for him with that.
But the second phrase, for what?
The questioner : For the flag and the homeland.
The Shaykh : For the flag and the homeland, what does "for the flag and the homeland" mean?
Is the meaning: He lived for the flag, and he lived for the homeland? Or is the meaning that I say that to exalt the flag and the homeland? We do not know.
The truth is that what should be done is to direct our youth to be enthusiastic about religion, not about the homeland, because enthusiasm for the homeland, or for nationalism, or anything similar to that, is not appropriate when there is enthusiasm for the religion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). For this reason, the Companions left their homelands after the Islamic conquests and went to settle in Kufah, Basrah, Sham, and Egypt, because the Muslim's homeland is wherever his religion is upright.
So, if we raise generations to defend the homeland and the like, without making them aware that we are protecting 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 a person means by patriotism that our homeland is the best of homelands at the present time regarding the establishment of the religion, then I defend my homeland because it is the Islamic homeland that applies from the rulings of the Shari'ah what others do not apply, even if we have much deficiency. This is not a problem. But mere patriotism 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. The call to Arab nationalism 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 had each one of them make peace with them individually, without caring about the others. And Arab nationalism has disintegrated. Then, the call to Arab nationalism brought millions of Muslims out from being under the banner of Islam, or the Islamic Ummah, more correctly, and 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 Islam, and to take upon the teachings of Islam, 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 (Mighty and Majestic). 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: "Indeed, we are a people whom Allah has honored with Islam" meaning: if we leave Islam, the honor is gone. And this is a fact. The pure Arabs, who are the most authentic Arabs, are those in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and before him in the time of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. And yet, they did not triumph over the others, the Persians and the Romans, except by Islam. Yes.
The Shaykh : And the truth is that what should be done is to direct our youth to enthusiasm 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 (Mighty and Majestic). 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 upright.
First: Is the flag, which is an inanimate object, addressed with this kind of address or not? That is one point.
Second: Is it said, for example, "For Allah and the homeland," like "For Allah and the homeland"?
The student: Long live the King for the flag and the homeland.
The Shaykh : Long live the King for the flag and the homeland, what does this sentence mean?
Long live the King, there is nothing wrong with that. We pray for him for a good life, a good existence, that Allah guide his steps, and that He direct him to good. There is nothing wrong with that; we pray for him with that.
But the second phrase, for what?
The questioner : For the flag and the homeland.
The Shaykh : For the flag and the homeland, what does "for the flag and the homeland" mean?
Is the meaning: He lived for the flag, and he lived for the homeland? Or is the meaning that I say that to exalt the flag and the homeland? We do not know.
The truth is that what should be done is to direct our youth to be enthusiastic about religion, not about the homeland, because enthusiasm for the homeland, or for nationalism, or anything similar to that, is not appropriate when there is enthusiasm for the religion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). For this reason, the Companions left their homelands after the Islamic conquests and went to settle in Kufah, Basrah, Sham, and Egypt, because the Muslim's homeland is wherever his religion is upright.
So, if we raise generations to defend the homeland and the like, without making them aware that we are protecting 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 a person means by patriotism that our homeland is the best of homelands at the present time regarding the establishment of the religion, then I defend my homeland because it is the Islamic homeland that applies from the rulings of the Shari'ah what others do not apply, even if we have much deficiency. This is not a problem. But mere patriotism 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. The call to Arab nationalism 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 had each one of them make peace with them individually, without caring about the others. And Arab nationalism has disintegrated. Then, the call to Arab nationalism brought millions of Muslims out from being under the banner of Islam, or the Islamic Ummah, more correctly, and 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 Islam, and to take upon the teachings of Islam, 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 (Mighty and Majestic). 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: "Indeed, we are a people whom Allah has honored with Islam" meaning: if we leave Islam, the honor is gone. And this is a fact. The pure Arabs, who are the most authentic Arabs, are those in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and before him in the time of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. And yet, they did not triumph over the others, the Persians and the Romans, except by Islam. Yes.