Can I Draw or Hang the State Flag of Any Arab Muslim Country?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
My question is, am I allowed to draw or hang the Egyptian (or Albanian) Flag or the state emblem of other Arab Muslim countries like the UAE, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, etc.?
On that flag is the Eagle of Saladin (in other emblems, the hawk of Quraish), and I know that drawing animate being are haram. But that Eagle was (like the name says) the personal standard of Salahuddin Ayyubi, and it looks very unrealistic. So, what is the ruling on this? And why are Muslim countries, even with shari’a using an animate being as an emblem?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Hanging Flags of Other Countries
There is nothing wrong with hanging the flags of the above countries, especially if you are a native of one of them. You are just showing your worldly allegiance to the country you are living in.
Drawing of Flags
One can draw flags of other countries. If it has an animate object, one can outline the body except for its facial features, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Muslim Countries Using Animate Beings on their Flag and Emblem
Some Muslim countries use an animate being on a flag or emblem as they want to for their nationalistic pride, without considering shari’a rulings, like with many other things they choose to do; some will be Islamic, some unIslamic.
Check this link:
What Is the Ruling on Drawing Images on Clothing and the Like? – SeekersGuidance
What is the Ruling on Taking Photographs of Humans? – SeekersGuidance
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SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org)
I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.
He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.
He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.
He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.
