“THE CRESCENT ON THE MOSQUE SIGNIFIES THAT THE MUSLIMS WORSHIP A MOON god”
This is a cheap allegation by non-muslims to tarnish the image of islam.
A non-muslim said, “Muslims worship a moon God that resides in the kabbah, the moon god is in makkah, “Kaaba”. He added that the moon god is of two gender that is Allah and allat, Allah being the male moon god and allat being the female moon god” subhanallah.
I will just like to weave some words to refute this false allegation on Islam.
The crescent on the mosque is just a mere symbol as it has no spiritual purpose, it is just made for beautification of the mosque, and nothing else. And it does not mean that the Muslims worship a moon god.
PRE-ISLAMIC SYMBOL
The use of the crescent moon and star as symbols actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years. Information on the origins of the symbol are difficult to confirm, but most sources agree that these ancient celestial symbols were in use by the peoples of Central Asia and Siberia in their worship of the sun, moon and sky gods. There are also reports that the crescent moon and star were used to represent the Carthaginian goddess Tanit or the Greek goddess Diana.
The city of Byzantium (later known as Constantinople and Istanbul) adopted the crescent moon as its symbol. According to some evidence, sources indicate that it dates back to a battle in which the Romans defeated the Goths on the first day of a lunar month. In any event, the crescent moon was featured on the city’s flag even before the birth of Christ.
EARLY MUSLIM COMMUNITY
The early Muslim community did not really have an acknowledged symbol. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Islamic armies and caravans flew simple solid-colored flags (generally black, green, or white) for identification purposes. In later generations, the Muslim leaders continued to use a simple black, white or green flag with no markings, writing or symbolism of any kind on it.
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
It wasn’t until the Ottoman Empire that the crescent moon and star became affiliated with the Muslim world. When the Turks conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453 CE, they adopted the city’s existing flag and symbol. Legend holds that the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman, had a dream in which the crescent moon stretched from one end of the earth to the other. Taking this as a good omen, he chose to keep the crescent and make it the symbol of his dynasty.
JEWISH CYCLES OF THE MOON (Jill Hammer)
The Jewish calendar is rooted in the cycles of the moon. Each month of the year is a lunar month, beginning on the new moon and ending when the moon is dark. Jews celebrate the first day of the month, the new moon or Rosh Chodesh, as a minor holiday. Sometime during the first two weeks of the month, often at the end of the Sabbath, Jews recite a blessing over the moon in gratitude for having been given the cycles of time. In the last week of the month, on the morning of the Sabbath, Jews announce the name and date of the coming month both as a welcome and a reminder to the community. This announcement signals that the current month is coming to a close. Some Jewish traditions refer to the last day of the month, the dark of the moon, as Yom Kippur Katan (a little day of atonement), and regard it as a day of fasting and penitence. Then the new moon of the next month begins. When the moon dies we contemplate our own mortality, and at the birth of the moon we celebrate our potential for rebirth.
One of the words for “moon” or “month” is chodesh, renewal. The traditional Jewish blessing over the waxing moon says to the moon: “You are a crown of glory for those who are borne in the womb, for they, like you, are destined to be renewed.” Jewish tradition sees the cycles of the moon as a metaphor for the renewal of life.
There is no single verse from the glorious or the hadith where the Muslims are ordered to put the crescent on the mosque as a means or sign of worship.
ACCEPTED SYMBOL OF ISLAM?
Based on this history, many Muslims reject the use of the crescent moon as a symbol of Islam. The faith of Islam has historically had no symbol, and many Muslims refuse to accept what they see as essentially an ancient pagan icon.
It is certainly not in uniform use among Muslims. Others prefer to use the Ka’aba , Arabic calligraphy writing, or a simple mosque icon as symbols of the faith.
WARNING FOR MUSLIMS
There is a stern warning for we Muslims that “we should not worship the moon or the sun” as they are just signs (creations) of Allah.
وَمِنْ ءَايَٰتِهِ ٱلَّيْلُ وَٱلنَّهَارُ وَٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ ۚ لَا تَسْجُدُوا۟ لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ
And of His signs are the night and day and the sun and moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostate to Allah, who created them, if it should be Him that you worship.
Quran 41:37
Muslims are not worshipping a moon god, but Almighty Allah the creator of the moon and sun.
Bashir Habeebullah
Collective work
English 