Question:
The subject of Banners (Al-Alwiya) and Standards (Ar-Rayat) is mentioned in The Ruling System (certified edition) p. 158, and in The Islamic Personality Vol. 2 (certified edition) p. 183. Some ambiguity has been noticed therein, as the following was mentioned:
("The Banner (Liwa), also called al-’alam (the sign), is a mark for the location of the army commander... as for the Standard (Rayah), it is a sign given to the army... the army has many standards while it has only one banner.") How is this so?
("The Banner is tied for the army commander (or the leader of the army as mentioned elsewhere), and the Standard is used during war with the battle commander.") What is the difference between what is tied for the army leader and what is given to the battle commander?
("The Banner is raised at the House of the Khilafah over the Caliph’s palace, and the Standards are raised over all state departments, offices, administrations, and institutions.") Is the House of the Khilafah not one of the state institutions?
("The Banner is what is tied to the end of a spear and wrapped around it; it is said it was called a Liwa because it is wrapped (yulwa) due to its large size and is only unfurled when necessary. The Standard is what is tied to the end of a spear and left for the wind to flap it.") How will the Banner be raised over the House of the Khilafah and the headquarters of the army commander if it does not flap in the wind, whereas it is the Standard that flaps in the wind?
We hope for a clarification of these matters, especially since the Banner and Standard are distinguishing marks of the state, and it is important that they be clear without ambiguity. May Allah bless you.
Answer:
There is no ambiguity if one carefully examines what was mentioned in the two books and connects them all together:
- Regarding the Liwa (Banner) and the Rayah (Standard) from a linguistic perspective, both are referred to as al-’alam (the sign/flag). It is stated in al-Qamus al-Muhit under the entry (R-W-Y): "...and the Rayah is the ’alam, plural Rayat..." and under the entry (L-W-Y): "...and the Liwa, with the long vowel, is the ’alam, plural Alwiya..."
Furthermore, the Shari'ah has given each of them, in terms of usage, a Shari'i meaning as follows:
- The Banner (Liwa) is white, with "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasul Allah" written on it in black script. It is tied for the commander of the army (Amir al-Jaysh) or the leader of the army. It serves as a sign of his location and moves with that location wherever he goes. The evidence for tying the Banner for the army commander is:
دَخَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَكَّةَ يَوْمَ الْفَتْحِ وَلِوَاؤُهُ أَبْيَضُ
"The Prophet (saw) entered Makkah on the day of the Conquest and his banner was white." (Reported by Ibn Majah via Jabir).
And from Anas in an-Nasa'i:
أَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ أَمَّرَ أُسَامَةَ بْنَ زَيْدٍ عَلَى الْجَيْشِ لِيَغْزُوَ الرُّومَ عَقَدَ لِوَاءَهُ بِيَدِهِ
"When he (saw) appointed Usama bin Zaid over the army to raid the Romans, he tied his banner with his own hand."
- The Standard (Rayah) is black, with "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasul Allah" written on it in white script. It is held by the commanders of the army divisions (battalions, brigades, and other army units). The evidence is that the Messenger of Allah (saw), while he was the commander of the army in Khaybar, said:
لأُعْطِيَنَّ الرَّايَةَ غَدًا رَجُلاً يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ، وَيُحِبُّهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، فَأَعْطَاهَا عَلِيًّا
"Tomorrow I will certainly give the standard to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him. He then gave it to Ali." (Agreed upon).
Ali (ra) was considered at that time a commander of a division or battalion in the army. Likewise, in the hadith of al-Harith bin Hassan al-Bakri, he said:
قَدِمْنَا الْمَدِينَةَ فَإِذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ، وَبِلَالٌ قَائِمٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، مُتَقَلِّدٌ السَّيْفَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَإِذَا رَايَاتٌ سُودٌ، فَسَأَلْتُ: مَا هَذِهِ الرَّايَاتُ؟ فَقَالُوا: عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ قَدِمَ مِنْ غَزَاةٍ
"We arrived in Madinah and found the Messenger of Allah (saw) on the pulpit, with Bilal standing before him, girded with a sword. There were black standards. I asked: 'What are these standards?' They said: 'Amr bin al-Aas has arrived from an expedition.'"
The meaning of "there were black standards" is that there were many standards with the army, while its commander was one, who was Amr bin al-Aas. This means they were with the heads of the battalions and units.
Therefore, the Liwa is tied for the commander of the army, while the Rayat are with the rest of the army, its divisions, battalions, and units. Thus, the Liwa is one for a single army, whereas the Rayat are numerous in every army. Consequently, the Liwa is a sign for the commander of the army specifically, and the Rayat are signs with the soldiers.
- The Liwa is tied for the army commander and is a sign for his headquarters; i.e., it stays with the headquarters of the army commander. In battle, the commander of the battle—whether he is the commander of the army himself or another leader appointed by him—is given the Rayah to carry during the actual fighting in the field. For this reason, it is called Umm al-Harb (the Mother of War) because it is carried with the battle commander in the field.
Therefore, in a state of active war, there is one Rayah with each battle commander. This was a well-known matter at that time, and the Rayah remaining raised was evidence of the strength and endurance of the battle commander. This is an administrative organization followed according to the norms of army combat.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, mourning Zaid, Ja'far, and Ibn Rawahah to the people before the soldiers brought the news:
أَخَذَ الرَّايَةَ زَيْدٌ فَأُصِيبَ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ جَعْفَرٌ فَأُصِيبَ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ ابْنُ رَوَاحَةَ فَأُصِيبَ
"Zaid took the standard and was struck, then Ja'far took it and was struck, then Ibn Rawahah took it and was struck."
Similarly, in a state of active war, if the army commander in the field is the Caliph himself, it is permissible for the Liwa to be raised in the battle, not just the Rayah. It was mentioned in the Seerah of Ibn Hisham regarding the Great Battle of Badr that both the Liwa and the Rayah were present in the battle.
In times of peace, or after the end of a battle, the Rayat are spread throughout the army, raised by its divisions, battalions, brigades, and units, as mentioned in the hadith of al-Harith bin Hassan al-Bakri regarding the army of Amr bin al-Aas.
- The Caliph is the commander of the army in Islam; therefore, the Liwa is raised over his residence, the House of the Khilafah, by Shari'i rule, because the Liwa is tied for the commander of the army. It is also permissible to raise the Rayah over the House of the Khilafah administratively, considering that the Caliph is the head of the state's institutions.
As for the rest of the state's apparatus, institutions, departments, and administrations, only the Rayah is raised over them, not the Liwa, because the Liwa is specific to the commander of the army as a sign of his location.
- The Liwa is tied to the end of the spear and wrapped around it. It is given to the commander of an army according to the number of armies; thus, it is tied for the commander of the first, second, or third army... or for the commander of the army of Ash-Sham, Iraq, or Palestine... or for the commander of the army of Aleppo, Homs, or Beirut... and so on, according to the naming of the armies.
The default rule is that it is wrapped around the end of the spear and not unfurled except when necessary. For example, over the House of the Khilafah, it is unfurled due to the importance of the house, and similarly over the headquarters of army commanders in times of peace so that the Ummah can see the greatness of its armies' banners. However, if this necessity conflicts with security—such as fearing that the enemy might identify the headquarters of the army commanders—then the Liwa returns to the default rule, which is not to be unfurled but to remain wrapped.
As for the Rayah, it is left to flap in the wind like flags today; therefore, it is placed on state departments.
Summary:
First: Regarding the Army
In a state of active war, the Liwa stays at the headquarters of the army commander. The default is that it is not unfurled but remains wrapped around the spear, though it can be unfurled after assessing the security situation. There is a Rayah carried by the battle commander in the field, and if the Caliph is in the field, it is permissible for the Liwa to be carried as well.
In a state of peace, the Liwa is tied for army commanders and wrapped around the spear; it can be unfurled over the headquarters of army commanders. The Rayat are spread throughout the army with the divisions, battalions, brigades, units, and other formations. Each division or battalion may have a specific standard to distinguish it administratively, which is raised alongside the Rayah.
Second: Regarding State Departments and Institutions
All state departments, institutions, and security offices raise only the Rayah, with the exception of the House of the Khilafah, where the Liwa is raised because the Caliph is the commander of the army. The Rayah may also be raised with the Liwa administratively because the House of the Khilafah is the head of the state institutions. Private institutions and ordinary people may also carry the Rayah and raise it over their buildings and homes, especially on occasions such as Eids, victory celebrations, and the like.
I hope this clarification is sufficient to remove any ambiguity regarding the subject.
14 Jumada al-Ula 1425 AH 03/07/2004 CE