is moon worship a practice of a true religion from true GOD?

Question

it was found in many ancient writtings on the caves(hieroglyphics) that moon worshiping is a very ancient paganistic religion. just wondering how the crescent symbol in islamic religion come about to be the official symbol of islamic faith. why is it that a muslim should face a certain astrological orientation to begin to pray for allah? why... why... why... delailah...

Answer 1

Oh well, that is their bag. There is only one God, to worship anyone or anything else is wrong. No moon and no direction needed.

Answer 2

The crescent is now often used to symbolize the Islamic faith. However, it should be noted that the crescent was not a symbol used for Islam by Muhammad or any other early Muslim rulers, as the Islamic religion is, in fact, against appointing "Holy Symbols" (so that during the early centuries of Islam, Muslim authorities simply didn't want any geometric symbols to be used to symbolize Islam, in the way that the cross symbolizes Christianity, the menorah was a commonly-occurring symbol of Judaism, etc.). This is why early Islamic coins were covered with Arabic writing, but contained no visual symbols.

Constantinople or present Istanbul was the capital of Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. Before Christ it was once sieged by Goths, when the Romans defeated the Goths, it was first of the lunar month. Therefore, to remember this occasion they added the new crescent on the city flag. Later, the direction of the crescent was inverted because the new crescent faces the pole side of the flag and looked odd. During the course of centuries, this crescent bearing flag spread all over Anatolia (Asian Turkey). Turkic tribes of Central Asia embraced Islam and their different tribes spread westward conquering heartlands of Asia Minor, including parts of Anatolia. Hence, when Ottomans became caliphs their flag was red colored with a green circle in the center and three yellow crescents all facing the right side. Then they altered the flag.

Ottomans being Turks were using a crescent bearing flag. When Saleem I resumed power as the caliph, the Ottoman flag was red with a green circle and three yellow crescents. Ottomans for the first time separate the religious flag and the national flag. The national flag was red with crescent facing right, while the religious flag green with crescent facing right. Later, a five-cornered star was added to symbolize the five pillars of Islam.

The green flag with crescent and star became a standard Islamic flag and is used till date, and it is very interesting that most of the people think that this flag has been used by Muslims since the beginning. This crescent bearing flag has been used by different Muslim empires and nations in the history especially those having Turkish origin. This crescent flag with some variations is still in use by different Muslim countries, e.g., Algeria, Azerbaijan, Comoros, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Uzbekistan, and Western Sahara.

Answer 3

Please do not listen to hatemongering idiots like Schneb who will do anything to prove that Islam is based on a pagan faith while completely overlooking all the traces of paganistic traditions in their own faith, Christianity. The fact that the word "illah" was applied to pagan gods and is now also applied to the Muslim God "Allah" (and the Christian god as well) does not mean there's some secret connection between ancient pagan gods and Allah. The word "illah" simply means "god", so it's used to describe all gods, including fictional ones, just as we Anglophones use the word "god" to describe not only Jehovah or Christ but Zeus and Heras as well. That doesn't mean Jehovah is descended from Zeus, either.

Ancient cultures that worshipped the moon no doubt worshipped it as a symbol or avatar of a god or goddess and probably not as god itself. In many ancient religions, the moon was a symbol of female energy or the godess, based on the fact that the moon influenced women's menstrual cycle and also the oceans' tides (which were compared to the "cycle" of the Earth). In no way could Allah be described as embodying any feminine aspect, so it would be stupid to imply that the crescent moon has been carried over from ancient worship of the moon as a symbol or avatar of the goddess. In any case, the crescent moon and star were not adopted by Muslims until the Ottoman empire conquered Constantinople in 1453 and adopted that city's crescent moon and star symbol for their own flag. Earlier than that, pictorial representations were considered "haram" (a sin), and hence it's ridiculous to assert that Muhammed would have adopted a pagan image of celestial bodies for a religion that forbade pictorial images.

If you are sincerely interested in learning about the evolution of various pagan traditions and their influence upon modern religions, including Christianity, try reading Joseph Campbell's "Masks of God" series (starting with "Occidental Mythology") and perhaps "The Golden Bough" by Fraser as well.

Incidentally, the name "Allah" comes from the Arabic word "illah" meaning simply "god" is used by Muslim and Christian Arabs alike.

Answer 4

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Islam
Crescent Moon: Symbol of Islam?
The crescent moon and star is an internationally-recognized symbol of the faith of Islam. The symbol is featured on the flags of several Muslim countries, and is even part of the official emblem for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Christians have the cross, the Jews have the star of David, and the Muslims have the crescent moon, right?

What is the history behind the crescent moon symbol? What does it symbolize or mean? How and when did it become associated with the faith of Islam? Is it a valid symbol for the faith?
The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years. Information on the origins of the symbol are difficult to ascertain, but most sources agree that these ancient celestial symbols were in use by the peoples of Central Asia and Siberia in their worship of 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 symbol. According to some reports, they chose it in honor of the goddess Diana. Others 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.

The early Muslim community did not really have a 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 on it.

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, 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. There is speculation that the five points on the star represent the five pillars of Islam, but this is pure conjecture. The five points were not standard on the Ottoman flags, and as you will see on the following page, it is still not standard on flags used in the Muslim world today.

For hundreds of years, the Ottoman Empire ruled over the Muslim world. After centuries of battle with Christian Europe, it is understandable how the symbols of this empire became linked in people's minds with the faith of Islam as a whole.

Based on this history, many Muslims reject using the crescent moon as a symbol of Islam. The faith of Islam has historically had no symbol, and many refuse to accept what is essentially an ancient pagan icon. It is certainly not in uniform use among Muslims.

This leads to the question of alternatives. What other "symbol" represents the faith? Is it necessary to even have a symbol? Take our poll, then come join us for a discussion in the Forum.

Answer 5

Good question. I'm not sure about the Islamic crescent symbol, but believe it or not the CROSS has nothing to do with Christianity. Jesus died on a stake, or long wooden pole, not a cross. The cross is an ancient pagan symbol made to represent human sex organs. Church steeples are actually phallic symbols which during pagan times were worshiped in a fertility cult. The so called 'Christian' leaders who came to the fore after the death of the apostles apostatized and adopted pagan teachings in order to win over converts.

Answer 6

1. Moon worship has been practiced in Arabia since 2000 BC. The crescent moon is the most common symbol of this pagan moon worship as far back as 2000 BC.
2. In Mecca, there was a god named Hubal who was Lord of the Kabah.
3. This Hubal was a moon god.
4. One Muslim apologist confessed that the idol of moon god Hubal was placed upon the roof of the Kaba about 400 years before Muhammad. This may in fact be the origin of why the crescent moon is on top of every minaret at the Kaba today and the central symbol of Islam atop of every mosque throughout the world:

About four hundred years before the birth of Muhammad one Amr bin Lahyo ... a descendant of Qahtan and king of Hijaz, had put an idol called Hubal on the roof of the Kaba. This was one of the chief deities of the Quraish before Islam. (Muhammad The Holy Prophet, Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar (Pakistan), p 18-19, Muslim)

5. The moon god was also referred to as "al-ilah". This is not a proper name of a single specific god, but a generic reference meaning "the god". Each local pagan Arab tribe would refer to their own local tribal pagan god as "al-ilah".
6. "al-ilah" was later shortened to Allah before Muhammad began promoting his new religion in 610 AD.
7. There is evidence that Hubal was referred to as "Allah".
8. When Muhammad came along, he dropped all references to the name "Hubal" but retained the generic "Allah".
9. Muhammad retained almost all the pagan rituals of the Arabs at the Kaba and redefined them in monotheistic terms.
10. Regardless of the specifics of the facts, it is clear that Islam is derived from paganism that once worshiped a moon-god.
11. Although Islam is today a monotheist religion, its roots are in paganism.

Answer 7

Some claim that Allah - the islamic word for god - was actually the moon god Illah of that time. Moon god was one of the many gods, and Mohammed made it the only god in Islam.

Worshipping the moon god (and sun god) by ancients should not be surprising. There are two large celestial bodies - sun and the moon. So, it was but natural for mankind to start revering these as gods.

Answer 8

Read Exodus 20. It is idolatry with serious consequences. The crescent symbol originated from idololatrous religions. Koran/crescent symbol are just Idols in their life. Muslims are separated from God the Father because they are still sinners until they confess Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the Son of God & died on the cross for their sins.

Answer 9

Well, there would be a lot of research to say if it is a true religion or how it may have affected the Islamic faith. I do know that they don't pray towards a certain astrological orientation, they pray towards a certain location on the earth (Mecca).

Answer 10

the symbol of the moon related to the month of Ramadan. we declare the coming of Ramadan by looking at the shape of the moon. also Quran came down during Ramadan month.

and whoever says muslim worship moon God is so stupid. and want to mislead the people about Islam. because we worship One God. the one who created the moon, the sun, the stars and the planet. the God who created you, all prophets, who created Jesus and every living being.

Answer 11

All religions are created by human beings for unformity, order in society.All the religions at the core level talk about betterment of humanbeing , for that they came with different paths . All these leads to one piont - better human being- so there is no true religion or true GOD.
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