THE ISLAMIC CRESCENT MOON!
A colleague once told me, that, “The making of such crescent moon being duplicated several times on the surface of the earth, the acts are tantamount to making an image in the form of anything on the earth, right?”
No. The issue could be debatable, but what is a clear, plain simple, and non-debatable issue, is that when a religious org, made a graven image of a man, such an act is in violation of Exodus 20:4 - 'You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."…
WHERE DID THE CRESCENT MOON CAME FROM?
The Star and Crescent moon emoji was approved under Unicode 1.1 in 1993. On most major platforms, the emoji depicts a white crescent moon with a white star to its right on a purple square with rounded corners. The Microsoft version depicts a sharp-cornered square with a bolded black outline. The WhatsApp version of the emoji depicts a tilted crescent moon.
The star and crescent moon is often seen as a symbol—although unofficial—of the religion of Islam. This symbol appears on the flags of many Muslim countries and is often used to refer to Islam in popular culture. For this reason, the Star and Crescent emoji is often used to refer to Islam and Muslims. In this sense, it is used similarly to other emoji that depict religious symbols such as the Latin Cross emoji representing Christianity, the Star of David emoji representing Judaism, and the Wheel of Dharma emoji representing Buddhism and other Indian religions.
The popular association of the star and crescent moon with Islam is due to its use by the Muslim Ottoman Empire, who controlled a large portion of southeastern Europe for centuries. However, the star and crescent symbols are not Islamic in origin and predate the Muslim religion. For this reason, some Muslims refuse to accept the star and crescent as the symbol of Islam.
What is the meaning of the quarter moon and star symbols in Islam?
Exodus 20:4 - You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
Issue: Whether or not the “¼ crescent moon” and the star images can be considered as one image in the form of (1) anything in heaven above or (2) anything on the earth.
(1) The ¼ moon is not an applicable phrase for “in the form of anything in heaven above”, because the real moon is actually round in its shape in heaven above. There is no moon that is ¼ in form or shape in heaven above. Proof? Because if one uses a telescope he can verify that the moon is round in its shape on heaven above, not in the shape of “1/4 moon”
That is why the “¼ moon” is one image as only seen on earth (not an image in heaven above) by the limited capacity of man’s bare eyes to see things in their true forms...... hence,
(2) the “¼ moon” as only seen on earth is not actually a form of anything (moon, stars, planet, clouds, etc.) on heaven or on earth. A round moon is a form or shape in heaven above. A crescent moon is not a form or shape in heaven above.
The 1/4 crescent moon is only an image as seen on earth below, its is not actually the moon’s form or shape whether it is in heaven or on earth.
The1/4 moon is a not an actual form or shape of a thing on the earth. It is only an image as seen on earth because of man’s limitation on his limited capability to see things afar. The moon is not on earth. There is no crescent moon on earth or in heaven. What exists on the atmosphere is a moon with round shape.
That is why Exo 20:4 is not spoken by God Himself as, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or “as seen” on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
Therefore (1) the ¼ crescent moon is not in the form of anything in heaven, because there is no actual ¼ moon in heaven, and also (2) not in the form of anything on earth because the moon is not on earth, and there is no crescent moon on earth, but what there is, is just an image only as seen on earth because of man’s limitation on his limited capability to see things afar.
God did not say: “Though shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above as seen on earth below”, or “Though shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything as seen on earth below as a result of your limited capacity to see things afar”.
What is therefore the meaning of the “¼ crescent moon” in Islam? Nothing! It is just pure aesthetics, an art, a trademark, which is just part of the Mosque, to provide a symbol for things similar to a lighthouse, for Islam. It is therefore not a biblical offense for Exodus 20:4.
The same reasons for the perceived or customary shape of the star as seen on earth.
A friend called my attention and said....Hey Noli, when such a quarter crescent moon is being duplicated several times on the surface of the earth; the acts of duplication are tantamount to making an image in the form of anything on the earth, right?
The answer is the negative. Because the acts of duplication on the surface of the earth is always with reference to the “heavenly quarter moon as seen on earth”. The duplication is not with reference to “the other forms or images of quarter crescent moons already installed atop of other mosques”.
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