Some people kiss the national flag with deep emotion. To some, the gesture may seem excessive. Others may hastily connect it to matters of faith, as though kissing the flag were an act of glorification reserved only for God.
Is that really the case?
To answer this question, we must first put the matter in its proper context. In Islam, human life encompasses several dimensions: faith, worship, social relations, and ethics. These dimensions are interconnected. Yet not every human act automatically belongs to the realm of theology or formal worship.
Being a good citizen, preserving national unity, respecting national symbols, obeying rules established for the common good, and preventing social division all fall within the sphere of social relations. Moreover, such acts can constitute worship when they are performed with good intentions and guided by commendable ethics. That is why the meaning behind an action matters.
The Meaning Behind a Gesture
A country’s national flag status is often affirmed in the constitution. Therefore, the flag is more than a piece of cloth. It is a national symbol and one of the emblems representing the unity of the people.
Respect for a symbol can also take many forms. A person may stand upright, raise a hand, salute, wave, bow their head, or even kiss something as a gesture of respect.
In everyday life, we do not always interpret gestures literally. Kissing a parent;s hand, for example, does not mean treating that parent as an object of worship. Kissing a child on the head out of affection does not mean considering the child sacred. Likewise, kissing an object as an expression of respect does not automatically mean worshipping it.
Islam itself recognizes kissing as a form of respect. During the Hajj and Umrah, the Prophet Muhammad kissed the Black Stone, known as the Hajar Aswad. When he could not reach it, he would simply gesture toward it with his hand.
رَأيتُ الأصلَعَ –يَعني عُمَرَ بنَ الخَطَّابِ– يُقَبِّلُ الحَجَرَ ويقولُ: واللَّهِ، إنِّي لأُقَبِّلُكَ، وإنِّي أعلَمُ أنَّكَ حَجَرٌ، وأنَّكَ لا تَضُرُّ ولا تَنفَعُ، ولَولا أنِّي رَأيتُ رَسولَ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم قَبَّلَكَ ما قَبَّلتُكَ
“I saw the bald man—meaning Umar ibn al-Khattab—kiss the Stone and say: “By God, I kiss you, and I know that you are only a stone. You can neither cause harm nor bring benefit. Had I not seen the messenger of God kiss you, I would not have kissed you.
This hadith is significant because it shows that kissing does not necessarily constitute worship. Umar explicitly stated that the Black Stone was merely a stone and had no independent power to bring benefit or cause harm.
Therefore, the meaning of an action cannot be determined solely by its outward form. Its intention and context must also be considered.
This is where a well-known principle of Islamic jurisprudence applies:
اَلْأُمُوْرُ بِمَقَاصِدِهَا
“Actions are judged by their intentions.”
The principle is rooted in a teaching of the Prophet Muhammad:
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ لِدُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ.
“Actions are judged by their intentions, and every person will receive according to what they intended. Whoever emigrates for God and His Messenger, then his emigration is for God and His Messenger. Whoever emigrates for worldly gain or to marry a woman, then his emigration is for whatever he sought.
For this reason, kissing the Indonesian flag must be understood in light of the person’s intention.
If someone kisses the flag because they believe the cloth possesses supernatural powers or can independently bring benefit or cause harm, or because they attribute divine qualities to it, then the matter is different. Such beliefs conflict with the principle of monotheism, or tawhid.
Respecting the flag as a national symbol, therefore, is fundamentally different from worshiping it.
Respect Is Not the Same as Worship
This distinction becomes even clearer in the story of Adam and Iblis. God says:
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ
“And when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ they all prostrated except Iblis. He refused, acted arrogantly and became one of the disbelievers.” (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 34).
The prostration mentioned in this verse did not mean that the angels worshiped Adam. Worship was directed solely toward God. Rather, the prostration was an act of respect that God had commanded at that time.
Therefore, it is not appropriate to equate every act of respect with worship. Islam distinguishes between ta‘zhim, or reverence, and ‘ibadah, or worship and servitude to God.
In the context of the national flag, a person who kisses it out of love for their homeland, respect for the sacrifices of national heroes and a desire to preserve national unity is not worshipping a piece of cloth.
Reference:
Council for Religious Opinion and Reform of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah, “Bolehkah Mencium dan Hormat pada Bendera?”, https://tarjih.or.id/bolehkah-mencium-dan-hormat-pada-bendera/.
