Large silk banner, possibly carried by Anṣār (الأنصار)

Item

Title

Large silk banner, possibly carried by Anṣār (الأنصار)
flag

Creator

Creator Unrecorded

Subject

Sudan
Flags and Colours

Description

Banner carried by Anṣār (الأنصار) in battle. Fine silk fabric sewn together in three strips (green/gold/green), with white cotton appliqued lettering and border of rough local cotton. The name of the Sufi mystic, ʿAbd-al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, is spelled incorrectly. The elegant Arabic script reads:

يا الله يا رحمن يا رحيم يا حي يا قيوم يا ذالجلال والاكرام
yā allah yā raḥman yā raḥīm yā ḥayy yā qayūm yā ḍhi’l-jalāl wa’l-ikrām
Oh Allah, O the compassionate, O the merciful | O ever-living, O everlasting, O Lord of Majesty and Generosity

لا الله الا الله محمد رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم
lā illah ill’allah muḥammad rasūl allah ṣalla allah ʿaleyhi wa sallam
There is no god but Allah [and] Muḥammad is the Prophet of Allah | The blessings and peace of God be upon him

محمد المهدي خليفة رسول الله الجيلي ولي الله
muḥammad al-mahdī khalīfat rasūl allah al-jīlī walī allah
Muḥammad the Mahdī is the successor of the Prophet of Allah [and] al-Jīl[ān]ī is a friend of Allah

[FHN 14.8.19/FHM 2019]
No additional information in the Gordon's School register of objects. [NSty 23/10/20]

Publisher

Making African Connections

Type

PhysicalObject

Format

2440 mm x 1600 mm

Identifier

GGC378

Language

Rights

© Royal Engineers Museum

Linked resources

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Relation
Title Alternate label Class
Flags of the Mahdiyya Text
A note on the term anṣār Text