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What is the ruling on standing for the national anthem, and what is its legal evidence from Islamic law?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Al-Bukhari and Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Companions would not stand up for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) because they knew of his dislike for it, even though he was dearer to them than anyone else. Standing up is an act of glorification, and originally it is due to Allah alone. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked that people stand for him, so how can it be permissible to stand for a matter that is fundamentally among the reprehensible innovations adopted from the customs of disbelievers? Therefore, this standing is not permissible, and Muslims must adhere to the rulings of Sharia, not blind imitation of disbelievers, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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