Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, had two flags — white and black — which have been mentioned and described in several literary sources. The author of “Al Sira Al Halabiyah” (The Aleppine Prophetic Biography) wrote, in reference to Badr Battle, that there were two banners, black and white, before the Prophet; one black, carried by Ali bin Abi Taleb, that was called Al Oqab; while the white flag was that of Al Ansar of Medina Munawara.

At the conquest of Mecca, in the year 8 Hijri, the white banner was carried through the gates of Mecca, alongside Arabs’ other flags. The two white and black banners were also used under the reign of the Rashidun Caliphs (632-661 CE), with the conquering armies carrying them in all their battles.

Muawiya bin Abi Sufian began the reign of the Umayyad state in 661 CE, taking over from Al Hassan bin Ali, after the arbitration incident in Jordan’s Athruh in 36 Hijri. The Umayyads used the white banner as their flag, taking inspiration from the conquest of Mecca and the victory of the Prophet.

The Abbasids hoisted the black flag in reference to the turban of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the ‘Oqab’ banner.

The Fatimids used green for their banner, in reference to the green of the Prophet’s jubba (overcoat).

The Hashemites have hoisted the dark red flag as their banner since the time of Sharif Abu Nami, in the period 1515-1520 CE, during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Selim I. When the Great Arab Revolt erupted, Sharif Hussein bin Ali notified the Allies that the uprising’s flag will be the red one, until an official banner is adopted and announced to all states.

A year after the eruption of the Great Arab Revolt, a military show was held under the patronage of Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, where the new Great Arab Revolt banner was hoisted for the first time. At the time, Al Qibla newspaper, which documented the events of the Arab revolution, published a statement detailing the description of the Great Arab Revolt banner. It said that the new flag is made up of a dark red chevron, connected to three horizontally parallel colours: black on top, followed by green and then white.

The Jordanian flag, in its current form, was endorsed in 1922. It is inspired, in colours and form, by the Great Arab Revolt banner. At the suggestion of Jordan’s Arab Army officers, the colour arrangement was changed, with the white stripe being placed in the middle to be visible from afar. The flag’s colours and the heptagram symbolise the following:

• Black (from top): The Oqab (eagle) banner, which was the flag of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the flag of the Abbasid state.
• White (centre): The Umayyad state’s flag.
• Green (bottom): The flag of the Fatimid state, in reference to the green of the Prophet’s jubba (overcoat).
• Red (the chevron): The banner of the Hashemites since the time of Sharif Abu Nami.
• White heptagram: Symbolises the seven verses of Surat Al Fatiha, the opening chapter of the Holy Quran.