A Study of the Hadith " Patriotism is a sign of faith

Homeland has been always the focus of attention. In Islam some verses and traditions speak of patriotism and love for one’s country، and one such tradition is the famous saying attributed to the Prophet، peace be upon him and his household، that “Patriotism is a sign of faith.” This sentence has attracted the attention of the Muslim scholars. The problem of explaining the relationship between faith and love for one’s country has led the Sunni scholars to contend that the hadith is fake. On the other hand، many Shii and Sunni scholars have offered different meanings for homeland، such as paradise، one’s origin، and the Islamic land and thus tried to solve the problem of the meaning of the statement. Even if we admit that the hadith is fake and there is no way to explain the meaning of the statement، the permission to love one’s country which may be inferred from verses and traditions is accepted by the Shii and Sunni scholars. On the other hand، the Shii scholars on the basis of this statement have concluded the possibility of loving one’s country، etc. The present article analyses the statement in question from three perspectives of evidence، meaning، and jurisprudence.