Saudi calligrapher Saleh Bin Saad al-Mansouf is renowned for modernizing the style of writing the Shahada and the sword on the Saudi flag. Known as the "calligrapher of the Shahada," he is the first Saudi calligrapher to inscribe the phrase "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" and draw the sword on the Saudi flag. This significant contribution was made during the reign of King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz in 1962.
The history of the Saudi flag dates back to the First Saudi State, whose leaders carried a green banner made of silk and wool, inscribed with the Shahada "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." This flag was attached to a wooden pole or mast. The Second Saudi State continued this tradition and adopted the same flag. During the era of the Founder of the Kingdom, King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, two crossed swords were added to the flag. These were later replaced by a single unsheathed sword placed above the Shahada. Eventually, the sword was positioned beneath the phrase "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," forming the current design of the Saudi flag
The Law of the Flag of the Kingdom was issued in 1973, specifying that the flag should be rectangular in shape, green in color, with a width of two-thirds of its length. The flag features the Shahada "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" in the center with a drawn sword beneath it. The sword’s handle is directed towards the lower edge of the flag. Both the Shahada and the sword are rendered in white, with the Shahada written in Thuluth script
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