Dhū l-faqār

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Ali, who beheaded the Quraishite an-Nadr ibn al- Harith in the presence of Muhammad with the double-bladed Dhū-l-faqār . Ottoman miniature, 16th century
The Zülfikar, sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib , is the Alevis' identification symbol .
Iranian flag
Turkish silk flag, from 1810 to 1811 with the Zülfikar sword from the Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt am Main

Dhū l-faqār ( Arabic ذو الفقار, DMG Ḏū l-faqār , roughly: double grooved , two-edged , two-bladed or (sword) with two blades ), also Zulfiqar or Zulfikar , Turkish Zülfikar , was the name of a sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib , which he received as booty from his father-in-law Mohammed at the Battle of Badr . As a result, the sword became an important symbol of the Shiites , Alevis and Alawites.

The name of the sword has been attested since the late 8th century. According to tradition, this is intended to indicate the presence of holes (fuqra) or grooves or furrows on the sword that were created during the process of chasing . Later, however, the name was interpreted in the sense that the sword has a crack. Accordingly, it was represented as two-bladed or two-pointed. Iranian eschatological myths about the Saoshyant were also effective in the reinterpretation .

Meaning in the Schia

Shiite amulet from India, 19th century, with the Dhū l-faqār sword

A close relationship between Ali ibn Abi Talib and the sword Dhū l-faqār has been established at the latest since the early 9th century. Ibn Hishām quotes the tradition according to which at the battle of Uhud a nameless caller shouted: "There is no better sword than Dhū l-faqār and no better hero than ʿAlī" ( lā saifa illā dhū l-faqār wa-lā fatā illā ʿAlīyun ) .

Because of this and similar traditions, which partly ascribe a magical power to the sword, Dhū l-faqār has become an important symbol of ʿAlī and the Shiites. It also fulfills this symbolic function with the Alevis , who call it Zülfikar in Turkish . For them it represents the resistance to oppression and inhumanity. The Zülfikar is often worn by young people as a necklace or emblem on a green flag to show their religion.

Also in the Persian coat of arms a lion carries a sword and reminds of Ali, who was referred to as the "lion of God".

According to Twelve Shiite legends, Dhū l-faqār is now in the possession of the hidden Muhammad al-Mahdi .

The formula lā saif illā dhū l-faqār ("There is no better sword than Dhū l-faqār") can be found on individual, elaborately worked swords that have been forged throughout the Islamic world from the Middle Ages to modern times.

Mohamed Sa'id Paşa Zulfiqar

Usage of names

The name of the sword is also used as a personal name by Shiites and Alevis, for example as a first name for the former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto or as a family name for the Turkish artist Ali Zülfikar .

The Zulfiqar tank is also named after the sword.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rocky Pendergrass: Mythological Swords . 1st edition. tape 1 , 2015, p. 140 .
  2. ↑ Krizstina Kehl-Bodrogi: The Kizilbas / Alevis: Investigations into an esoteric religious community in Anatolia . In: Rolf Dankoff (Ed.): Islamic Studies . 1st edition. tape 1 . Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), Munich 1989, p. 210 .
  3. ↑ See Alexander 170.
  4. ↑ Cf. Alexander 174–177
  5. ↑ Cf. Ibn Hischām: Kitāb Sīrat Rasūl Allāh. From d. Hs. On Berlin, Leipzig, Gotha a. Leyden ed. by Ferdinand Wüstenfeld. 2 vols. Göttingen 1858-59. S. 588. Available online here: http://archive.org/stream/p2daslebenmuhamm01ibnhuoft#page/438/mode/2up
  6. ↑ See Wednesday.