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Zulfiqar orZulfaqar (Arabic:ذو الْفَقار,romanized: Ḏū-l-Faqār,IPA:[ðuː‿l.faˈqaːr]), also spelledZu al-Faqar,Zulfakar,Dhu al-Faqar, orDhulfaqar) is the sword ofAli ibn Abi Talib that was distinguished by having a double blade.[1]
Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed with a quote mentioning Zulfiqar, and Middle Eastern swords are at times made with a split tip in reference to the weapon.[1]
The meaning of the name is uncertain. The wordḏhu (ذُو) means "possessor, master", and theidafa construction "possessor of..." is common in Arabic phraseology, such as inDhu al-Qarnayn,Dhu al-Kifl,Dhu al-Qadah andDhu al-Hijjah.
The meaning offaqār (فَقَار), means "splitter, differentiatior". It is often vocalized asfiqār instead offaqār;Lane cites authorities preferringfaqār however the vocalizationfiqār still sees more widespread use. The wordfaqār has the meaning of "the vertebrae of the back, the bones of the spine, which are set in regular order, one upon another", but may also refer to other instances of regularly spaced rows, specifically it is a name of the stars of the belt ofOrion.
Interpretations of the sword's name as found in Islamic theological writings or popular piety fall into four categories:[2]
The latter interpretation gives rise to the popular depiction of the sword as a double-pointed scimitar in modern Shia iconography. Heger considers two additional possibilities:[2]
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Zulfiqar was frequently depicted onOttoman flags,[a] especially as used byJanissaries cavalry.[1]
Zulfiqar is also frequently invoked intalismans. A common talismanic inscription or invocation is the double statement:
لَا سَيْفَ إِلَّا ذُو ٱلْفَقَارِ وَلَا فَتَىٰ إِلَّا عَلِيٌّ
lā sayfa ʾillā ḏū l-faqāri wa-lā fatā ʾillā ʿalīyun
"There is no sword but the Zulfiqar, and there is no Hero butAli"
The order of the two-part phrase is sometimes reversed, instead saying "there is no hero butAli, and there is no sword but Zulfiqar". A record ofthis statement as part of a longer talismanic inscription was published byTawfiq Canaan inThe Decipherment of Arabic Talismans (1938). Heger (2008) speculates that the talismanic formula may be old and may have originated as aArab Christian invocation.[4]
In legend, the exclamationlā sayfa ʾillā Ḏū l-Faqāri wa-lā fatā ʾillā ʿAlīyun was made for prophet Muhammad by Allah, Muhammad gave the sword to imam Ali ibn Abi Talib to replace his old broken sword.[2]: 286
Al-Tirmidhi attributes toIbn Abbas the tradition that Muhammad acquired the sword on theday of Badr, after he had seen it in a dream concerning theday of Uhud.[5]
InQajar Iran, actual swords were produced based on the legendary double-pointed design. TheHiggins Armory Museum collection, now at theWorcester Art Museum, holds a ceremonial sabre with awootz steel blade, dated to the late 19th century, with a cleft tip. The curator comments that "fractures in the tip were not uncommon in early wootz blades from Arabia" suggesting that the legendary double-pointed design is based on a common type of damage incurred by blades in battle. The tip of this specimen is split in the blade plane, i.e. "For about 8" of its length from the point the blade is vertically divided along its axis, producing side-by-side blades, each of which is finished in itself", in the curator's opinion "a virtuoso achievement by a master craftsman".[6] Another 19th-century blade in the same collection features a split blade as well as saw-tooths along the edge, combining two possible interpretations of the nameDhu-l-Faqar. This blade is likely of Indian workmanship, and it was combined with an older (Mughal era) Indian hilt.[7]
InIran, the name of the sword has been used as an eponym in military contexts; thus,Reza Shah Pahlavi renamed the military orderDecoration of the Commander of the Faithful toOrder of Zolfaghar in 1925. An Iranianmain battle tank calledZulfiqar is named after the sword. The58th Takavar Division of Shahroud is also named after the sword.[citation needed]
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Note: some of the existing swords are named after earlier legendary ones. | ||||||
