Zulfikar: the Legendary Arabian Scimitar of the Koran
The Arabian Peninsula has many symbols that would be interesting to study in depth.
You can find some of them thanks to this set of Arabic lucky charms, but today it's a scimitar called Zulfikar that will interest us.
Zulfikar is one of the oldest and most famous swords in Islamic history. Offered by Allah via the angel Gabriel to Ali during the battle of khandaq, described in the Quran.
Ali was a valiant swordsman and fighter. His bravery and skills were notably proven in the battle of Badr, Uhud, Khyber and Trench. Thanks to Zulfikar, thousands of infidels were killed by Ali, nicknamed the lion of Allah.
Zulfikar, zulfiqar, zulficar : the name of this Arabic scimitar can be written in different ways and we will use them all in this article. Anyway, let’s get started without further ado.
Contents :
Where does the Zulfikar sword come from?
Meaning of word Zulfikar
In the Arabic language, the word zulfikar could literally be translated as “ cleaver of the spine ”.
According to many historians, the Arab scimitar was the only weapon in the region to have a double edge.
Zulfiqar therefore certainly inspired fear in the enemy ranks!
Where does the Zulfikar sword come from?
During the Battle of Khandaq, when the Muslim warriors numbered only 3,000, they had to fight Abu Sufyan and his army...which then represented a force of 10,000 men.
The Prophet Muhammad then decided to pray to Allah and ask for his help.
At that time, Allah sent the angel Jibril (or Gabriel) to the Prophet Muhammad.
The angel held a gift in his hands: the Zulfiqar saber.
Knowing that he was his best warrior, the prophet offered Zulfikar to his faithful Ali.
At the end of the battle, the Muslims suffered only a very small number of losses.
Abu Sufyan's army had been decimated by the power of this terrible scourge of Allah that is Zulfikar...
Praise to this Arab scimitar
According to traditions, while Ali was fighting like a lion and protecting the Prophet and Islam from enemy attacks, these few words appeared in the sky:
“ There is no hero like Ali, there is no sword like Zulfiqar. »
The transmission of Zulfikar
According to some historians, it is clear that after the death of Ali this Arab scimitar was given to Hassan, (Ali's eldest son) then after his martyrdom, it would have been transmitted to Hussain (Ali's younger son.
Hussain would also have used it to fight Yazid's terrible army.
Since then... it's been a black hole: Zulfiqar, this terrible Arab scimitar defender of Islam, has apparently disappeared.
Don't worry, you can see a reproduction thanks to this Zulfikar pendant.
Where is the Zulfikar sword today?
The Prophet Muhammad owned a total of 9 swords.
8 of them are kept in the Topkapi Museum in Turkey and another is in Cairo, Egypt.
Zulfiqar cannot be found anywhere...
Some Muslims believe that after Hussain's death, it was passed down to his sons and has since been passed from hand to hand in Shia ruling circles.
Others claim that Zulfikar "decomposed" by the will of Allah and was reunited with its original owner, the faithful Ali.
Zulfiqar… a legend?
Despite the great fame and facts recounted in the Quran, some Islamic scholars question the authenticity of Zulfikar's story.
For them, this Arab scimitar would not have helped defeat an entire army but rather the enemy king's best guard, whom Ali defeated in a duel with the help of Zulfikar.
This is notably the point of view of the famous 12th century Iraqi jurist Abd al-Rahman Ibn al-Jawzi who, in his “Great Collection of Traditions” described a duel rather than a military confrontation.
Zulfikar: a strong political symbol
Regardless, the fact is that the Zulfikar sword has always enjoyed strong symbolic power as a good luck charm.
Among Shiite soldiers and clerics in particular, being in possession of it was almost synonymous with becoming a commander.
This notably pushed many Shiite sects to claim ownership of Zulfiqar.
This must always have been a deception. As stated above, this Arab scimitar has been missing for centuries.
Zulfikar will undoubtedly remain a mystery for a long time to come.
Lucky charm featured in this article
Zulfikar Sword Pendant
See more