Zulfiqar
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Zulfiqar (Arabic: ذو الفقار) is the legendary sword of the Islamic leader Ali. In Arabic the name is commonly transliterated as Thulfeqar, Dhulfiqar, or other similar spellings, while in languages such as Farsi and Urdu there exists other ways of spelling the name starting with a "Z" like Zulfiqar and Zolfaghar due to the absence of the letter (Th or Dh) (Arabic: ذ). The scimitar is one of the oldest and best known symbols of Islam, as important to Shiite Muslims as Excalibur is to the British.
Ali's son, Imam Husayn bin Ali, used Zulfiqar against the Umayyad caliph Yazid I in the Battle of Karbala, where he and his family became martyrs. As a symbol of honour and knighthood, Zulfiqar has appeared in the iconography of Islamic nations for centuries, and was used extensively by the Abbasid Caliphate and the Ottoman Empire. Multiple conflicting images of the sword exist. Some show two parallel blades to emphasize its mystical abilities and speed, while others portray a more traditionally-shaped scimitar and still others depict a split, V-shaped blade. The Shi'a, who believe Ali was the first rightful successor to Muhammad, consider the sword to be as exceptional a weapon because its bearer was widely regarded by both Muslims and non-Muslims as a true knight and warrior. According to some stories, God presented Zulfiqar to Ali at the Battle of Uhud, while other sources Ali received the weapon from Muhammad to fight a pagan challenger at the Battle of the Trench. At Uhud Ali used his weapon to defended Muhammad, turning the tide of the battle. After the battle came the saying "La fatà illa Ali, la saif illa Zulfiqar" ( لا فتى إلا على لا سيف إلا ذو الفقار ), "there is no real man but Ali, there is no sword except but Zulfiqar" (or, "there is no victory without Ali…), which was frequently inscribed on new weapons and became a battle cry for the Muslims.
"Zulfiqar" and phonetic variations have been popular given names, as in former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Various spelt variations exist in modern language scripts, including "Zulfikar", "Thulfiqar", "Dhulfaqar", "Zolfaqar", etc. "Thulfiqar", though, is the most common spelling amongst Arabs. "Zulfiqar", however, remains the most widely used rendition of the Arabic word amongst Desi and Persians.
[edit] History
The name is variously explained, but is generally thought to mean "cleaver of the spine" [1], "the two-pronged one" or "double-edged one". It is sometimes also interpreted as "sharp distinction between right and wrong" or "the one who distinguishes between right and wrong", or "trenchant".
According to legend, Ali used the sword to slice an opponent and his horse in half. The opponent was Amr ibn Abdawud, whose strength was compared to the strength of 1000 men. He was so brave that no one dared to fight him except Ali, who killed him with just one powerful blow. Though Amr wore the best armor and carried the best quality weapons, he was still no match for Zulfiqar.
[edit] Recent times
The last Shah of Iran renamed the military order Portrait of the Commander of Faithful to the new reference, Order of Zolfaghar.[2]
In 2004, Iran revealed a new Zulfiqar tank model; in August 2006, the nation announced a massive war games operation entitled The Blow of Zolfaghar.
