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Hand of Fatima
The symbol or
design known in Islamic societies as the Hand of Fatima and in Jewish lore
as the Hand of Miriam, or in both as "Khamsa", from the Arabic words for
"five", serves as an ancient talismanic way of averting the evil eye, or
more generally of providing a "protecting hand" or "Hand of God". It
appears, often in stylised form, as a hand with three fingers raised, and
sometimes with two thumbs arranged symmetrically. The symbol is used in
amulets, charms, jewelry, door entrances, cars, and other places to ward
the evil eye.
Tradition in
Islamic cultures associates the symbol with Fatima Zahra, daughter of the
prophet Muhammad.
It is not a symbol
that is condoned by the religion of Islam, but rather a cultural fixture.
Some sources assert that its origin predates Islam. The name Fatima's
hands or hand of Fatima, is a Western name for this object; in the
societies where the symbol is actually common it is referred to using
other names, such as khamsa (five) in Egypt, and "hamsa" in Western
sources. In Israel and in Jewish culture globally it is most commonly
known as "hamsa" or "chamsa", without any Islamic heritage connotations,
thus enforcing the notion that it is primarily cultural rather than
religious in origin. Some sources link the significance of the five
fingers to the five books of the Torah, the Jewish name for the Old
Testament scriptures, or to the Five Pillars of Islam, the core principles
of Islamic faith, though this significance may have been attributed after
the fact to a symbol that quite possibly pre-dated both religions.
In recent years
some activists for Middle East peace have chosen to wear the hamsa as a
symbol of the similarities of origins and tradition between the Islamic
and Jewish faiths.
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