Zulfiqar
Zulfiqar (, ), also spelled "Zu al-Faqar", "Zulfikar", "Dhu al-Faqar", "Dhulfaqar" or "Dhulfiqar", is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib. It was historically frequently depicted as a scissor-like double bladed sword on Muslim flags, and it is commonly shown in Shia depictions of Ali and in the form of jewelry functioning as talismans as a scimitar terminating in two points. 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. Name. The meaning of the name is uncertain. The  word "ḏhu" () means "possessor, master", and the idafa construction "possessor of..." is common in Arabic phraseology, such as in "Dhu al-Qarnayn", "Dhu al-Kifl", "Dhu al-Qadah" and "Dhu al-Hijjah". The meaning of "faqār" (), means "splitter, differentiatior". It is often vocalized as "fiqār" instead of "faqār"; Lane cites authorities preferring "faqār" however the vocalization "fiqār" still sees more widespread use. The word "faqār" 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 of Orion. Interpretations of the sword's name as found in Islamic theological writings or popular piety fall into four categories: The latter interpretation gives rise to the popular depiction of the sword as a double-pointed scimitar in modern Shia iconography. Heger (2008) considers two additional possibilities: Invocation and depiction. Zulfiqar was frequently depicted on Ottoman flags, especially as used by Janissaries cavalry, in the 16th and 17th centuries. Zulfiqar is also frequently invoked in talismans. A common talismanic inscription or invocation is the double statement: The order of  the two-part phrase is sometimes reversed, instead saying "there is no Hero but Ali, and there is no sword but the Zulfiqar". A record of this statement as part of a longer talismanic inscription was published by Tewfik Canaan in "The Decipherment of Arabic Talismans" (1938). Heger (2008) speculates that the talismanic formula may be old and may have originated as a Christian invocation. Legendary background. In legend, the exclamation was given after Muhammad asked God to give him a sword. The sword appears in Muhammad's hands and then Muhammad throws the sword to Ali to replace his  old broken sword. Al-Tirmidhi attributes to Ibn Abbas the tradition that Muhammad acquired the sword on the day of Badr, after he had seen it in a dream concerning the day of Uhud. Modern references. In Qajar Iran, actual swords were produced based on the legendary double-pointed design. Thus, the Higgins Collection holds a ceremonial sabre with a wootz 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". 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 name "Dhu-l-Faqar". This blade is likely of Indian workmanship , and it was combined with an older (Mughal era) Indian hilt. "Zulfiqar" and its phonetic variations has come into use as given name, as with former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In Iran, the name of the sword has been used as an eponym in military contexts; thus, Reza Shah Pahlavi renamed the military order "Portrait of the Commander of Faithful" to "Order of Zolfaghar" in 1925. The 58th Takavar Division of Shahroud is also named after the sword. An Iranian main battle tank is also named after the sword, "Zulfiqar".