The Rub-el-Hizb ( ar, ربع الحزب, '), also known as the Islamic Star, is an Islamic symbol. It is in the shape of an

octagram In geometry, an octagram is an eight-angled star polygon. The name ''octagram'' combine a Greek numeral prefix, '' octa-'', with the Greek suffix '' -gram''. The ''-gram'' suffix derives from γραμμή (''grammḗ'') meaning "line". Deta ...

, represented as two overlapping squares. It has been found on a number of emblems and flags. The main purpose of this dividing system is to facilitate the recitation of the Quran.

Etymology

In Arabic, ''rubʻ'' means "one-fourth" or "quarter," while ''ḥizb'' (plural ''aḥzāb'') translates to "a group." Initially, it was used in the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

, which is divided into 60 ''aḥzāb'' (groups of roughly equal length); Rubʿ el Hizb further divides each ḥizb in four. A ḥizb is one half of a juz'.

History

Investigations have shown that the Rub el Hizb symbol was originated from ancient

petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

in the Arabian desert. The symbol in question, consisting of two concentric circles with a defined punctual center, connected by eight radial sectors, is similar to the Islamic symbol when the two lines of the East-West orientation are combined, thus resulting in a hexagon with a circular symmetry.Majeed Khan (13 December 2013). "''Rock Art of Saudi Arabia''". Arts 2013, 2, 447-475 (Figure 28); doi:10.3390/arts2040447. Retrieved 11 May 2021.

Contemporary use

Former flags

The first country to use the Rubʾ el-Hizb was the

Marinid Sultanate The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) ar ...

in 1258. Flag of Morocco (1258-1659).svg, Flag of the

(1258-1659) File:Flag of the Emirate of Afghanistan.png, Flag of the

Emirate of Afghanistan The Emirate of Afghanistan also referred to as the Emirate of Kabul (until 1855) ) was an emirate between Central Asia and South Asia that is now today's Afghanistan and some parts of today's Pakistan (before 1893). The emirate emerged from t ...

(1919-1926)

Current flags

File:Flag of Azerbaijan.svg,

Flag of Azerbaijan The national flag of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan bayrağı), often referred to in Azerbaijani language, Azerbaijani as ( en, Tricolour flag), is a horizontal tricolour (flag), tricolour that features three equally sized bars of bright blue, ...

File:Kazakhstan Customs Service flag.svg, Flag of the Kazakhstan Customs Bureau File:Flag of the Organization of Turkic States.svg, Flag of the Organization of Turkic States File:Flag of the President of Turkmenistan.svg, Standard of the President of Turkmenistan File:Flag of the President of Uzbekistan.svg, Standard of the President of Uzbekistan

Emblems

File:Emblem of Azerbaijan.svg, Emblem of Azerbaijan File:Emblem of Karakalpakstan.svg, Emblem of Karakalpakstan File:Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg, Emblem of Uzbekistan File:Emblem of Turkmenistan.svg, Emblem of Turkmenistan

Variants

File:Rub_El_Hizb.svg, Interlaced File:Rub_El_Hizb_Outline.svg, Outline

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rub el Hizb Star symbols Islamic terminology Islamic symbols