Rub el Hizb

The Rub-el-Hizb (Arabic: ربع الحزب, rubʿ al-ḥizb), also known as the Arabian Islamic Star, is a Quraïsh tribe Arabian symbol. It is in the shape of an octagram, 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.

۞
Rub el Hizb
In UnicodeU+06DE ۞ ARABIC START OF RUB EL HIZB

Etymology

In Arabic, rubʻ means "one-fourth" or "quarter," while ḥizb (plural aḥzāb) translates to "a group." Initially, it was used in the Quran, 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 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.[1]

Contemporary use

Former flags
Development of the Petronas Towers Tower 1 level 43 floor plan from a Rub el Hizb symbol.[2]

The first country to use the Rubʾ el-Hizb was the Marinid Sultanate in 1258.

Current flags

Emblems

Variants
  • Interlaced
    Interlaced
  • Outline
    Outline

See also

References
  1. 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.
  2. Galal Abada (2004). "Petronas Office Towers" (PDF). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Archived from the original on 2012-10-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.