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: , Classical 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 in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

, 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' A ''juzʼ'' (Arabic: جُزْءْ, plural: ''ajzāʼ'', literally meaning "part") is one of thirty parts of varying lengths into which the Quran is divided. It is also known as para (پارہ/পারা) in Iran and the Indian subcontinent. The ...

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 circle In geometry, two or more objects are said to be concentric, coaxal, or coaxial when they share the same center or axis. Circles, regular polygons and regular polyhedra, and spheres may be concentric to one another (sharing the same center point ...

s 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) ...

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 th ...

(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 The flag of the Organization of Turkic States, formerly the flag of the Turkic Council, was adopted at its 2nd Summit, which took place in Bishkek on 23 August 2012 and officially raised on 12 October 2012. The flag combines the symbols of the o ...

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 The state emblem of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan gerbi) mixes traditional and modern symbols. The focal point of the emblem is a stylized flame. The flame is in the shape of the word "Allah" written in Arabic () to represent the country's majorit ...

File:Emblem of Karakalpakstan.svg,

Emblem of Karakalpakstan The emblem of Karakalpakstan is one of the official symbols (along with the flag and anthem) of republic Karakalpakstan within Uzbekistan. It was approved on April 9, 1993. The coat of arms was developed from a sketch by Karakalpak artist Jol ...

File:Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg,

Emblem of Uzbekistan The state emblem of Uzbekistan was formally adopted on July 2, 1992 by the newly establish Republic of Uzbekistan. It bears many similarities to the emblem of the previous Uzbek SSR, which Republic of Uzbekistan succeeded. Like other post-Soviet ...

File:Emblem of Turkmenistan.svg,

Emblem of Turkmenistan An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' are often used in ...

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