The Hand of Fatimah

My father recently bought me a necklace bearing the hand of Fatimah. I did some research and found that Fatimah was the daughter of Mohammed the prophet of Islam and the wife of Ali. I've also heard that it's a Jewish symbol and a Pagan symbol. So, exactly what is it and what does it mean? Thanks!

"They also call her Al-Zahra, the Lady of Light. The khamsa, an amulet popularly believed to ward off evil and widely used in the Maghreb, represents the hand of Fatima. However, charms are forbidden in some branches of Islam."

found this on wikipedia and i dont know how to exactly quote the web page so if you want to see a little more go to wikipedia and in the search bar type in Fatima Zahra.

The Qur'an says not to believe in superstitions and things like charms but to rather pray to God for whatever you need or want (or want to be protected from). The Qur'an says that nothing can save or protect a person truly other than God. It is mildly blasphemous in my opinion to say something like a stone or idol or symbol is protecting someone and there is no mention of any item being holy or magical in the Qur'an but it can be a useful tool if a person truly believes the item bestows upon them some power or protection. The Hand of Fatimah has its roots in pre Islamic beliefs and carried on after people's conversion to Islam.

quote:Originally posted by Abrahim:

The Qur'an says not to believe in superstitions and things like charms but to rather pray to God for whatever you need or want (or want to be protected from). The Qur'an says that nothing can save or protect a person truly other than God. It is mildly blasphemous in my opinion to say something like a stone or idol or symbol is protecting someone and there is no mention of any item being holy or magical in the Qur'an but it can be a useful tool if a person truly believes the item bestows upon them some power or protection. The Hand of Fatimah has its roots in pre Islamic beliefs and carried on after people's conversion to Islam.

Agreed. This becomes a problem when different cultures combine their Islamic teachings with their traditions.

Agh, people can be so confusing! Well thank you for your help, I personally think it's a beautiful necklace.

quote:Originally posted by ADogg:

Agh, people can be so confusing! Well thank you for your help, I personally think it's a beautiful necklace.

Any Other Questions?

Well even if it isn't a religious symbol, what is it supposed to stand for?

quote:Originally posted by ADogg:

Well even if it isn't a religious symbol, what is it supposed to stand for?

ive already told you. LOOK IT UP GOD DAMNIT! its really not that hard. i found your answer in less than 5 min.

[Obbe]

quote:Originally posted by Abrahim:

The Qur'an says not to believe in superstitions and things like charms but to rather pray to God for whatever you need or want (or want to be protected from). The Qur'an says that nothing can save or protect a person truly other than God. It is mildly blasphemous in my opinion to say something like a stone or idol or symbol is protecting someone and there is no mention of any item being holy or magical in the Qur'an but it can be a useful tool if a person truly believes the item bestows upon them some power or protection. The Hand of Fatimah has its roots in pre Islamic beliefs and carried on after people's conversion to Islam.

I think this could be disagreed with. If a person truly belives in the charm, and God is everything, reality as i belive you have said, then wouldnt it have the same affect as one who belived in praying to god would?

google it.