Is There Any Significance of Fatima’s Hand?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I have heard many back and forths regarding “Fatima’s Hand.” Saying things like it’s a cultural thing or it has significance in Islamic and Jewish cultures. Ultimately, from my understanding, this item is symbolic and problematic. I would like clarification on the matter, please. Jazak Allah.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
This is not a Sunni Islam symbol. Rather, it is a hand as a protective symbol that predates Islam and is not limited to Shia Muslims; for instance, Jews also use the hand symbol, and some call it the “Hand of Mary.” See the links below.
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
Related Answers
- Hand of Fatima | Encyclopedia of Art | Article (mapacademy.io)
- Questions About Hamsa | Ask A Question | Al-Islam.org (Shia website)
Invocations and Supplications: A Comprehensive SeekersGuidance Reader
- The Reality and Etiquettes of Supplication: A Reader – SeekersGuidance
- Invocations and Supplications: A Comprehensive SeekersGuidance Reader – SeekersGuidance
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
