MEANING OF THE KHAMSA (HAND OF FATIMA)
MEANING OF THE KHAMSA (HAND OF FATIMA)
Its use has been documented since antiquity. The use of the hand of God is given in Jewish iconography as early as 244 E.C. In the parietal frescoes of the Synagogue of Dura Europos in Syria and, from 518-527 CE, in the mosaics that Marians and Janina performed at the Beit Alpha Synagogue in Galilee, Israel.
As an amulet, the Khamsa was carried by the Carthaginians from 820 BCE. In North Africa it was associated with an attribute of the goddess Tanit; Subsequently passed to the Berbers and Maghreb. It is currently widely used in Africa and the Middle East.
The symbol of the Khamsa is characterized by the design of a symmetrical right hand with five fingers: the finger of the heart at the center, at the sides the ring finger and the index, a little shorter than the heart and equal to each other, and in both ends two thumbs, the same size and somewhat curved outward. Although it is also represented as a normal hand, without curvature on the thumb and pinky fingers.
Many know this symbol, which has become very fashionable in tattoos, clothing and jewelry lately. Its name in Arabic means "five", in reference to the 5 fingers of the human hand. Each tradition has endowed it with its own meanings according to each religion. Even its name has been modified: Khamsa, hamsa, hand of Miriam (term used in the world of the Sephardic Jews), hand of Fatima (by the Muslims), and by the Buddhism called "Abhaya Mundra". The symbol, however, has no relation to Judaism or Islam. In fact, a strict interpretation would discourage its widespread use, since the Koran prohibits amulets and superstition in general.
Sometimes the hand contains other symbols like eyes, stars of David, fish, lotus flower, etc. All of these with the intention of strengthening the power of the Khamsa which has innumerable representations. Some people think that when it is represented with the fingers together, the amulet serves for good luck, and in the case of having the separated fingers it is used to move away the negative energies, according to the popular tradition. Muslims relate the five fingers of the hand to the pillars of Islam, while the Jews attribute the symbolism to the five books of the Torah.
The term Hand of Fatima refers to Fatima az-Zahra, who lived from 606 to 632, was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, and married Ali, the fourth caliph of the Muslims. The legend tells that Fatima was busy in the kitchen of her house preparing dinner for her husband. When he arrives, Fatima comes to greet him, and his great surprise is that he was accompanied by a beautiful concubine. Fatima, with a prudent and silent attitude, returned to the kitchen with great sadness, paid no attention to her actions, and had a pot on the fire with boiling broth and put her hand to remove the stew.
Fatima, because of the strong pain in her heart, did not feel the physical pain, but Ali saw what was happening and rushed on her, shouting, at which moment Fatima realized that her hand was burning and she pulled it out of the pot.
By virtue of the above, "the hand of Fatima" represents good luck and the virtues of patience, fidelity and fertility. In addition, protection, especially to pregnant women, for their protection of the matrix.
Fatima was credited with many miracles, she devoted herself fervently to the task of praying in the middle of the desert, her faith was so sure and strong that she was able to make it rain, causing the birth of thousands of colorful flowers in the middle of the tide of desert sand.
Curiously, some neopagan traditions have used this symbol because it refers to many elements that are beyond the religions of the book, such as the question of protecting pregnant women, or that the eye is a fundamental part of this symbol, which is not seen as a talisman. It has a power that enhances the feminine, especially in the patriarchal religions. At the moment we can see Khamsas with lunar attributes that serve as protection for the Neopagan.
Elhoim Leafar
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BECKER, Udo.(1992). Encyclopedia of Symbols. Londres & Nueva York: Continuum.
SED-RAJNA, Gabrielle. (2000) Abecedaire du Judaïsme. París: Flammarion.
Evelyn A. Early (1993). Baladi women of Cairo: playing with an egg and a stone. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
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