By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:
The use of large knives being used by terrorists to attack Israelis is not accidental. For these terrorists, the knife is a weapon of convenience.
Now, while that statement is true - there's more to it than what is apparent and obvious.
Saif is the word used in Arabic for large knife or small sword . Saif can be found in all aspects of Arabic and Islamic life.
And, here's where it gets interesting, the saif is filled with symbolic value.
Throughout history every man carried his own saif, it was an issue of power and defense.
But Islam uses the word saif in a way which resonates with domination. For example:
Saif al Islam means the sword of the submission to Islam.
Saif al Haqq means the sword of truth.
Saif ul Maluk means the sword of the power of leadership, or of the realm, or the governing force.
Saif al Ulla al Masloul means the drawn sword of Allah.
Saif al din means the sword of religion (of Islam).
And then, there is the most famous of all saif - Saif ul Ali.
Saif ul Ali refers to the sword that first belonged to Mohammed and was then handed down to his son-in-law and successor Ali. Ali cleaved off the head and the helmet of an enemy Makkan foot soldier with one flash of his saif. It is with that sword that Ali killed the powerful Makkan fighter Amr in the battle of the Trench in Medina.
The long knives now used by Palestinians to attack Israelis cannot be seen simply as a weapon of convenience. These modern day saif need to be seen as a symbol that returns power to Islam and defends and ensures and protects Islam from any threat.
In the world of Islam, a knife by any other name is not, simply, a knife.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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