Hand of Fatima or Hand of Destiny (here are images: http://images.google.com/images?q=hand+of+fatima&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title)

Certain parts of the human body were believed to remain in a sympathetic union ,such as the Hand in some countries.

The hand was regarded as affording a valuable PROTECTION against ‘the evil eye’,especially if worn on the breast.In Southern Italy,the most popular charm is a representation of the hand in which the thumb is doubled under the forefinger,which is called ‘MANO FICA’,it is to believe that the same representation was even known in England.MANO CORNUTA,another representation of the hand in Napoli,is hung as a sign outside the house.

The hand,that member of the body which we employ more than any other for most actions whether ordinary,religious or magical,is both estensive and significant.

The hand has been regarded as a symbol of POWER.In Semitic usage an attack by a ghost on a human being was called ‘The Hand of the Ghost’.

The phrase ‘Gods hand’ means ‘his power’ in the Bible and in the Qur’an;and the fact that it is universally used as an instrument of BLESSING shows that it bears a relation to the supernatural.

As the hand signifies power,we find in Hindu mythology that the downcast hand means RENUNCIATION (represented in the gigantic figure of Budha Kyaikpun).

In ancient Egypt,the symbolism is found as early as 1570 BC for a stone carving of that periode,the RA, the sun’s disk is represented with numerous rays each terminating in a hand.In Jewish times,each of the fingers of God’s hand were regarded as having a special meaning,and the right hand was considered more important than the left by the Arabs.

Among the early Greeks,the hand was a symbol of significance and the Romans used it as a SACRED symbol.

The hand was also represented as sending down rays of light in the Christian religion,thus expressing the DIVINE BENEFICENCE shed upon the earth or on a person. It is shown in the act of BLESSING.

The significance of the OPEN HAND is almost universal,its meaning is to avert or to protect.It is used to stop the approach of any undesired person or thing.The open hand is used as an amulet in oriental countries,is called HAND OF THE PROPHET or HAND OF FATIMA.

The hand was also regarded as a symbol of JUSTICE in France.The upliefted hand was used to command SILENCE,while in religious rites,the laying of the hand was a BLESSING.HEALING BY TOUCH was already performed by the priest-physicians of ancient Egypt and Babylonia.

HOLY HAND is believed to remove deseases.The hand is a personal magnetis that some people have.

One of the most popular amulets used by the Arabs is the OPEN HAND,which like the MANI FICO in Southern Italy is to avert the ‘evil eye’.The symbolisme of the hand raised,palm outwards,to repel some threatened evil,is abvious and the 5 fingers represent the five most sacred persons in Islam, Muhammed,Ali,Fatima,Hasan and Husain.

The Hand of Fatima ( Fatma - daughter of Prophet Mohammed )

Throughout northern Africa, Turkey, and in other parts of the Middle East, Muslims wear the necklace and , "Hand of Fatima" , as a jewellery and also for superstitious protection. Fatima was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad who married Ali, the nephew of the Prophet. From their descendants Shi'a Muslims claim a direct line of authority over Muslims. Miracles were attributed to Fatima, such as when she prayed in the desert, it started raining. She is described as a faithful, holy woman. This article from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey tells of the importance of jewelry named for her:

"Almost all Anatolian (Turkish) jewelry has a special meaning of its own and its own story, and the 'Hand of Fatima Necklace' is one of these, a lovely piece of silver and gold from which silver hands are hung and in whose good luck the women of Anatolia (Turkey) believe. Its romantic story is as follows: One day Lady Fatima (daughter of the Holy Prophet Mohammed) was cooking helva ( halvah ) (the texture is like a dry oath meal , with sugar and butter in it . They use semalina as the main ingredient . ) in a pan in the garden when suddenly the door opened and her husband the caliph Ali entered along with the new bride. ( Islam allowed four times marriage to man ) concubine (slave-girl), she was deeply grieved and u the wooden stirring spoon in confusion dropped from her hand and unaware , she continued stirring the halvah with her hand. Because of the grief in her heart she never even felt the pain of her hand mixing the hot halvah. However, when her husband hurried to her side and exclaimed in surprise "What are you doing there, Fatima?" she felt her hand burning and the pain. Thus it is from that day on the hand of the Lady Fatima has been used in the Islamic world as a symbol of patience, abundance, and faithfulness, and thus it is that girls and women wearing this necklace from whose end the hands hang believe the hands of Lady Fatima will bring them good luck, abundance and patience."


The story continues ; the bride and Ali as the groom go into their wedding room . The house is wooden , and Fatima can not stop herself from looking through a tiny little hole of a room from the second floor. And when Ali leans over the bride ,from that tiny hole , Fatima's tear drops to his shoulder , which stops him.

So , the necklace of Fatima ,rather popular in Islamic countries is formed of peaces shaped after a teae drop. The Ethnographical Museums of Turkey havr fine examples . Fatima was the daughter of the prophet Mohammed, but in fact this hand has been around before Islam, and there is still much right hand-left hand magic in Morocco. The left hand is for doing bad things; it also protects against the evil eye if you put it palm up in front of you (so naturally that's an insulting thing to do to someone, implying they have the evil eye)."

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1700_1799/shiism/handoffatimah/hand2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1700_1799/shiism/handoffatimah/handoffatimah.html&h=563&w=406&sz=83&hl=en&start=40&um=1&tbnid=UQSAbYFcCFtZbM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhand%2Bof%2Bfatima%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Hand of Fatima / Hand of Miriam
This symbol is known in Islamic societies as the *Hand of Fatima*, sometimes the *Eye of Fatima*, and in Jewish lore as the *Hand of Miriam* or *Hamesh Hand*. Its origin predates Islam; the symbol was previously used in Punic religion (a Latin version of the term "Phoenician"), where it was associated with Tanit (a Carthaginian lunar goddess).

The symbol serves as an ancient talismanic way of averting the evil eye, or more generally of providing a "protecting hand" or "Hand of God". It appears, often in stylised form, as a hand with three fingers raised, and sometimes with two thumbs arranged symmetrically. The symbol is used in amulets, charms, jewelry, door entrances, cars, and other places to ward the evil eye.

Tradition in Islamic cultures associates the symbol with Fatima Zahra, daughter of the prophet Muhammad. In Israel and in Jewish culture globally it is most commonly known as "hamsa" or "chamsa". Some sources link the significance of the five fingers to the five books of the Torah, the Jewish name for the Old Testament scriptures, or to the Five Pillars of Islam, the core principles of Sunni Islamic faith, though this significance was probably attributed after the fact to the symbol, as it pre-dates both religions.

In recent years some activists for Middle East peace have chosen to wear the hamsa as a symbol of the similarities of origins and tradition between the Islamic and Jewish faiths

Thx Roswitha for the information,i never knew that was the hand of Fatema tho.
Btw,Ali didnt marry anyone else while he was married to Fatema 'ALLAH rest their souls both' he got married after she had died.

Anyway that subject will never end up...

To you your belief to me my belief...

Omg,is that what you call muska ?!
We have same thing too,they call it Hicap.

Of course im with you,nothing of above related to İslam in any bit of it,even it considered haram to believe in such things 'Muska'
And same for the evil eye nazarlık,or Fatema's hand,ect
We have them all too and all are rubbish !
İm Muslim,and it has nothing to do with İslam.
We practice some like nazarlık 'here its Turquoise stone' we give it as a gift when a baby born to draw people attention to the stone away from the baby, something like that.
But its out of tradition not out of İslam,only ignorants,and non educated who believe its an İslamic thing .
İnfact İslam doesnt encourage things like that.

I don't think its religious either. Every culture seems to produce people who have their "lucky charms" - anything from a rabbit's foot to a pixie. It has even been known for people to wear a certain piece of underwear for good luck

hee,hee,here males at high school,and Uni at exams times, they dont shave their beard till exams finished out of good luck ,and some dont change their clothes if they made well at the exams at one day,so they wear same T shirt and trousers or what ever at the rest of the exams ..hee hee
İn fact it was useful for us ,we used to locate them more easily hee hee