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The '''Rub al-el Hizb''' ({{lang-ar|رُبْع الحِزْب|translit=Rubʿrubʿ al-Ḥizbḥizb|lit=quarter of the party}})<ref>[https://translate.google.co.uk/?sl=auto&tl=en&text=%D8%B1%D9%8F%D8%A8%D9%92%D8%B9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%90%D8%B2%D9%92%D8%A8%2C&op=translate Google Translate]</ref> is an [[Islamic symbol]] in the shape of an [[octagram]], represented as two overlapping squares ۞. While its main utility today is to mark a division inside some copies of the [[Quran]] to facilitate [[tajwid|recitation]], it has originally featured on a number of emblems and flags in the past and continues to do so today. It has traditionally been called the [[Seljuk star|Seljuk Star]].
In Arabic, {{transl|ar|rubʿ}} means 'one-fourth' or 'quarter', while {{transl|ar|ḥizb}} (plural {{transl|ar|aḥzāb}}) translates to 'a group'. The [[Quran]] is divided into 60 {{lang|ar|aḥzāb}} (groups of roughly equal length in turn grouped into 30 {{transl|ar|[[juz'|ajzāʾ]]}}), with instances of Rub el Hizb further dividing each {{transl|ar|ḥizb}} into four, for a total of 240 divisions.
== History ==
What would become Rub el Hizb was originally the symbol with which the [[Tartessos]], since remote [[Neolithic]] times, made offerings to the Sun and represented it with eight rays. By the time of [[Al-Andalus]] in the [[Iberian Peninsula]], it had defined as a cultural symbol, appearing on the coins. In addition, the use of it in so many areas{{which|date=March 2024}} led to its name being calledchanged to "the star of Emir [[Abd al-Rahman I]] ({{Reign|731|788}})". From al Al-Andalus it was exported to the rest of the [[Arab world]]. It has also been used extensively in [[Turkic peoples|Turkic Islamic culture]] and [[Turkic history|history]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-02-01 |title=Eight-Pointed Star Meaning |url=https://www.dorisleslieblau.com/eight-pointed-star-meaning/ |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Antique Rugs by Doris Leslie Blau |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=REKI, ARSLAN SELÇUK |first=Mahina, Semra |date=2018-05-22 |title=EVOLUTION OF GEOMETRIC PATTERNS IN ISLAMIC WORLD AND A CASE ON THE JALIS OF THE NAULAKHA PAVILION IN THE LAHORE FORT |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/499821 |journal=Gazi University Journal of Science |volume=B |issue=6(1) |pages=83–97 |via=https://dergipark.org.tr/}}</ref>
