Wikipedia's first sentence called it “sword of ali ibn abi talib”. Today it says “sword of ali ibn abi talib – a central figure of shia islam – that was”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “The double bladed sword of Ali”. It now reads “Double-bladed sword in Islamic imagery”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Name of a sword made famous by Ali ibn Abi Talib , who was given it by the prophet Muhammad before his death. Muhammad first obtained the sword as booty following the Battle of Badr in 623 AD. Ali's son, Imam Husayn bin Ali , brought it with him to the Battle of Karbala when the Umayyad caliph, Yazid I or Yazid ibn Muawiyah killed him and his family. Multiple conflicting images exist, some showing two blades running parallel to each other, others showing them forming a V-shape.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17142815.
The opening as it stood in 2010 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Zulfiqar "bifurcated" ( Dhū l-Fiqār ) is the sword of the Islamic leader Ali .In Arabic the name is commonly transliterated as Dhu al-Fiqar , Thulfeqar , Dhulfiqar , Zoulfikar etc.The scimitar is one of the oldest and best known symbols of Islam , and is particularly important to Shī‘ah , Alevi , Alawis , and Sufi .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 364282054.
The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Zulfiqar (split-bladed sword), a representation of the sword of Ali, Mughal period India.Zulfiqar ( Ḏū-l-Faqār or Ḏū-l-Fiqār ) is the name of the legendary sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib which is said to have been given to him by Muhammad.It was historically frequently depicted as a scissor-like double bladed sword on Muslim flags, and it is commonly shown in Shi'ite depictions of Ali and in the form of jewelry functioning as talismans as a scimitar terminating in two points.Muslim weapons are commonly inscribed with a quote mentioning Zulfiqar, and muslim swords are at times made with a split tip in reference to Zulfiqar.("An Indo-Persian Sabre (Shamshir), 18th- 19th Century, the double-edged flamboyant blade with the divided point of the Caliph Ali's sword, Zulfiqar") Gauding, Madonna (October 2009).Islamic Works of Art, Carpets and Textiles .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 665882030.
The opening as it stood in 2020 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The double bladed sword of Ali For other uses, see Zulfiqar (disambiguation) .A Chinese Muslim flag with the Zulfiqar and Ali represented as a lion (dated to the late 18th or the 19th century) An early 19th century Ottoman Zulfiqar flag.Zulfaqar ( , Ḏū-l-Faqār , IPA : [ðu‿l.fa.qaːr]), also spelled Zu al-Faqar , Zulfiqar , Dhulfaqar , Dhulfiqar or Dhu al-Faqar , is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib . It was historically frequently depicted as a scissor-like double bladed sword on Muslim flags, and it is commonly shown in Shia depictions of Ali and in the form of jewelry functioning as talismans as a scimitar terminating in two points. Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed with a quote mentioning Zulfiqar, and Middle Eastern swords are at times made with a split tip in reference to the weapon. Islamic Works of Art, Carpets and Textiles .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964251635.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Double-bladed sword in Islamic imagery This article is about the sword.A Cirebonese flag with a Chinese influenced lion with the Zulfiqar, and Ali represented as a lion (dated to the late 18th or the 19th century) An early 19th-century Ottoman Zulfiqar flag Zulfiqar ( , ), also spelled Zu al-Faqar , Zulfikar , Dhu al-Faqar , Dhulfaqar or Dhulfiqar) , is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib (Imam Ali). Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed with a quote mentioning Zulfiqar, and Middle Eastern swords are at times made with a split tip in reference to the weapon. Islamic Works of Art, Carpets and Textiles .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178865779.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Double-bladed sword in Islamic imagery This article is about the sword. Standard depiction of Ali 's sword Dhulfiqar in Islam Zulfiqar or Zulfaqar ( Arabic : ذو الْفَقار , romanized : Ḏū-l-Faqār , IPA: [ðuː‿l.faˈqaːr] ), also spelled Zu al-Faqar , Zulfakar , Dhu al-Faqar , or Dhulfaqar) , is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib that was distinguished by having a double blade. Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed with a quote mentioning Zulfiqar, and Middle Eastern swords are at times made with a split tip in reference to the weapon. Islamic Works of Art, Carpets and Textiles .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1298071582. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “sword of ali ibn abi talib”. Today it says “sword of ali ibn abi talib – a central figure of shia islam – that was”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “The double bladed sword of Ali”. It now reads “Double-bladed sword in Islamic imagery”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since October 7, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
sword of ali ibn abi talib
Now
sword of ali ibn abi talib – a central figure of shia islam – that was
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
