A large ivory-hilted dagger (peshkabz) with silver-mounted scabbard, India, 18th century

the curved watered-steel blade with central ridge, double-edged towards the swollen armour-piercing tip, decorated at the forte with gold-overlaid naturalistic flowers and bird with vase motif outline, the flat back edge with stylised palmette and four cartouches containing inscriptions, ivory hilt in two sections, wood scabbard with applied silver locket and chape with carved foliate designs 

R. Hales, Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour: A Lifetime's Passion, London, 2013, p.10, no.23. 

The ivory hilt with small section missing at tip and replaced, hairline cracks and discoloration in ivory with minor nicks, the ivory sections slightly off-set their central fitting with minor appearance of remnants of adhesive substances, possibly re-stuck at later time, the blade slightly oxidised with rubbing to gold overlay, the scabbard with wear consistent with age, cracks and bends on silver-mounts, centre of scabbard worn, as viewed.
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inscriptions

Qur’an, chapters XI (Hud), part of verse 88 and VIII (al-Anfal), part of verse 10

Signed as: ‘Work of Ahmad’