Shams al-Ma'arif or Shams al-Ma'arif wa Lata'if al-'Awarif[a] is a 13th-century grimoire centered on Arabic magic by Ahmad al-Buni. It is claimed to be a manual for achieving esoteric spirituality. The book is a patchwork of bits and pieces of Al-Buni's authentic works, and texts by other authors.[1] While being popular, it also carries a notorious reputation for being suppressed and banned for much of Islamic history.[2]
History
It was written by the scholar Ahmad al-Buni who wrote it while living in Algeria; he died around 1225 CE (622 AH).[3]
Scholars like Ibn Taymiyya have criticized the book and labeled the author, Al-Buni, as a deluded devil (Shaytan) worshipper.[4][5] However, it continues to persist, and is still being read and studied in the present day, despite its questionable reputation.[4][6] Some Sufi orders, such as the Naqshbandi-Haqqani order have occasionally recognised its potential spiritual value, provided that the reader understands it.[7]
In the 20th and 21st century AD, Shams al-Ma'arif grew in recognition and was adopted by the Order of Nine Angles, a global terrorist Satanist organization, as one of their influences.[11] Although a translation into English has not been undertaken, there have been numerous renditions of a few of the more popular rituals found within the main treatise, as well as those that lie in its accompanying text. Some of these rituals have had various degrees of notability, but one of recurring presence in many publications is that of the Birhatiya[12][13] (also known as The Ancient Oath or Red Sulphur[14]).
In 2022 a partial English translation by Amina Inloes was published by Revelore Press as "Shams al-Ma’arif: The Sun of Knowledge An Arabic Grimoire: A selected Translation"[15]
In 2023, another English translation of the Shams al Ma'arif was published by Johann Voldemont as "Shams al-Ma'arif: Talismans and Magic Squares" which focuses primarily on the talismans and magic squares contained within the text.[16] Outside of the Arab and Western world, several editions of the book have been published in the Urdu and Turkish languages.[17][18][19]
In contemporary form, the book consists of two volumes, Shams Al-Ma'arif al-Kubra[b] and Shams Al-Ma'arif al-Sughra,[c] the former being the larger of the two.[20][21] The first few chapters introduce the reader to magic squares, and the combination of numbers and the alphabet that are believed to bring magical effect, which the author claims is the only way to communicate with Jinn, angels and spirits. The table of contents that was introduced in the later printed editions of the work contains a list of unnumbered chapters (faṣl), which stretch to 40. However, before the printing press and various other standardisations, there were three independent volumes that circulated, each one differing in length.[22]
Another title by the same author, namely Manba' Usul al-Hikmah "The Source of the Essentials of Wisdom", is considered its companion text.[citation needed]
^Gardiner, Noah (2012), Forbidden Knowledge? Notes on the production, transmission, and reception of the major works of Ahmad Al-Buni, Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies 12 (2012). University of Michigan.
^Michael Ipgrave, Scriptures in Dialogue: Christians and Muslims Studying the Bible and the Qur'an Together, Church Publishing Inc., 2004, p. 42.
^Owen Davies, Grimoires: A History of Magic Books, Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 27.
^ abGardiner, Noah (2017), Esotericist Reading Communities and the Early Circulation of the Sufi Occultist Aḥmad Al-Būnī’s Works, Arabica 64 (2017), p. 405-441.
^"رأي العلامة ابن جبرين في كتب ومصنفات" [The opinion of the scholar Ibn Jibrin on books and publications]. islamway.net (in Arabic). 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
^Abu Ubaidah as-Sidawi (2009). "Waspadailah Kitab-Kitab Berbahaya Berikut Ini…" [Beware of These Dangerous Books…]. abiubaidah.com (in Indonesian). Ustadz Yusuf Abu Ubaidah official. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
