Despite the current popularity of Picatrix the Shams Al-Ma'arif or the Sun of Wisdom is a much more widely known and used book of magic in the Arabic speaking world. Traditionally attributed to the 13th century Sufi and master of the esoteric science of Arabic letters Ahmad bin Ali Al-buni. While current scholarship has cast doubt on Al-Buni's authorship of the received version of the Shams Al-Ma'arif its influence on Arabic magic is vast. The Sun of Knowledge ( Shams al-Ma‘arif) is one of the most revered historical grimoires of the Arabic corpus. Feared by some, hallowed by others, it is one of the most famous – or infamous – books in the Arabic-speaking and Islamicate world. Written in Egypt in the thirteenth century by a Sufi mystic and mage of Algerian origin, the Shams presents the fundamentals of Arabic-Islamic occult work – from spiritual cosmology and astrology (including various particularly lunar magics) to working with spirits and jinn, magical employment of letters and numbers, and the occult applications of the Qur’an – thereby comprising a veritable encyclopedia of Islamicate magical wisdom and formulae. Images and descriptions of amulets and talismans adorn it. Numerous beautiful manuscripts of the Sun of Knowledge have survived, various of which have been used as a basis for this present work. al-Juzʼ al-thānī (Part two), starts with: "al-Faṣl al-khāmis ʻashar. Fī al-shurūṭ al-lāzimah li-baʻḍ dūna baʻḍ fī al-bidāyāt wa-al-nihāyāt." In contemporary form the book consists of two volumes; Shams al-Ma'arif al-Kubra and Shams al-Ma'arif al-Sughra, the former being the larger of the two.[2][3] 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 insists is the only way to communicate with jinn, angels and spirits. The table of contents that were introduced in the later printed editions of the work contain a list of unnumbered chapters (faṣl), which stretch to a number of 40. However, prior to the printing press and various other standardisations, there were three independent volumes that circulated, each one differing in length.[4]

As a left-hand magician with over 15 years' experience in demonology and astrology, native in Arabic, fluent in English, I will bring the English version of The Book Of The Sun Of Gnosis, known as Shams al-Ma'arif to LIFE! Verily! Allâh forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allâh, has indeed strayed far awayAnd since the manifestation of Science belongs to the sanctified spirits, the spirit of the angel Jibrāīl is destined to instruct the prophets, being one of the noblest our prophet Muhammad, God bless and save him! who was inspired by humility, for Allah said: "He has taught an angel of great power and strength, since he appeared in his true form." Noble Quran, Sura 56, verses 5-6. In 2021, Amina Inloes, PhD and J.M. Hamade released an English translation with selections from the text however the entire treatise has yet to be rendered in English.

Incipit: "Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm. Shahādat azal, fa-min nūr hādhihi al-shahādah ightarafa al-muṣannifūn ʻilman. Fa-ifham dhālik. Wa-al-tartīb al-abadī fī al-shahādatayn al-muttaṣilatayn bi-al-malāʼikah al-kirām. Wa-awwal al-ʻilm fa-hādhihi shahādat al-abad. Fa-man fahima sirr hātayn al-shahādatayn shāhad al-malakūtayn wa-mā awdaʻāhu bi-sirr al-ittiṣāl bi-al-kashfīyāt ..." Explaining the severity of the worst crime a person can commit, attributing partners in worship with our Creator. Publisher: FAR Ancient Publications Ltd; reproduction of original16th century ed edition (July 2006)  Language Arabic  ISBN-10: 1905934017  ISBN-13: 978-1905934010  Average Customer Review: Be the first to review this itemHis control in the universe is strengthened and God, exalted be it, frees him from all misfortunes and avoids everything that displeases him. And whoever uses his zikr, learns what he did not know and wisdom becomes manifest in his words. Jinn's are another part of Allah's creation. They were created from smokeless fire and are (like man) required to worship Allah, the live on this earth along with us, yet we are not able to see them. Translations [ edit ] An Algerian manuscript of the Shams al-Ma'arif from 1868, Khalili Collection of Islamic Art About Muhiuddin Abu’l Abbas Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Yusuf al-Buni (d. 622 AH / 1225 CE) Precious little is known about the life of Ahmad al-Buni. He was an Arab (apparently Egyptian) Sufi of the 7th century AH, well known as a cabbalistic writer, who also wrote on mathematics, Ilm al-Hikmah (Knowledge of the Wisdom), Ilm al-Simiyah (Study of the Divine Names), and Ruhaniyat (Spirituality). Such terms were prefered by their advocates to Sihr (Sorcery). Buni lived in the Middle East and studied under some of the most famed Sufi Masters. A printed edition of Buni's Shams al-Ma'arif (Cairo, 1921), apparently a reproduction of the edition of 1874, seems to refer to later dates for his death such as 670 AH. Buni’s mystical pedigree would suggest a late 7th century AH / 13th century CE date for him. However, there is a MS of one of his works in Berlin, No. 4126, dated 669. Thus, he probably lived c. 1200 CE. He left a bibliography of his writings. Unfortunately, very few of them have survived. He states in his work Manba’ Usul alHikmah (Source of the Essentials of Wisdom) that he acquired his knowledge of the esoteric properities of the letters through the following retrograde chain of teachers: Abu Abdillah Shams al-Din al-Asfahani Jalal al-Din Abdullah al-Bistami Shaykh al-Sarajani Qasim al-Sarajani Abdullah al-Babani Asil al-Din al-Shirazi Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi (founder of the Suhrawardiyya school of Sufism, not the Ishraqi school founded by his contemporary, Shihab ud-Din Suhrawardi) Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali al-Tusi (the famous scholar, often simply called Ghazali or Algazel) Ahmad al-Aswad Hamad al-Dinuri Al-Junayd al-Baghdadi Sari al-Din al-Saqati Ma’ruf al-Karkhi

We must confirm all of Allaah’s Names and Attributes stated in His book (The Qur’an) or mentioned through His Messenger (Muhammad without changing them or ignoring them completely or twisting the meanings or giving them resemblance to any of the created things. These three aspects of Tauhid are included in the meaning of Laa ilaaha illullaah (None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah). It is essential to follow Allaah’s Messenger, Muhammad and it is part of the worship of the One God (Tawheedul-Uloohiyyah). This is included in the meaning of "I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah," and this means, "None has the right to be followed after Allaah’s Book (The Qur’an), but Allah’s Messenger," Allah said: "And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain from it". (Qur’an 59:7) Iqbal al-Din Ahmad, Shams al-Ma'arif al-Kubra Wa Lata'if al-'Awarif. Urdu, Darul Ishaat, Karachi, Pakistan: 1978.How then is this inner wisdom of all things, this gnosis to be obtained? This wisdom is apparent in the multiplicity, but not so long as they are seen as multiple. Only by returning to the One can all things be seen as they truly are. Laa illaaha illullaah is the foundation of Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism) and Islam. It is a complete system of life, through which, all forms of worship (of Allaah) are realized. That happens when a Muslim submits himself to Allah, and calls upon Him alone, and refers all issues (of right and wrong) to His Law, to the exclusion of all other systems of law. "The word ilah ( i.e. God), means the One who is obeyed and not defied, out of one sense of awe and reference, love, fear, and hope, placing one’s trust in Him, asking Him and supplicating Him alone. Whoever directs any of these matters (which are the rights of Allaah) to a created being, has detract from the sincerity of his statement La ilaha illa- Allaah. And he has worshipped that created being to the extent he directed those matters toward it".

To know of the dangers of shirk should be of primary importance. Whether we are Muslim or not, we should realise that it is the crime of shirk which has led to the destruction of our world. By taking man away from the worship of Allah, it has led him to the worship of other men, leading to oppression and tyranny. By confining man to the narrowness of this world, it will deny him the vastness of the hereafter, which leads to justice and success. Therefore surely . . . . shirk is the ultimate crime. The Sun of Knowledge ( Shams al-Ma‘arif) is one of the most revered historical grimoires of the Arabic corpus. Feared by some, hallowed by others, it is one of the most famous – or infamous – books in the Arabic-speaking and Islamicate world. Written in Egypt in the thirteenth century by a Sufi mystic and mage of Algerian origin, the Shams presents the fundamentals of Arabic-Islamic occult work – from spiritual cosmology and astrology (including various particularly lunar magics) to working with spirits and jinn, magical employment of letters and numbers, and the occult applications of the Qur’an – thereby comprising a veritable encyclopedia of Islamicate magical wisdom and formulae. Images and descriptions of amulets and talismans adorn it. Numerous beautiful manuscripts of the Sun of Knowledge have survived, various of which have been used as a basis for this present work. Another title by the same author, namely Manba' Usool al-Hikmah ("The Source of the Essentials of Wisdom"), is considered its companion text. The translation below is from Chapter 16 of the Shams al-Ma'arif each section of which focuses on a different name of the 99 beautiful names of Allah. Each of these names shows a particular relationship of the One to the Many. One of the most interesting insights of the Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi is that these often the divine relationships are such that the One requires the Many. Ar-Rabb, the Lord, cannot exist without a servant. Section 25, which is translated is Al-Alim, the All Knowing. Gardiner, Noah (2017), Esotericist Reading Communities and the Early Circulation of the Sufi Occultist Aḥmad al-Būnī’s Works, Arabica 64 (2017) 405-441. Brill.

shams al ma'arif english translation pdf

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. Several editions of the book have been published in the Urdu and Turkish languages, but we will finally produce an English version of this book.