--- page_title: "Islamic Occultism & Arabic Magic: Essays on the Manuscripts" summary: "Islamic occultism and Arabic magic, read from the manuscripts: Shams al-Ma'arif explained, Ghayat al-Hakim, the 7 jinn kings, manazil al-qamar, love spells." html_url: https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/ text_url: https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/index.md revised: 2026-10-24 publisher: John Friend Publishing --- Essays · Notes from the Library # Islamic Occultism & Arabic Magic: Essays from the Manuscripts What the Arabic manuscripts themselves say about the occult sciences of the medieval Islamic world: field notes, primers, and lineage maps for readers approaching *Shams al-Ma’arif*, *Picatrix*, the Solomonic cycle, and the wider Islamicate occult corpus. From the Library ## Every essay draws on a complete translation These essays work from primary-source manuscripts — *Shams al-Ma’arif*, the Solomonic cycle, the jinn-king grimoires — each translated in full from the Arabic. [Browse all 16 translations](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/#books) ## Start Here: The Main Threads of Islamic Occultism Islamic occultism covers several distinct sciences, and each has its own Arabic manuscript literature: the science of letters (*‘ilm al-huruf*), magic squares (*awfaq*), the operative use of the Divine Names, astral magic timed by the planetary hours and the lunar mansions, and the Solomonic lore of the jinn that runs through many Islamic magic books. Much of this Islamic occult literature circulated for centuries in Arabic manuscripts that were never rendered into a Western language. The essays below work from complete English translations of those manuscripts; for the books themselves, see the [library of Arabic grimoires and Islamic occult books in English](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/). - [Shams al-Ma’arif explained](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/what-is-shams-al-maarif.html) — al-Buni’s *Shams al-Ma’arif al-Kubra*, its contents, and its manuscript history. - [Ghayat al-Hakim and the Picatrix](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/picatrix-ghayat-al-hakim-arabic-original.html) — the eleventh-century Arabic “Goal of the Sage” behind the Latin *Picatrix*. - [The 7 jinn kings](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/real-names-seven-jinn-kings-goetia-wrong.html) — the Arabic hierarchy of seven jinn kings, with their names and planetary thrones. - [Black magic and *sihr*](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/difference-between-spiritual-science-sorcery-arabic.html) — how the Arabic manuscripts separate sorcery from *ruhaniyat*, the lawful science of spirits. - [Manazil al-qamar](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/28-lunar-mansions-arabic-magic-manazil-al-qamar.html) — the 28 lunar mansions that time Arabic talismanic work. - [The Arabic love spell manual of Tumtum al-Hindi](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-love-spells-tumtum-al-hindi-indian-sage.html) — operational love and attraction spells, arranged by method: attraction by fire, aerial attraction, burial, and written charms. - [Arabic occult manuscripts in English](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-occult-manuscripts-in-english-complete-guide.html) — which grimoires have been translated, completely or in part. ## [Sour Jar Curses and Sūrat al-Kawthar's Two Magic Squares](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/sour-jar-curse-arabic-grimoires-kawthar-square.html) What the Arabic manuals say about workings done from a distance, why a spiritual bath alone rarely ends them, and the recitation and the two squares of Sūrat al-Kawthar that cut them off 6 min read ## [Jinn in the House: Dismissing the Dwellers Before a Working](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/dwellers-of-the-place-dismissing-jinn-before-a-working.html) What the grimoires say about the jinn who share your home, why you must send them out before a working, and the danger of striking them by mistake 5 min read ## [Alif in al-Buni's Science of Letters: A Drop from the Pen](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/alif-arabic-letter-drop-from-the-pen-al-buni.html) Al-Būnī on the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and the square his magnum opus gives for provision 3 min read ## [The Venus Magic Square: an Arabic Talisman for Love, Harmony, and a Peaceful Home](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/venus-magic-square-love-harmony-talisman.html) A seven-by-seven grid that adds to 175 every way you read it — the complete Venus love-and-harmony talisman as the Arabic manuscripts give it: the square, the Friday hour, the saffron ink, and the names recited over it. 9 min read ## [What Is Shams al-Ma'arif? A Reader's Guide to the Sun of Knowledge](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/what-is-shams-al-maarif.html) Explore the Shams al-Ma'arif al-Kubra — its author al-Buni, its contents, manuscript history, and how English readers can enter the Arabic occult tradition today. 13 min read ## [Ghayat al-Hakim: The Arabic Original of the Picatrix](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/picatrix-ghayat-al-hakim-arabic-original.html) How the Arabic Ghayat al-Hakim became the Latin Picatrix — what changed, what was lost, and why English readers should know the difference. 14 min read ## [Asif ibn Barkhiya in Islamic Art: Solomon and the Jinn in Manuscript](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/solomonic-magic-islamic-tradition-asif-ibn-barkhiya.html) How Asif ibn Barkhiya and Solomon's command of the jinn appear in Islamic art, manuscript and calligraphy, and how the Arabic Solomonic tradition relates to the Goetia and the Lesser Key of Solomon. 13 min read ## [The 13th-Century Magic Book That Got Its Author Banned and Burned](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/magic-book-banned-burned-al-buni.html) Ahmad al-Buni's Shams al-Ma'arif is one of the most feared books in Arabic history — banned, burned, copied in secret. Here's why it couldn't be killed. 11 min read ## [How to Summon a Jinn: The Seven Kings of the Jinn in the Arabic Manuscripts](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/how-to-summon-seven-kings-of-jinn.html) Who is the king of the jinn? The Arabic grimoires name seven, one for each day and planet, and the Radiant Jewels sets out the order for summoning them. 11 min read ## [Asif bin Barkhiya in the Quran: Solomon's Vizier Who Crossed Continents in the Blink of an Eye](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/solomons-vizier-asif-ibn-barkhiya-throne-bilqis.html) The Quran tells of one “who had knowledge of the Book” bringing the Queen of Sheba’s throne to Solomon in less than a blink; the commentators name him Asif bin Barkhiya. Arabic occult tradition says the divine Name he used has been preserved. 11 min read ## [The Christian Monks Who Practiced Arabic Magic — In Secret](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/christian-monks-arabic-magic-mujarrabat-ruhban.html) A medieval Arabic manuscript records the magical formulas it credits to Christian monks — Quranic verses set beside oaths by the Torah, the Gospel and the Psalms. 10 min read ## [The Indian Sage Whose Magic Book Survived 1000 Years — and Every Caliphate That Tried to Burn It](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/tumtum-al-hindi-indian-sage-arabic-magic.html) He has no biography, no birthdate, no verified grave. Yet Tumtum al-Hindi's name appears on one of the most copied magical manuscripts in Arabic history. 12 min read ## [What the Goetia Got Wrong: The Real Source of Solomonic Demonology Was Arabic](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/goetia-arabic-source-solomonic-demonology.html) The Goetia became the bible of Western ceremonial magic. But it's a Latin-filtered version of an older Arabic tradition — and the Arabic source-texts name many of the same spirits. 13 min read ## [Kitab al-Ajnas: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide to the Solomonic Grimoire of Asif ibn Barkhiya](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/asif-barkhiya-grimoire-readers-walkthrough.html) Kitab al-Ajnas is a Solomonic grimoire attributed to Asif ibn Barkhiya, Solomon's vizier. This chapter-by-chapter walkthrough covers its eight parts, from the angels around the Throne to the planetary kings, the divine names, the operative seals and the mandal of Sulayman, in the first English edition. 12 min read ## [Arabic Solomonic Magic vs. the Goetia: Seven Differences That Change Everything](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-solomonic-vs-western-goetia-names-of-power.html) The Goetia and the Kitab al-Ajnas both claim to command spirits in Solomon's name. Here is what actually separates the Arabic original from its Western imitator — including the role of divine names, the authority structure, and what happened when the tradition crossed into Latin. 11 min read ## [How a Medieval Arabic Manuscript Attributed to the Prophet Daniel Predicted Earthquakes by Zodiac Sign](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/daniel-manuscript-predicts-earthquakes-zodiac.html) The Kitab Danyal al-Nabi is a medieval Arabic divination text attributed to the Prophet Daniel. It reads earthquakes, floods, and celestial disasters by zodiac sign — using a system that predates modern astrology by a thousand years. Here is what the manuscript actually contains. 11 min read ## [Zodiac Signs in Arabic: Names, Meanings and an Arabic Horoscope Attributed to the Prophet Daniel](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/your-zodiac-sign-medieval-arabic-prophet-daniel.html) A medieval Arabic manuscript attributed to the Prophet Daniel gives each zodiac sign its Arabic name, ruling planet and month, and describes the person born under it. Here are the twelve signs in Arabic and English, sign by sign. 15 min read ## [Planetary Hours for Jinn Summoning: What the Medieval Arabic Manual Al-Jawahir al-Lamma'a Prescribes](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/right-hour-summon-each-king-jinn-jawahir-lammaa.html) Al-Jawahir al-Lamma'a — The Radiant Jewels — is a 15th-century Arabic grimoire that specifies the exact planetary hour for summoning each of the seven kings of the jinn. Here is the full timing system, translated from Arabic for the first time in English. 11 min read ## [Al-Ahmar, the Red King of Jinn: The Adjuration That Commands Him — Translated From Arabic for the First Time](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/adjuration-red-king-al-ahmar-jinn.html) Al-Ahmar is the Red King of the Jinn — one of the seven planetary rulers of the spirit world in Arabic Solomonic tradition. A medieval Arabic manuscript preserves the complete adjuration formula used to summon him. This is the first English translation of that text. 9 min read ## [Seven Magic Squares for Seven Jinn Kings: The Awfaq System](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/7-magic-squares-7-jinn-kings-operational-geometry.html) Each of the seven kings of the jinn rules a day and a planet, and in the Shams al-Anwar each planet has its magic square (wafq), from Saturn’s 3x3 to the Moon’s 9x9. The Sihr Muluk al-Jann preserves its own squares and seals, with adjurations and activation conditions. Now in English. 11 min read ## [Medieval Arabic Love Spells Credited to Christian Monks: The Six Types in the Mujarrabat al-Ruhban](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/mujarrabat-tested-love-spells-medieval-arabic.html) The Mujarrabat al-Ruhban — Tested Remedies of the Monks — is a medieval Arabic love-spell manual collected from the books of the monks and the sages. It organizes attraction, binding, and separation formulas into six operational categories. Here is what the manuscript actually contains. 12 min read ## [The Syncretic Arabic Grimoire: How a Medieval Book of the Monks Combined Quranic Magic With the Gospel](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/mujarrabat-ruhban-christian-islamic-syncretic-grimoire.html) The Mujarrabat al-Ruhban is a medieval Arabic manuscript of formulas collected from the books of the monks and the sages. Its formulas set Quranic verses beside an oath sworn by the Torah and the Gospel — a documented form of religious syncretism. Now in English for the first time. 13 min read ## [A Magic Square for Every Day of the Week: What the 1327 CE Arabic Grimoire Shams al-Anwar Prescribes](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/shams-al-anwar-magic-squares-planetary-days.html) Shams al-Anwar — written in 1327 CE by Ibn al-Hajj al-Tilmsani — assigns each day of the week its own planet, divine name, incense, and magic square (wafq). This 700-year-old Arabic grimoire is the operational sequel to al-Buni's Shams al-Ma'arif, now in English translation. 11 min read ## [Shams al-Anwar: The Forgotten Arabic Grimoire That Completed Al-Buni's Shams al-Ma'arif — Now in English](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/shams-anwar-lost-sequel-shams-al-maarif.html) Shams al-Anwar is the 14th-century North African grimoire that completed what al-Buni's Shams al-Ma'arif started. Written by Ibn al-Hajj al-Tilmsani in 1327 CE, it is the operational companion to the most famous Arabic occult text — and has never appeared in English until now. 12 min read ## [Tumtum al-Hindi: The Indian Sage's Arabic Love-Spell Manual — What the Manuscript Actually Contains](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-love-spells-tumtum-al-hindi-indian-sage.html) Tumtum al-Hindi is a medieval Arabic grimoire attributed to a legendary Indian sage. It contains dozens of operational love spells — jalb, tahbib, mahabba — arranged by method: attraction by fire, aerial attraction, burial, and written charms. This is the first complete English translation of the operative sections. 11 min read ## [The 28 Lunar Mansions in Arabic Magic: Manazil Al-Qamar From the Shams al-Ma'arif](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/28-lunar-mansions-arabic-magic-manazil-al-qamar.html) The manazil al-qamar — 28 lunar mansions — are the backbone of Arabic talismanic timing. Al-Buni's Shams al-Ma'arif al-Kubra gives each of the 28 mansions a letter of the Arabic alphabet, a judgment on the work it favors and, in most entries, an incense; the Tumtum al-Hindi grimoire times its own workings by planetary day, planetary hour, and the waxing moon. 10 min read ## [The Christian-Islamic Arabic Magical Manuscript That Should Not Exist (But Did, for Centuries)](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/christian-islamic-syncretic-arabic-grimoire.html) An Arabic book of tested formulas credited to monks uses Quranic verses and swears by the Torah and the Gospel. The Mujarrabat al-Ruhban survives — now in English. 13 min read ## [How Medieval Arabs Read the Stars to Compel Spirits: The Astral-Magic System Behind the Picatrix](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/medieval-arab-stellar-magic-picatrix-borrowed-from.html) The Picatrix compressed a living Arabic astral-magic system. Al-Jawahir al-Lamma'a preserves that system intact — here is what Latin readers never saw. 13 min read ## [The 1327 CE Manuscript That Gives a Magic Square for Every Day of the Week](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/shams-anwar-magic-square-every-day-week.html) A 700-year-old Arabic manuscript by Ibn al-Hajj al-Tilmsani assigns each day of the week its own planet, divine name, incense, and magic square. Now in English. 11 min read ## [5 Steps Every Grimoire Requires Before Magic — That Modern Books Skip](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/5-steps-every-grimoire-requires-before-magic.html) The original Arabic grimoires demand five preparatory steps before any ritual. Modern books skip them all. Here is what the manuscripts actually require — and why skipping these steps is why your operations fail. 14 min read ## [Why Your Planetary Talismans Don’t Work — What the Picatrix Doesn’t Tell You](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/why-your-planetary-talismans-dont-work.html) The Latin Picatrix gives you a fraction of the planetary talisman system. The Arabic originals — never translated into Latin — reveal the complete operational infrastructure that makes the difference between a symbol on metal and a functioning talisman. 13 min read ## [The Real Names of the Seven Jinn Kings — And Why Every Goetia Gets Them Wrong](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/real-names-seven-jinn-kings-goetia-wrong.html) The Ars Goetia describes 72 demons. The original Arabic Solomonic tradition describes seven planetary kings of the jinn — with precise names, correspondences, and operative methods that the Western tradition lost in translation. 15 min read ## [The One Mistake That Makes Every Solomonic Ritual Fail](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/one-mistake-every-solomonic-ritual-fail.html) The Arabic manuscripts describe one requirement so critical that ignoring it has “caused many students to perish.” It is the one thing every modern practitioner working from Western grimoires either doesn’t know about or ignores. 13 min read ## [What the Picatrix Left Out: The Complete Planetary Hour System Hidden in the Arabic Sources](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/picatrix-left-out-planetary-hour-system.html) The Picatrix is the most famous grimoire in Western esotericism. But it presents only a fraction of the planetary hour system. The Arabic sources map all 168 hours of the week to specific planets, angels, and jinn kings. 15 min read ## [Arabic Magic Squares Are Not What You Think — The Awfaq System Explained](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-magic-squares-not-what-you-think.html) Arabic magic squares are not number puzzles. They are mathematical engines for manifesting planetary forces. Each grid size corresponds to a planet, and the numbers are derived from divine names. Here is how they actually work. 13 min read ## [The Secret Timing System Behind Every Arabic Spell — And Why the Moon Matters More Than the Stars](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/lunar-mansions-secret-timing-system-arabic-magic.html) The 28 lunar mansions are the cosmic timing engine behind all Arabic magic. Each mansion corresponds to an Arabic letter, a spirit, and a specific set of operations. The Moon is closer to Earth than any planet — it is the lens through which all celestial power reaches the practitioner. 12 min read ## [The Line Between Spiritual Science and Sorcery — What the Arabic Manuscripts Actually Say](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/difference-between-spiritual-science-sorcery-arabic.html) The Arabic grimoires draw a razor-sharp line between ruhaniyat (spiritual science) and sihr (sorcery). One operates through obedience to God. The other operates through disbelief. The Western tradition lost this distinction entirely. 12 min read ## [The Incense Recipes That Make Arabic Magic Work — And Why Getting Them Wrong Is Dangerous](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/incense-recipes-arabic-grimoires-planetary-fumigation.html) Incense is not atmospheric decoration. The manuscripts call it the “table” and “greatest gift” offered to spirits — the physical medium through which they manifest. If the smoke stops, the texts warn of “great harm and grave danger.” 12 min read ## [The Seal of Solomon According to the Arabic Manuscripts — Not What the Western Tradition Claims](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/seal-of-solomon-arabic-manuscripts-real-story.html) The Western Seal of Solomon is a hexagram. The Arabic manuscripts describe a four-layered ring inscribed with the Greatest Name of God, a magical carpet enforced by lightning, four Afarit ministers, and a collar of divine protection. 14 min read ## [Every Arabic Occult Manuscript Available in English — The Complete Guide](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-occult-manuscripts-in-english-complete-guide.html) Every Arabic grimoire available in English — Shams al-Ma'arif, Picatrix, and 15 more. Complete vs partial translations compared. 16 min read ## [The First Complete Shams al-Ma’arif in English — All 40 Chapters, Nothing Removed](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/first-complete-shams-al-maarif-english-translation.html) The first unabridged English edition of al-Buni's Shams al-Ma'arif — all 40 chapters, 818 pages. Ilm al-huruf, awfaq, lunar mansions. From the 1927 Arabic. 14 min read ## [Why People Say the Shams al-Ma’arif Will Drive You Mad](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/why-people-say-shams-al-maarif-will-drive-you-mad.html) Fatwas, burnings, madness — and 818 pages of letter science, divine names, magic squares. The first unabridged English translation from the Arabic source. 13 min read ## [Shams al-Ma’arif vs Picatrix: Two Grimoires, One Tradition](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/shams-al-maarif-vs-picatrix-comparison.html) The Shams al-Ma’arif and Picatrix share a tradition — but one was burned by governments and one was translated for kings. Here is what separates them. 15 min read ## [Each Arabic Letter Has a Spirit — Here’s What al-Buni Said They Do](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/each-arabic-letter-has-a-spirit-al-buni.html) Al-Buni assigned a spirit, a celestial body, and an operative power to every Arabic letter. The Divine Secrets goes letter by letter — Alif to Ya. 13 min read ## [The Secret Powers of the Arabic Alphabet — al-Buni’s Letter-by-Letter Breakdown](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/secret-powers-arabic-alphabet-al-buni-letter-breakdown.html) Al-Buni classified each Arabic letter as a cosmic force — element, planet, angel, spiritual operation. This is the periodic table of Arabic magic. 13 min read ## [What Is the Barhatiyyah? The Most Powerful Oath in Arabic Magic — And Why Practitioners Fear It](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/what-is-barhatiyyah-most-powerful-oath-arabic-magic.html) An oath of twenty-eight names, each paired with a letter and a lunar mansion: what al-Buni’s commentary on the Barhatiyyah, the Ancient Covenant, says in Volume III. 13 min read ## [How al-Buni Built Magic Squares — The Construction Method They Never Published](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/al-buni-magic-square-construction-method-revealed.html) For 800 years, al-Buni's method for constructing magic squares was buried in manuscripts. Volume III reveals the step-by-step system for all square types. 13 min read ## [The Talisman They Were Afraid to Print — al-Buni’s Mighty Hijab Azim](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/talisman-they-were-afraid-to-print-al-buni-hijab.html) Al-Buni's Hijab Azim was too powerful to publish. A 49-page manual of divine protection through sacred names, prophetic invocations, and the 6x6 magic square. 13 min read ## [The Seven Protective Veils — al-Buni’s Ultimate Shield Against Every Form of Evil](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/seven-protective-veils-al-buni-shield-against-evil.html) Al-Buni's Seven Protective Veils form an impenetrable barrier against jinn, the evil eye, and every spiritual attack. Volume IV reveals this feared practice. 14 min read ## [Prayers for Plague, Childbirth, and the Evil Eye — al-Buni’s Manual They Don’t Talk About](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/al-buni-prayers-plague-childbirth-evil-eye.html) Al-Buni wrote a prayer book for pregnant women, plague victims, and the afflicted. Volume V reveals the devotional side of the most feared name in Arabic magic. 14 min read ## [al-Buni’s Emergency Prayers — What to Recite When You’re Desperate and Nothing Else Works](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/al-buni-emergency-prayers-what-to-recite-when-desperate.html) Al-Buni prescribed emergency protocols for crisis moments — crisis prayers, adjurations for swift response, and invocations for inner transformation. Volume V. 14 min read ## [Three Forbidden Treatises Bound Together — Why al-Buni’s Name Is on All of Them](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/three-forbidden-treatises-bound-together-al-buni.html) Al-Shadhili, Ibn al-Mar'ah, and al-Buni bound into one volume. Volume VI reveals how spiritual purification was made to precede magical operation. 14 min read ## [The Sufi Path in 60 Gates — The Secret Manual They Bound With al-Buni’s Sihr](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/sufi-path-60-gates-shadhili-secret-manual.html) A 60-gate Sufi manual by al-Shadhili bound alongside al-Buni's magical works. Volume VI reveals how Sufism and operative magic were never separate traditions. 15 min read ## [80 Chapters, 80 Divine Names — The Forgotten Masterpiece al-Buni Wrote Before the Shams](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/80-divine-names-80-chapters-al-buni-life-work.html) Before the Shams made him infamous, al-Buni wrote a 571-page masterpiece on the divine names. 80 chapters. The Mudih al-Tariq is his forgotten life's work. 14 min read ## [The 99 Names of God — What al-Buni Actually Wrote About Them (It’s 571 Pages)](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/99-names-of-god-what-al-buni-actually-wrote.html) Everyone knows the 99 Names of God. Almost no one knows al-Buni wrote 571 pages on their operative deployment. Volume VII of the al-Buni Manuscripts Collection. 15 min read ## [The Dark Letters and the Luminous Letters — al-Buni’s Most Dangerous Classification](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/dark-letters-luminous-letters-al-buni-dangerous-classification.html) Al-Buni classified Arabic letters into luminous and dark — connecting letter magic, planetary incense, lunar mansions, and the control of souls. Volume VIII. 14 min read ## [How to Take Possession of Intellects, Souls, and Hearts — What al-Buni’s Most Controversial Chapter Says](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/take-possession-intellects-souls-hearts-al-buni.html) Al-Buni on possession of intellects, attraction of souls, instilling love, troubling adversaries. Volume VIII — including his warning to maintain silence. 14 min read ## [Arabic Talisman Making: A Beginner’s Guide to the Manuscript Tradition](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-talisman-making-guide-beginners.html) How Arabic manuscripts actually construct talismans: awfaq magic squares, ilm al-huruf letter science, planetary hours — drawn from the primary sources. 16 min read ## [Love and Attraction in the Arabic Occult Tradition: What the Manuscripts Contain](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/islamic-magic-love-attraction-spells-arabic.html) Arabic grimoires record dozens of tahbib and jalb operations. Here is what the Mujarrabat al-Ruhban and Tumtum al-Hindi actually contain on love magic. 15 min read ## [Al-Ahmar, the Red King of the Jinn: What the Arabic Manuscripts Say](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/jinn-king-al-ahmar-how-to-work-with.html) Al-Ahmar, Red King of Tuesday and Mars — seal, planetary correspondences, and adjuration formula from the Arabic manuscripts in English translation. 11 min read ## [The Arabic Book of Daniel: Medieval Zodiac Prophecy from the Islamic World](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-book-of-daniel-zodiac-prophecy.html) Not the Biblical Book of Daniel. Kitab Danyal al-Nabi: medieval Arabic zodiac earthquake prediction, lunar mansions. First scholarly English translation. 16 min read ## Questions About Islamic Occultism & Arabic Magic ### What is Islamic occultism? Islamic occultism is the umbrella term for the esoteric sciences recorded in Arabic manuscripts across the medieval Islamic world: the science of letters (*‘ilm al-huruf*), magic squares (*awfaq*), the operative use of the Divine Names, talismans timed by the planets and the 28 lunar mansions, and the Solomonic lore of the jinn. Much of it was systematized in the *Shams al-Ma’arif al-Kubra*, attributed to Ahmad al-Buni (d. 622 AH / 1225 CE). ### Is Islamic occultism the same as sorcery (*sihr*)? Not in the manuscripts’ own terms. The Arabic grimoires draw a sharp line between *ruhaniyat*, a spiritual science that operates through obedience to God, and *sihr*, sorcery that operates through disbelief. The essay on [the line between spiritual science and sorcery](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/difference-between-spiritual-science-sorcery-arabic.html) sets out where the texts draw it. ### What is Ghayat al-Hakim? *Ghayat al-Hakim*, “The Goal of the Sage,” is an Arabic compendium of astral magic compiled around the mid-eleventh century CE, probably in al-Andalus. The Latin *Picatrix* is a rendering of it. Its authorship is disputed; medieval manuscripts often attributed it to Maslama al-Majriti. Read [Ghayat al-Hakim: The Arabic Original of the Picatrix](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/picatrix-ghayat-al-hakim-arabic-original.html) for how the two texts differ. ### Who are the 7 jinn kings? In Arabic Solomonic tradition, the seven jinn kings are the planetary rulers of the spirit world, each tied to one of the seven planets — al-Ahmar, the Red King, for example, rules Tuesday and Mars. Each king has his own seal and adjuration. Their names are covered in [the real names of the seven jinn kings](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/real-names-seven-jinn-kings-goetia-wrong.html). ### What are the manazil al-qamar? The *manazil al-qamar* (“stations of the moon”) are the 28 lunar mansions, the primary timing system of Arabic astral magic. Al-Buni’s *Shams al-Ma’arif al-Kubra* devotes a chapter to the judgments of the twenty-eight mansions and pairs each mansion with one of the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet. See [the 28 lunar mansions in Arabic magic](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/28-lunar-mansions-arabic-magic-manazil-al-qamar.html). ### Where should a beginner start with Islamic occult texts? Start with [Shams al-Ma’arif explained](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/what-is-shams-al-maarif.html), a reader’s guide to al-Buni’s best-known book, then [the complete guide to Arabic occult manuscripts in English](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-occult-manuscripts-in-english-complete-guide.html) to see which texts can be read in full. Every essay here draws on a complete translation from the Arabic. ### What is Arabic magic? In English, “Arabic magic” usually refers to the operative side of the occult sciences written down in Arabic: talismans and magic squares (*awfaq*), the science of letters, the Divine Names, planetary and lunar timing, and the conjuration of spirits and the jinn kings. The manuscripts draw their own line within it, between *ruhaniyat*, the lawful science of spirits approached through prayer, fasting, and purity, and *sihr*, sorcery. Which [Arabic magic books](https://johnfriendpublishing.com/articles/arabic-occult-manuscripts-in-english-complete-guide.html) can be read in full in English is set out in the complete guide.