Tumtum al-Hindi: The Book of Tumtum the Indian

Tumtum al-Hindi: The Arabic Grimoire in English

Tumtum al-Hindi — often written Tumtum al Hindi — means “Tumtum the Indian,” the name the Arabic manuscript gives its author, a mythical sage from India; the translator’s note dates the attribution to c. 10th–12th century. The edition’s subtitle calls the work a treatise on the planetary spirits and their governance. One adjuration is preserved in a foreign tongue, possibly Persian or Indian in origin, and is to be recited exactly as written. Its adjurations are given in English, in transliteration, and in the original Arabic script.

Attraction by Fire, Aerial Attraction, and Binding

Most of the book’s chapters are attraction (jalb) rites. Attraction by fire (jalb nari) is written on seven leaves, a candle, an iron sheet, a horseshoe, a sheep skin, or blue paper and burned, most often with pepper; aerial attraction (jalb hawa’i) is written and hung in the air or upon a tree. Around them sit chapters on reconciliation between spouses, marriage when a girl’s father resists, tying the tongue, tying a groom, separation, conception and difficult childbirth, opening sustenance, and healing. These Arabic love spells are examined in our essay on Tumtum al-Hindi’s love-spell grimoire.

Is Tumtum al-Hindi a Book in Hindi?

Despite the name, al-Hindi means “the Indian”: the book is written in Arabic, not Hindi. Readers who arrive looking for a love spell in Hindi, or for vashikaran — the Hindi and Sanskrit term for rites of attraction and control — will find something related but distinct: an Arabic grimoire that credits an Indian sage and works through the Arabic categories of attraction (jalb), excitation (tahyij), and love (tahbib), using divine names, recitations such as Surat al-Ikhlas, and magic squares. Our essay on the Indian sage behind Tumtum al-Hindi traces how Indian learning reached Arabic magic.

Planetary Hours, the Stations of the Moon, and a 7x7 Love Square

Timing runs through the text. A great magic square (wafq) in a 7x7 grid, for love, acceptance, and affection, is written on parchment in the planetary hour of Venus while the moon is waxing; other operations are set for the night of Friday, for Thursday, or for Sunday, and one talismanic figure carries a circle of the seven days and their planetary rulers.

Near its end the manuscript includes a chapter on healing and the stations of the moon — manazil al-qamar, the lunar mansions — with one copy placed on the sick person’s bed and another dissolved in rose water for washing. For the full system of the twenty-eight mansions, see our guide to manazil al-qamar.

As an Arabic talisman manuscript, it reproduces its seals and squares as images from the source — a pear-shaped seal flanked by two six-pointed stars, a crowned figure inscribed with a 3x3 square, a winged spirit — and our guide to Arabic talisman making explains how such talismans are constructed.

Questions About Tumtum al-Hindi

What is Tumtum al Hindi?

Tumtum al-Hindi (“Tumtum the Indian”) is an Arabic grimoire attributed to a legendary Indian sage; the translator dates the attribution to c. 10th–12th century. Most of its chapters concern attraction, love, and binding, worked through talismans, magic squares, and adjurations. This is its first English translation, 298 pages.

Is Tumtum al-Hindi written in Hindi?

No. Al-Hindi means “the Indian”; the book is in Arabic, and this edition gives its adjurations in English, transliteration, and Arabic script. One adjuration is in a foreign tongue, possibly Persian or Indian in origin, and is reproduced exactly as written.

Is Tumtum al-Hindi a vashikaran book?

Not in the Indian sense. Vashikaran is a Hindi and Sanskrit term, while Tumtum al-Hindi frames its attraction rites in Arabic categories — jalb, tahyij, and tahbib — built from divine names, Qur’anic recitation, and magic squares. Its Indian connection lies in its attribution to an Indian sage.

Does Tumtum al-Hindi cover the lunar mansions (manazil al-qamar)?

It includes a chapter on healing and the stations of the moon (manazil al-qamar), and it times operations by planetary hours, planetary days, and the waxing moon. For the complete system of the twenty-eight lunar mansions, see our guide to manazil al-qamar.

Where can I read Tumtum al-Hindi in English?

The first English translation is published by John Friend Publishing and sold on Amazon in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover editions. The Kindle edition is free to read with Kindle Unlimited.