Ahmad al-Buni — The Complete Collected Works in English
The first complete English translation of the collected works of Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Buni (d. 1225 CE) — the master of Arabic letter science, divine names, and operative spirituality. All eight volumes: Shams al-Ma’arif al-Kubra, the letter sciences, the litanies, the divine name treatises, and the foundational works that shaped the entire Arabic occult tradition.
Why This Collection
Ahmad al-Buni was the architect of the Arabic esoteric sciences. For 800 years his works circulated in Arabic only — referenced by scholars, sought by practitioners, banned by governments. This is the first time the complete corpus has been rendered in English.
The Al-Buni Manuscripts Collection
Each volume is a first-ever complete English translation, preserving the original Arabic script, transliteration, and every talismanic seal as it appears in the source manuscripts. Available on Amazon.
The Complete Sun of Divine Knowledge — Letter Magic, Lunar Mansions, Divine Names, and the Science of Squares
The first complete, unabridged English translation of al-Buni’s masterwork — all 40 chapters, all 4 parts. The book governments burned, scholars feared, and practitioners whispered about for 800 years.
The Divine Secrets — On the Mysteries of the Arabic Letters and the Angelic Sciences
Each Arabic letter has a spirit, an element, and a celestial correspondence. Al-Buni goes letter by letter — Alif through Tha’ — revealing what each one does and how to use it.
The Source of the Foundations of Wisdom — Four Treatises on Letters, Numbers, Invocations, and Oaths
Contains the legendary Barhatiyyah oath and Jaljalutiyyah invocation — plus the actual construction methods for Arabic magic squares (odd, even, and even-odd forms).
The Mighty Talisman of Rank and Proof — On Divine Names, Protective Invocations, and Talismanic Seals
A complete protective talisman — the Seven Verses of the Protective Veils, the Supplication of Adam, and a 6×6 magic square. Meant to be carried as a physical object.
Collection of Litanies — Prayers, Protective Formulas, and Invocations for Every Need
Not high magic — practical devotion. Prayers for difficult childbirth, plague, the evil eye, fever, and spiritual distress. 17 chapters of specific formulas from the Arabic tradition.
Collection of Three Treatises — Kitab fi al-Tariqah, Sharh Mahasin al-Majalis, and Shifa’ al-Sudur
Three treatises by three authors — including the Kitab fi al-Tariqah attributed to al-Shadhili, founder of the Shadhiliyyah order, containing 60 gates of spiritual wayfaring.
The Clarifier of the Path — On the Divine Names, Their Meanings, and the Stations of Spiritual Wayfaring
80 chapters. 571 pages. Each of the Divine Names gets its own chapter — meaning, spiritual station, operative properties. Al-Buni’s most substantial work on the Beautiful Names of God.
The Principles of the Science of Letters — On the Rules Governing Magic Squares
Al-Buni’s classification of luminous and dark letters, the spirits assigned to each, and operational instructions for attraction, love, and taking possession of intellects, souls, and hearts.
The Author
Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Buni — also spelled Ahmed al-Buni — was a Sufi scholar from Buna, present-day Annaba in Algeria, the town that gives him the name al-Buni. Readers who meet him as “Ali al-Buni” are seeing his father’s name: ibn ‘Ali means “son of ‘Ali,” and his own given name is Ahmad. He lived and worked primarily in Cairo, in the same generation as Ibn ‘Arabi. His life, the dating of his death, and the condemnations of his best-known book are set out in Ahmad al-Buni’s biography.
His name is attached above all to Shams al-Ma’arif al-Kubra, but the works attributed to him range much wider: the science of letters (‘ilm al-huruf), the construction of Arabic magic squares (awfaq), the operative use of the Divine Names, protective talismans, and daily litanies (awrad). Scholars refer to this body of writings as the corpus Bunianum. Seven of the eight volumes in this collection are attributed to al-Buni alone; Volume VI binds his Shifa’ al-Sudur together with treatises attributed to al-Shadhili and Ibn al-Mar’ah.
His reputation cuts both ways. The books that practitioners sought for centuries were also banned, burned, and copied in secret — the story, with what is known of his life and death, is told in Ahmad al-Buni’s biography. For a reader’s introduction to his best-known work, start with Shams al-Ma’arif explained.
A Reader’s Guide
Every volume stands on its own. Choose by subject — or start with the Shams and follow its threads into the shorter works.
All 40 chapters across four parts, from letter science and the 99 Divine Names to the lunar mansions and magic squares from 3×3 to 9×9. The first unabridged English translation, based on the 1927 printed Arabic edition.
Al-Buni’s magic squares as a working method: construction rules for odd, even, and even-odd squares, alongside the Barhatiyyah (Berhatiah) oath and the Jaljalutiyyah invocation. See also how al-Buni built magic squares.
The foundation under everything else. Ilm al-huruf as al-Buni taught it: the luminous and dark letters and the spirits assigned to each, then the Arabic alphabet read letter by letter in al-Asrar al-Rabbaniyyah.
If you are looking for al-Buni’s Divine Names manuscript, this is it: 80 chapters giving the Names their meanings, spiritual stations, and operative properties — his most substantial work on the Beautiful Names of God.
The al-Buni talisman book: a complete protective talisman in 49 pages — the Seven Verses of the Protective Veils, the Supplication of Adam, and a 6×6 magic square, meant to be carried as a physical object.
The devotional side of al-Buni. Majmu’at al-Awrad gathers his awrad — litanies and prayers — in 17 chapters, including formulas for difficult childbirth, plague, the evil eye, and fever.
Three treatises in one volume: the Kitab fi al-Tariqah attributed to al-Shadhili, with its 60 gates of spiritual wayfaring; the Sharh Mahasin al-Majalis attributed to Ibn al-Mar’ah; and Shifa’ al-Sudur, attributed to al-Buni.
Common Questions
All 8 volumes available as Kindle eBook and paperback. Free to read with Kindle Unlimited on all volumes.
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