Mystical Dimensions of Islam, published in 1975, is a valuable introduction to Sufism, the main form of Islamic mysticism. The text explores the origins of the mystical movement in the meditations of orthodox Muslims on the Koran and the prophetic tradition, and discusses the development of its different stages. The text focuses on Sufism as reflected in Islamic poetry, with Professor Schimmel examining various aspects of mystical poetry in Arabic.
Mystical elements exist in Islam in two different and independent ways: practically, Sufism represents the esoteric dimension of Islam in its purest form, while the book explores the original literary produce of Muslim mystics during the eighth-tenth centuries, with special attention to ninth-century mystics such as al-Tustarī, al-Muḥāsibī, al-Kharrāz, and al-Junayd.
The book covers the history and development of Sufism in Islam, its leading founding members up to the establishment of the Sufi paths. Mysticism in the Islamic context has traditionally been intertwined with the notion of Ḥikmah, which is at once both wisdom and philosophy. The first glimmerings of an interpretation of the Qur’an that goes beyond the text’s immediate meaning can already be glimpsed in the works of زينهم.
Sufism is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam, characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and the study of the Quran. The book has become the standard English-language handbook on the subject of Sufism or Islamic mysticism, with a new foreword by Carl W. Ernst.
📹 Muslim Theology and Islamic Mysticism – Part 1 of 2 (Understanding Islam Series: Session 5)
This lecture is part 5 of a complete series of 8 lectures entitled “Understanding Islam”. Watch the series: …
What is the meaning of mystic traditions?
In the 17th century, the term “mystical” was increasingly applied to the religious realm, distinguishing it from natural philosophy as two distinct approaches to understanding the universe’s hidden meaning. The traditional hagiographies and writings of saints became “mystical”, focusing on extraordinary experiences and states of mind. A new understanding of the Divine as residing within humans emerged, transcending religious expressions. The 19th century saw a growing emphasis on individual experience as a defense against western rationalism.
The meaning of mysticism was narrowed, with most varieties dismissed as psychological phenomena and only one variety claiming to be mystical, aiming at union with the Absolute, Infinite, or God. However, historical evidence does not support such a narrow conception of mysticism.
What are mystic beliefs?
Mystics believe that their experiences reveal an extrasensory dimension of reality, which is phenomena that cannot be detected through sense perception. They differ significantly from ancient and Hellenistic philosophers in their claims about extrasensory realities. Ancient and Hellenistic philosophers like Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, and Stoic philosophers provided examples of the reality of the extrasensory.
These examples include the numbers and mathematical formulas of Pythagoras, the forms of Plato and Aristotle, and the Stoic concept of the lekton or “saying”. These examples demonstrate that numbers and mathematical formulas exist objectively, while the Aristotelian concept of universals builds from sensory evidence to concepts about these things. The concept of color, for example, concerns an extrasensory phenomenon, color in general, or color in the abstract.
All laws of nature describe interactions or relationships among perceptible things, but they are not themselves sensible or perceptible. For example, Newton’s third law of motion illustrates how the mind conceptualizes processes of action and reaction, equality and opposition, and attraction and repulsion. Emotional relationships, such as honor and revenge, are perceived by the mind through abstraction from complex physical interactions.
Mystics make claims about extrasensory dimensions of reality, similar to physical scientists citing physics laws or psychologists positing emotional complexes that govern healthy and morbid responses to events. During mystical experiences, extrasensory phenomena are said to be directly perceived by the soul, mind, imagination, or other faculty. These phenomena may be impersonal or personal, reflecting the medieval description of the extrasensory as “spiritual”, a usage that is reflected in the German word Geist (“intellect” or “spirit”).
What are the mystical aspects of Sufism?
Sufism, a form of Islam, originated from the concept of mystics who believed in a direct, personal experience of God through meditation. The term Sufi comes from the Arabic word “suf”, meaning “wool”, which referred to the simple cloaks worn by the original Sufis. Some initiates are given a specially designed wool vest, symbolizing the woolen robes of poverty worn by ancient dervishes. Today, Sufism is found in many parts of the Muslim world, with hundreds of mystic orders with millions of adherents, most prevalent in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Arabia.
Sufism emerged as a protest against corrupt rulers who did not embody Islam and the legalism and formalism of worship, which focused more on the form rather than the content of the faith. Many Sufis became ascetics, gathered disciples, and developed into religious orders, known as dervishers. Others forsook the orders and became mendicants, living off the charity of others. Many Sufis were outstanding men of saintly stature.
What are the mysterious letters in Islam?
Disjointed Letters in the Quran are unique letter combinations that prefix specific chapters of the Quranic text. These letters form combinations of one to five Arabic letters and appear at the beginning of 29 out of 114 chapters. Despite extensive efforts to understand their meaning, no acceptable explanation or sound theory has been provided. This book introduces and explains the “disjointed letters”, their origin, and the controversy surrounding them. It then presents a detailed analysis of the verses and chapters prefixed with these combinations.
What is an Islamic mystic called?
Sufism, a form of Islamic mysticism or asceticism, aims to help Muslims attain nearness to Allah through direct personal experience of God. The term Sufi is believed to originate from the Arabic word suf, which refers to the wool worn by mystics and ascetics. Sufi thought emphasizes the pursuit of a path leading to closeness with God, ultimately resulting in encountering the divine in the hereafter. Sufi orders and Sufi-inspired organizations are found worldwide, including Marrakech, Manila, London, and Lagos.
What are the mystic letters of the Quran?
The mysterious letters, also known as fawātiḥ or “openers”, are Arabic combinations of one to five letters that appear at the beginning of 29 out of the 114 chapters of the Quran just after the Bismillāh Islamic phrase. These letters are also known as fawātiḥ or “openers” as they form the opening verse of their respective surahs. The letters are a significant part of the Quran’s textual content, serving as a source of guidance and inspiration for Muslims and Ottomans alike.
What is the rarest letter in Arabic?
Ẓāʾ is the rarest phoneme in the Arabic language, with only 42 out of 2, 967 triliteral roots containing it. It is the only Arabic letter not used in any country names in Arabic. Ẓāʾ is one of the six Arabic alphabet letters added to the twenty-two inherited from the Phoenician alphabet, and one of the ten Persian alphabet letters added from the twenty-two inherited from the Phoenician alphabet. It is a variant of ṭāʾ and has a numerical value of 900. In Classical Arabic, it represents a velarized voiced dental fricative, while in Modern Standard Arabic, it can also be a pharyngealized voiced dental or alveolar fricative.
What is the symbol ط in the Quran?
The Arabic symbols ط (ṭ), لا (la), س (s), سكتة (sktẗ), and وقفة (wqfẗ) are used to indicate different meanings or phrases. ط (ṭ) is an abbreviation of مطلق (mṭlq), meaning absolute, while لا (la) is a forbidden stop, requiring a reciter to start before the sign. س (s) or سكتة (sktẗ) is an abbreviation of سكتة (sktẗ), causing a silence effect. Lastly, وقفة (wqfẗ) or وقف (wqf) is a similar symbol with a longer pause.
Is there a secret code in the Quran?
The Quran code, also known as Code 19, is a claim that the Quranic text contains a hidden mathematically complex code. Advocates believe this code is a mathematical proof of the divine authorship of the Quran, but this claim has not been validated by any independent institute. Proponents of the Quran code claim that the code is based on statistical procedures. In 1969, Egyptian-American biochemist Rashad Khalifa began analyzing the Quranic initials and sequences of numbers.
In 1973, he published the book Miracle of the Quran: Significance of the Mysterious Alphabets, which described the Quranic initials through enumerations and distributions. In 1974, Khalifa claimed to have discovered a mathematical code based around the number 19, using Surah 74, verse 30 to prove its significance.
What is the esoteric aspect of Islam?
Early Muslim heresiographers identified Ismailis as Batiniyya, or Esotericists, due to their focus on the inner meaning of the faith. Ismaili Pirs emphasize the batin in their composition of ginans, which are considered’supreme knowledge’. Pirs convey an inner meaning within their ginans to spread knowledge of the faith to their believers, highlighting the balance between the exoteric (literal meaning) and esoteric (hidden meaning). The esoteric aspect of the faith is believed to be fully understood by the ahl al bayt, the family of Muhammad, who possess gnostic wisdom.
The Imam of the time descended from Muhammad or his supreme representatives, the Pirs, hujjats, and those whom the Imams appoint, can convey this knowledge. Batin is the inner meaning or reality behind all existence, while zahir is the world of form and apparent meaning. Ismailism is based on the co-existence of the physical and spiritual, with the esoteric being the source of the exoteric and the exoteric being the manifestation of the esoteric.
What is the mystical interpretation of Islam?
Sufism is a mystical Islamic belief and practice that aims to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through personal experience of God. It consists of various mystical paths designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and God, and facilitate the experience of divine love and wisdom in the world. Sufism, also known as “the poor” or “fakir”, originated from early Islamic asceticism as a counterweight to the increasing worldliness of the expanding Muslim community.
The movement has evolved over time, with foreign elements that were compatible with mystical theology and practices adopted and made to conform to Islam. The term Sufism has been used in Western languages since the early 19th century.
📹 Introduction to Islamicate Occult Sciences
This is the first in a series of episodes exploring the world of Occult Sciences in the Islamicate World, including such topics as …
As a simple mystic, allied with no religion or philosophy, whose first love is Source/God, I find so much of deep beauty here. It’s my first deeper look into Islam. Such depth! Such vision. Amazingly beautiful. It’s as if somehow you’re closer to your inner being or soul – don’t know your words. So wonderful, too, that you didn’t get sidetracked by going completely into linear mind. There is life in this that is refreshing – clear connection to Source. Glad I stopped by to take a look. ~♥~
And (mention) when We said to the angels, “Prostrate to Adam,” and they prostrated, except for Iblees. He was of the jinn and departed from the command of his Lord. Then will you take him and his descendants as allies other than Me while they are enemies to you? Wretched it is for the wrongdoers as an exchange. 18:50.
I don’t know how to describe this lecture but I would say my heart on my mind was on a banquet this lecture I was truly taken by the hand and I was given an insight from a very beautiful unique perspective. Love to the story in the end about it teacher who asked students to pick up flowers. Students go out and bring all kinds of different flowers and one student brings a dead flower and his explanation will be in the lecture so listen Thank you for uploading May Allah reward It’s blessed The teacher with a long healthy life 🙏❤️ Amin.
no in arabic we can say all mens came to dinner all but a women. so you can understand both explication in this sentens.anyway just after Iblis say you created me from fire (and angel are created from light not fire )anyway tha majority of muslim scholars sayed that iblis was a king of jens and he was against that human being as khalifa in this earth and not him.to understand angel is like programme can do anything that allah ask him to do they don’t have the freedom as human or jins or animals.
@cuhullan89 : Brother, he (Iblis) was elevated to a great status because of his piety and enjoyed the company of angles but he was a Djinn. Angles are made of light and Djinn or of smokeless fire. When he refused to prostrate, he said that he is created from fire. Similarly, Allah say that He created Humans out of Clay and other place out a sperm drop. “Does man not consider that We created him from a (mere) sperm-drop – then at once he is a clear adversary?” 36:77. Continues in part two.
The Quran Contradicts Itself Quran Sura 2:29 & Quran 41:9-11 says the earth was created first, then heaven. Quran 79:27-30 says heaven was created first, then allah went to finish earth. It cannot decide if earth was created first or heaven. To make matters worse, the consensus of Muslims is that the earth that was created first, which is materialism. It is like saying a virtual reality is created first.
Its Allah swt nature to be all knowing so Allah knows how it will all conclude. But people do not know the future, that is free will the abscence of knowledge of the future. Purpose of life is for people to come to know themselves, because if you punish a child for something he will do in the future he will surely say but maybe i will not do that. Allah swt has given life for you to see who you are, and then there is no escape from that realisation.
there is only one right way of Islam and its practices…If we find our selves connected to our egoes and parties more then connecting to our prophet and his beautiful lifestyle, then we should probe into the matter and ourselves if we really want to make Allah happy and what path takes us to Allah’s happiness.
The exception in the ayah “Fe sajadu illa Iblis= They all prostrated except Iblis”, is not continuous but separated. In the separated/ discrete exception, the exception is not from the kind of the one it was excepted from. E.g, in the sentence “Jaal qawmu illa baqarah= the entire of the community came except a cow”, the word cow is exceptional from the community but is not from their kind. So, from that verse, -in terms of grammar- there is no obligation to say that satan is from the angels.
I dont know why i’m writing this here. I love god so much. I can feel his existence. But i am so scared if am not in the right way. I am so confused and scared. Dont even know if this is a true feeling or not since i have anxiety. I wish i can see the real and true way and follow it me and my family.. I care about my afterlife. I know that “maybe” i don’t deserve guidance… I am not totally a good person. But i know that the mercy of god is greater than anything.. God please forgive me .. and guide me to your true way.. There is alot of ways. But i believe that there is only one way which is the true one..
“And Allah created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop; then He made you mates. And no female conceives nor does she give birth except with His knowledge. And no aged person is granted (additional) life nor is his lifespan lessened but that it is in a register. Indeed, that for Allah is easy.” 35:11. For example, if I say for tea you need water and at other place I say milk and at other place I say you need sugar and so on. It is additional information and not contradictions. Allah knows best.
Next time before replying, try coming in with a better comprehension of what has been said. I am well aware what a Jinn is according to Islamic interpretation. The Judeo-Christian understanding of these entities termed them as demons/fallen angel. That’s what Abdal Hakim mentioned. No one is claiming that Jinns are fallen angel in it’s literal term. It’s semantics.
@cuhullan89: Well you have to read Quran in entirety to understand the nature of Satan. When the Satan said that ‘You have created me out of fire’ it proves that he was not an angle because they are created from light and dzinn are out of fire. “And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire”. Chapter 55:15.
Wrong quotation from Quran please. Azazeal was not rejected for using the mind but he was rejected after a knowledge test was put before two sides angels and Adam. Adam passed it with distinction but angels expressed their limited role of being less informed. So they were ordered to bow to Adam who was more knowledgeable. That was refused by Azazeal who referred to his creation better than Adam. So in banishing Azazeal what Allah reflected was that superiority belonged to knowledge not the material of creation. And that has proven correct airways. Please don’t impose on Islam your limited and half cooked knowledge of Islam. If you are an analyst be objective and observant not subjective and judgemental.
I’m a Muslim Arab and I will tell you that the occult(sihr) is VERY prevalent in our society. My momma would always talk about the eyn(the “evil eye”), sihr, & dream translation. There is also a practice of “translating” or fortune telling the remnants of Arabic coffee that remains in Arab style cups.
This was heavily informative and eye-opening article especially to someone who is a Muslim! I’ve grown up with very limited knowledge about this part of Islam as it’s often looked down upon from the mainstream Muslim community as backward, illiterate and Shirk. Which actually ends up closing all conversations and topics around some of these practices. Some of these practices linked to Sufism are still found in South Asian regions as well. But I’ve never had the chance to know the background/history of how these practices originated. Honestly very excited and intrigued to watch more of your articles!
When I was very young my grandfather told me that there was some hidden science in Islam. When my grandfather died, his wife (who was his second wife, not my grandmother) gave me a manuscript written by the father of my grandfather written, in 1923, probably near Tlemcen (west of Algeria). I don’t read arabic, thus I am not able to say what it contains (and I didn’t share it with no one). This manuscript is full of strange tables which contains arabic letters, and some other geometrical drawing. When I listen to you, I wonder what kind of things interested him ! I cannot imagine that this was occultism ! My grandfather was close to Tariqas related to the work of Ibn Arabi (Seydina Mohiedin).
Thank you for this amazing work your presenting in this website. Arab scholars classified (Elm Al Falak) into (Elm Al Nojoom) which is used for navigation, season determination plantation and fishing timings, (Elm Al Tanjeem) which is the power of the planets and stars, predicting the future and some aspects of magic. So the first one is allowed and the second is forbidden.
Wow This subject is rarely talked about.. Although I’m Arabic, I learned a lot from this and from your deep studies and lectures I loved this introduction. Thank you so much 🙏🏼 In my view, there are 2 reasons that black magic is prohibited in islam. The first reason is because people started using it to harm others. The other reason is because learning magic leads gradually to polytheism and eclipse us from our essence. It seems that Islam prohibits things only because they harm ourselves/others or eclipse us from our essence. This is just a reflection, I might be wrong. 🌷 Edit: Most Sufi muslims avoid magic because they know it can be a veil especially to the weak heart.
Thanks so much for bringing up this topic! I’m an Islamic Herbalist and i’ve come across some things in my practice which I had to ask my sheikh about.. He wasnt too sure of the answer whether it was permissable or not and had to ask a few other people. I decided I needed to know more myself and make my own decisions but I don’t have the patience to go through the arabic sources (I can read/write/speak arabic fluently, although slowly) so the sources you provided are just gold. Also, I want to thank you for the respect you’ve shown on how you dealt with the haram/halal aspect of this. Magic is haram, but there is definitely nuance and you’ve explained that well. Thank you!
Before any Muslim begets the impression that this is a blasphemous subject, please look into our Quran a little deeper to understand how occultism, alchemy, science, and magic were addressed in many different verses and was a tradition amongst some of the prophets, the leading example being King Solomon, who spoke the language of the birds, controlled the jinn, had the power to summon the wind, and understood the language of the ants. Moreover, if we want to learn the finest knowledge from the best of the Islamic scholars, we should look towards the forefathers of modern science who are from the Islamic golden age. These are the scholars within the Islamic world who set the standard with breakthrough discoveries and advancements, who are a powerhouse of knowledge, and wisdom. Peace and blessings unto all.
The reason using ‘magic’ (or more accurately ‘sihir’ or ‘black magic’) is often prohibited in Islam is because it is a form of syirk / syirik (the idolation or worshipping another creation other than the One God, Allah), which in many ways seeks to harm other people. Most of the times, this include seeking the help of jinns to do your bidding. Common uses of black magic sihir include to harm your targets (usually by making them fall ill in mysterious ways that doctors couldn’t figure out the cause. Most people die a slow and tortuous death by this). Some did it to instill fear, awe or respect to themselves on others, some use it for superhuman strength and invincibility. Some use it to boost their business and sabotage other’s, to make someone fall in love with them, and some use it to fool others into thinking that they’re beautiful. Many ancestors used it as a protection for their lands, farms, assets and this particular type of sihir (called saka in my native language) are inherited through the generations. All these are dark occultism in Islam, and its practice is the gravest of all sins. There is however, a total opposite of this practice. There aren’t many of them, but there are pious Muslims who are bestowed with gifts to heal and see the unseen by undergoing rigorous and very specific training to attain the ‘sight’, so to speak. This ‘sight’ is generally covered for most people’s eyes called ‘hijab’ (means spiritual covering, not that shawl cloth lol). What they do is to undo the sihir that’s been cast upon the patients.
As someone who’s been working on Jewish magical artefacts and Talmud for the past 5 years, it’s fascinating to see how similar Islamic magic (occultic science) is to many of the things I’ve worked on, and how the rabbis were having very similar discussions – not about whether magic was permitted per se, but how it was permitted or forbidden. You could almost replace the “Islamic” wish “Jewish” in this article, they’re so close, although with notable exceptions like geomancy, the ‘solar rays’ idea, the picatrix and alchemy which weren’t really present in Jewish magic from around 6th century CE and before. Talismans, magic bowls, alphabetic traditions, healing recipes, invoking biblical quotations and God’s names, and astrology are all echoed in earlier Jewish literature and material culture! Also similar is how the study has historically been quashed by the prejudices of scholars working on the texts, although Jewish magic has enjoyed a huge amount of progress in recent years.
Just to ad something about Sabeans mentioned in the Qur’an. the Sabeans in the Qur’an are actually Mandaeans living in Southern Iraq Arabs called them Sabeans because of their ritual namely baptism in water (Arabic: Subba) the other people of Harran were definitely Hermeticists who proclaimed themselves as Sabeans and they were often called “Sabeans of the north” . they claimed that they followed the teachings of Hermes as their prophet what Muslims kind of recognized because he is motioned in the Qur’an as Prophet Idris ( probably biblical Enoch).
Although magic as a method to affect the world around us is the modern accepted definition, I think it’s more accurate for lots of people to say magic is a method to affect the world within us. When you realize certain truths, the difference between the inside and outside becomes less important. In all I love this article and I am excited for the clear and academic approach to occult sciences across the world you might bring us with future articles.
The sand decimation Was not drawing in the sand But it came from way back in ancient times When someone had found a mirror, or a plate of glass Apparently there had been a storm Where a lightening bolt had struck the ground And had melted some sand And this sand had cooled and formed a reflective plate of glass In which this person had looked into And had been amazed when they saw What seemed to them another world With a person looking right back at them Not realizing that this other person in their, in this plate of glass, was them They were looking at themselves And that’s not all But when this person was looking at themselves Little did they know That they were conducting, practicing, part-taking in An actual scientific act Anymore information And I would be revealing the secret !!! Alot of these lost sciences are real If they are comprehended and understood correctly In order to be able to inturn teach them So that they wouldn’t have gotten lost (with the passage of time) !!! ……Certain types of magic (are, were) real They did And can still be made to exist again (reproduced)
Accept my heartfelt gratitude towards the wonderful work. Most of us listen and enjoy but only a few can feel the pain and effort that has been put into presenting such a piece of work. Keep it up. Not many people dare to touch these subjects especially when it comes to talking about Islamicate Occult Sciences as you put it beautifully. Indeed it still exists and unfortunately is practiced very commonly in every Islamic society. And those who do it do not even leave the quranic verses aside but use them to achieve their goal. When we read Quran the only message we find is that it was a message to be revealed to every human being through the prophet. And it was not to be used in Islam magic as it is found in these occult sciences. But Different sciences ( like the knowledge of stars, heavenly bodies, and science behind the letters ) when got mixed with religion we ended up losing the real gist of the religion and started using its verses to achieve very petty goals like how to create enmity between two people or create love between a couple or how to destroy some one’s business, etc. Having said that, a religion whether Ibrahimic or non Ibrhaimic monotheist or polytheist all carry one thing in common and that is it deals with the secrets of life and the formation universe and of human beings that is how we are composed ( A body contains the soul and being) and how to use its potentials.
I tried googled that whole Any et al. research but it seems the team hasn’t published anything in this topic :v But now that we’re over with jokes – it seems that this view of magic among pro-occult Islamic scholars is very similar to the one shared by many Jewish schools and certain medieval European sorcerers. That’s really cool, I’d really love to learn if it’s a sentiment shared outside of the Abrahamic-related world (far east etc)
It’s nice to see your website focuses so much on the Islamic world as it is very interesting to learn about. Much of the information I’ve been exposed to since childhood has had a judeo Christian bias but I have always been fascinated by the Islamic world. It’s unfortunate that so many people here in North America where I live have a very limited and often incorrect understanding of Islam and Islamaphobia is very real.
Such an interesting article. I had no idea about occultism in islamicate world and assumed the introduction of Islam kind of – put an end to these practices. However that is not the case. Your pronunciation of Arabic words is impeccable. Would love to know how do you get the arabic words right. Great work🙌🙌🙌
Disclaimer : this is what we as Muslims believe, you are entitled to believe as you wish. As a Muslim I will confirm for some of you all magic, calling upon anything except Allah is haram. Praying and worshipping to anything except Allah is forbidden. Calling upon the jinn and magic and taweez (talismans) are completely haram and nothing good can come from it as this “magic” is only gained through a contract with Shaytaan the devil. and the magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.’” Quran Surah Ta-Ha 20:65-69 “Do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.”- Quran 2:208 “So let not this present life deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah”- Quran Surah Al Fatir: Verse 5 If we take a look at Quran Ch 113 Surah Al Falaq, we can see it mentions to seek refuge in Allah from the “blowers on knots” – magicians using an extremely ancient form of magic from Babylon. “Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak. From the evil of that which He created. and from the evil of the night when it grows dark, and from the evil of those ˹witches casting spells by˺ blowing onto knots, and from the evil of an envier when they envy.” Quran Surah Al Falaq /#113 Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Stay away from seven mortal sins.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, what are they?” The Prophet said, “Idolatry with Allah, occult magic, killing a soul that Allah has sanctified except for a just cause, consuming usury, usurping the property of an orphan, fleeing the battlefield, and accusing chaste but unwary believing women.
I’m Muslim Arab and I want to clarify an important thing, which is that Islam acknowledges the existence of Sihr magic and acknowledges that it is real, and that every Muslim must acknowledge that as well, but the practice of these practices is considered “blasphemous” and according to Islamic laws, whoever is found to have practiced these actions is punished, and it was said that he is punished with death – in some cases – for doing this. And there isn’t any Sihr (Magic) Halal at all!. Allah (The God) mentioned some of these practices to us in the Qur’an in: ﴿فيتعلمون مِنْهُمَا مَا يفرقون بِهِ بَين الْمَرْء وزوجه﴾ “Yet people learned ˹magic˺ that caused a rift ˹even˺ between husband and wife” These actions are indeed real – but not everyone who claims to be able to do them necessarily means that he can –
Islamic “occult” was and still is practiced in West Africa and was brought to the Americas via the slave trade. These holy men are generally found in Senegal and they’re called Marabouts. They often belong to various Sufi orders much like the different monk orders found in Catholicism and Buddhism, however, it is very much West Africanized.
Islam do have practiced magic (the knowledge) in some time in the past since the knowledge can somehow helps the practitioner having a better and easier life, which is allowable. But the knowledge does make a person indulge in that “power” (as in human nature) that eventually consumed them to do bad deeds. Using the knowledge to harm/manipulate other people for instance, are one of many basic reasons on why the knowledge is eventually banned from the faith. But, currently, some do practice the knowledge tainted with multiple combinations of other “dark knowledge” from other faiths around the region. You may observe indecipherable Arabic inscriptions (either on a piece of yellow paper, framed, etc.) with intricate geographic abstract design on the back of the cashier in some restaurant in Malaysia, to be believed the owner of the restaurant somewhat receiving a service from the “practitioner” to make the food they served tasted unbelievably too good and making patrons/customer to willing to pay more for such food when making the payment at the cashier. “A manipulation” There are others……………..
Islam & occult are 2 separate practices. Mostly, heretics & so called spiritualist are the ones involves in occultism. Muslims DON’T practice or recognize any form of occultism, and never needed of other beliefs except for the compulsory of The 6 Pillars of Faith & The 5 Pillars of Islam. Before anyone would debate me, please refer to a highly qualify Islamic Scholars regarding this subject matter. Trust me, they are more than welcome to share the knowledge and facts on this. I’m not that knowledgeable, but I do know Islam & Occultism doesn’t fit in the same sentence due to faith & beliefs. Peace.
One thing I find curious is that the occult seems like it was at least a big influence on Islam from the beginning. There are other examples I can give but the biggest one is that the Islamic seals that Muslim people created, the biggest example being the seal of prophet Muhammad, greatly resemble and have for all purposes the same use as magical “sigils”. The seals created by people in Islam are made for a single person’s wanted projections about themselves onto the world, while sigils are often used to carry out a wanted result for the person creating them(or against another person) to project onto the world. I always looked at Islamic seals and thought to myself “yeah that’s basically a sigil used in magical practice.” It’s a similar use of two similar creations.
If you’re going to delve into Religious occultism, I hope you make one for each of the Abrahamic religions. Although skirting the boundaries of orthodoxy and sometimes being considered outright heretical by the mainstream groups, Judaism and Christianity also had occult traditions. Kabbalah for Judaism and the texts like the Ars Goetia or Ars Notoria for Christianity. Of course, practitioners did not consider it magic but rather a use of the mystical forces that God created.
Hello great article, very informative very well done but i have just one problem with it 😅, me being arab I have to look away everytime there is arabic text on the screen in fear of reading something I should not, aside from that I love your work and hope you keep delving into these kind of topics in the future!
you explain it well.. and how you try to differentiate terminologies in a proper context of the Islamic spirtual traditions…. different groups of Muslims believe how much spirtualism should be allowed or believed into. Much of the “so called magic terminology” has been abused and mixed up, therefore much of the Islamic society frowns upon even the word even though it could be just Islamic mysticsm.
Man, do you like the Dune novel or the film? I dream of an analysis made by you of the religions in Dune and their parallelisms with real world religion and events. It would blow up my mind and soul if I ever get to see that. There are excellent lore articles made by very talented fans but most of them don’t get many of the themes and the references to real religions made by Frank Herbert the author, but I’m absolutely sure you are the kind of person who gets it. Thank you so much for the effort you put on your work. I’ve learned so many things in this place.
Magic isn’t Islamic Anything related to sorcery or witchcraft is forbidden in all Abrahamic religions as it requires the reliance of men on unholy entities like demons for instance. And the Quran clearly states that Magic “Sihr” is not only a sin but it’s association “shirk” and apostasy. “They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulayman (Solomon). Sulayman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic.” ( surat al-Baqarah 2:102)
People should know to differentiate between Islamic jurisprudence and Arab culture. Yes, Islam started in middle east but Islam is not middle east but the way of life to many. Magic and horoscope are forbidden in the eyes of Islamic faith, and Islamic jurisprudence… Anyone tells you that Islam condone Alcohol, Gambling, Sourcery, fortune teller and interest is misleading you. Do your research, the Google is here to gives you many difference interpretation for you to judge for yourself.
Hey There! Thank you for the great content. Just to clarify and add something. There is no debate in Islam that Sihir is haram. The debate is actually: “What is Sihr? What can be considered as Sihir and what cannot be?” A lot of scholars, especially the Mutakalimin used to consider Ilmu awfak and astrology and others as a type of hidden science and not actualy Sihir. Sihir for them is only the use of Jinn to get worldy pleasures. Any other form of “occult science” was given a name for it like: Ilmu lhuruf, Ilmul awfak, Ilmul jafer… So the problem really stems from how we define Sihir. Thanks for the great content again!
All abrahamic religions have occult sciences . Christians have rosicrucians, Islam Sufi,and Hebrew Jewish have the Talmud and Kabbalah that have cross overs …..Hindu yoga amd Buddhist have taravada / tanta all magic all teaching how our minds can be at affect over effect . Some have more rules than others . They all get similar at the point of the tip. Just pick your flavor and do the actual work . The work is the important part !! The actual daily work will work, if you work it. Religions are like websites and flavors, all using source code. All is mind !
It is clear to those of knowledge in Islam that real magic comes from Jinn. It is what in the west would be called black magic. The ritials and invocations were performed by the sorcerer but the manifestations were actually carried out by the Jinn. For example, a fledgling sorcerer who wanted to separate a marriage (for the purpose of eventually getting the woman himself) would summon a Jinn and request it to be done. He would do the necessary rituals, which usually involved depraved activities, to call upon a certain Jinn (of the mischievous and rebellious class who interact with humans). Depending on the nature of the request, it could be spoken outright to the Jinn or the ritual itself and the activities and items used signify what the request is. In the case of marriage separation (which is mentioned in the Quran), the Jinn goes about it in many many ways such as through whispers and thoughts, physical harm, or even manipulating the environment. There are real discussions and methods, and even institutions in the Islamic World that actively combat sorcery. Yes it’s real, but its not like the Western view of magic about fireballs and lightning.
I might be wrong since you did your research, but never in my life as Muslim, I have read a lot, ever heard that those practices involving seeking gods power are called “Sihr”. They are practices kind of classified under exorcism, but most educated people even religion schoolers from old time associate it with “Dajal” or quackery, aside from Koran verses or specific prayers told by the prophet himself to ask god to ward evil, grudge, misfortunes… or bestow good things like fortune, children, success… some branches believes in the power of saints or the descendants of the prophet (I’m a descendants and doesn’t have any superpower obviously).
Magic come from the word magush or magi who were zoroastrian priests. At that time science, religion and philosophy( politics) where under one and only certain people had deep understanding of it all. Therefore for other people like Arabs and Greeks who formed the European culture eventually, they seem like people out of this world. After birth of abrahamic religions which are all taken from zoroastrian and mithraism, the world agenda was to erase the past religious beliefs like zoroastrian and one of many tactics was propagating that the magis are from evil, hence why which became an evil character
Occult science was prevalent in all cultures, in the west it is practiced even more. As an example of the Islamicate occult only one example is provided, one of a tea that is good for upset stomach. In Europe the ‘kissing of the chicken’s bottom’ and many other practices are rampant, leading to the supreme court legalizing drugs, gays etc.
21:30 This is an interesting idea! The way that different schools of magic works in the Warhammer world for example is by websiteing the rays of pure chaos beaming from a hazardous and destructive plane of existence that is without cause and effect and that through a rift enters the world and is refracted by reality into specific colors. The existence of this rift in the first place is a catastrophic thing but even good races make(or are forced) to make use of the colors of magic. Its an interesting thought.
و تسمى علوم الحكمة و أغلب هذه العلوم على الراجح ليست سحرا ، كعلم الأوفاق و الطلاسم بشرط أن لا يعتقد أنها تأثر بذاتها ، فإن اعتقد أنها تأثر بذاتها فهي شرك ثم هي تنقسم إلى أقسام ، فمثلا علم الأوفاق إن كانت مبادئه لا تصادم العقائد و لا يستعان فيها بالشياطين و لا يوصل به إلى ضرر الآخر ، و لا يعتقد أنها تأثر بذاتها فهي جائزة إن شاء الله ، كالتي توجد في كتب البوني شمس المعارف الكبرى و الصغرى و منبع أصول الحكمة يبقى تسخير الجن فيه خلاف و لا أظن أنني سأذكر أكثر من هذا ، لأنه متشعب ……
I heard stories here about Muslim or islamic magic that is used for good and evil, the good one is for protection from evil while other is different, the muslim molvis or the guy who is at the mosque knows about these things and they even help people from other religions, what i know sometimes it involves a paper with geometry and arabic words and letters, and some times the same thing can be used for cursing someone with a jin or a female jin (called jogan ) here,. Sometimes when someone is cursed by eveil eye of a muslim occuktist, according to stories and tald they would burn a wild boar’s hair in their home for a remedy, no offense just talking what’s i hear d
Truth is magic is Forbidden but it vastly flourished in the Muslim world. In fact the odds are your ancestors probably asked a talisman for help when they ran out of options… Not that it worked, but Muslims would do forbidden things then over and over then they would ask forgiveness in their prayers or make hajj and be done with it. Even till today, although talismans numbers have greatly diminished especially with advancements done in medicine.
I wanted to thank you for helping me see Islam in a different light. Perhaps I’m not your primary demographic as someone who was traumatized by fundamentalism and tbh regular ol’ sunni orthodoxy. It’s a healing thing to see different, sometimes even, positive divergences of one original paradigm . Your narrative is perfectly neutral, without Western bias or trite apologism. Lots of appreciation for your work 💕
Please do one on the four cardinal demon kings oriens paymon amaymon and egyn and their formal use in angelic magic /ceremonial rituals explaining their constext and the application of them in angellic magic…the literature is so scattered..makes it hard as a practioner to utilize the system as it today..i beleive in jewish tradition they are named samael azazel etc etc..it is interesting older back you go their names are on the circles instead of the angels..and ive seen some references to the probability that even though the angel names replaced them they were still called during operatioms along side the angels in invocations and evocations..modern application of planetary spirits/demons also are used by most.where agrippa describes them as never to be invoked..it is also difficult to understand if this was because of him not being able to state certain thijgs because of prosecution by the church..references found are slim but seem to refer to thede spirits or demons being the ones they invoked in the past into idols or self possession and which the church combated their use.
This is just twisting muslim people’s mind into considering magic or types of magic as halal . Very clever. Religion is whatever the Prophet gave and his companions after him did. If they did not do it then there is a danger of crossing the limits into shirk without realizing it and dying with shirk. Invoking anyone else’s help except Allah is shirk even the angel’s. If any muslim scholar or a scientist was doing it does not make it halal.
its the role of entheogens in the establishment of all higher order religious mysticism and its subsequent ‘removal’ from all public knowledge that is the real conversation that needs to be had. Priests, mystics, Yogi’s, shamans, and spiritual alchemists and Sages from all religious origins engaged in these visionary portals to gnosis and the heavenly realms.
As someone who converted to Islam over twenty years ago, I was always confused by the amount of magic being practiced by Muslims of every sect and denomination under the banner of Islam. This presentation has opened my eyes as to where Muslims are really getting their knowledge from, and how Muslims manage to get themselves involved in dubious matters that are clearly forbidden according to the clear and unequivocal teachings of Islam on such matters. What I have discovered during my twenty years of being a Muslim is that there is a “secret” book of powerful teachings that hardly any Muslim ever dares to study. It is more powerful than any book of magic ever written, and this may be one of the reasons why most Muslims do not dare to ponder its mysteries. This “secret” book is a compilation of inspired writings sent down by a Divine Entity who is more powerful than any of the spirit-beings that magicians usually invoke. I have asked many Muslims over the years if they have ever heard of this book, and if so, have they ever read it? Interestingly, all Muslims have heard of this book, and practically all Muslims, even the most uneducated of them, actually have a copy of this book on their bookshelves. When I ask them if they have ever studied this book in order to discover its secret teachings, they usually tell me that they are not authorised to study it, and that the job of understanding it can only be undertaken by the most educated of their priests, who are then authorised to explain these teachings to the common people, changing the teachings slightly along the way to better suit their purposes.
I have a theory that the history of Islam was shaped by the efficiencies in printing. When Islam was mainly an oral tradition it was very easy to integrate Islam with established cultural norms of whatever region. As physical books of the Quran and Hadiths spread a clearer idea of what it means to be a Muslim fundamentalist emerged.
The occult, the magic is present even now, however as temptations that Islam makes us not indulge and transgress into a world, which is hidden for a reason. Jinn are are a very real part of our faith. Neither men not the Jinni are allowed to walk the road of Blake’s excess, that also leads to dangerous liaisons. Edit: Wonderful article and thank you for being considerate.
Great to see the subject addressed and an excellent effort! A couple suggestions: The article started to lose the plot in defining sihr, especially since sihr really isn’t concordant to “magic” (as you mention), and some practices that would be considered magic in English (such as exorcism, spiritual healing, or dream interpretation) are considered legitimate from an orthodox perspective and not “sihr”. Second, the main objection to sihr in Islamic thought isn’t really calling upon the forces of un-God or non-God; that is, what makes a “magical” practice legitimate is not whether or not it calls upon God or others. The Qur’an, when it discusses magic, is critical of the harmful aspects of malefic magic (hence, seeking refuge from it); it doesn’t address the topic of paganism in those parts. Many Muslims are primarily concerned about wrong practice (for instance, is something bid’ah or innovation in religion, or is it lawful or unlawful according to religious law). Also, in “white magic” (theurgy, ruhaniyyah), angels and jinn are sometimes evoked as part of the procedure. So I feel like this may be projecting views outside of Islam onto Islam. This is not to say that the theological aspects of magic have never been discussed, just that it’s more complicated than that. However, a great way to mark spooky season!
As magic(sihr) in Islam is concerned there is the verse in Glorious Qur’an which talks about magic. They followed what the Shayāṭīn (devils) gave out, in the Mulki Sulaymān (مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَان, Kingdom of Solomon). Sulaymān did not disbelieve, but the Shayāṭīn disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down upon al-Malakayn bi-Bābil (ٱلْمَلَكَيْن بِبَابِل, the Two Angels in Babylon), Hārūt and Mārūt, but neither of these two taught anyone, till they had said, “We are only a Fitnah (trial), so do not disbelieve.” And from these, people learn that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by the Leave of Allāh. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Ākhirah (Hereafter). And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their own selves, if they but knew! — The Qur’an, 2: 102.
Brother this article is misleading there is no such thing as “Sihr Halal”. You keep referring to “islamic scholars” and ulema for some type of reference when there is no debate or even argument for sihr. The Holy Quran Surah (Chapter) Baqarah Verse 102 strictly forbids any type of magic. Participating or believing in any magic renders you as a disbeliever as you are invoking other than Allah (The One and Only God).
Good Work and explianed well. One thing which i differ is that In islam allowed or permitted Occult siciences maynot be categorised or connected with Magic. As word Magic is not taken in positive sense rather the acts require to do magic is out of the laid down boundaries of Islam. Rest you are right in referring it like prayers or asking and invoking God Almighty’s help as he created this universe basing on scientifice laws which we know to the little extent and some are still out of the limits of human brain and thinking. It is common saying that you would always find religion at the point where the science reaches with the passage of time. Rest its a vast and difficult topic to understand spirituality
Understanding Sufism or Occult (not the right word for Islam), one has to know the Quran, otherwise, it is just hitting a wall. There is no magic and Islam rejects magic, as it is a trick and lie, if not deception. Having said that, the article is interesting. The word Shir meaning can only be derived by cross-referencing the Quran. Also, whatever practiced should be attributed to them and not necessarily to Islam, as the Deen. Majic is haram and no way need to justify it to justify Islamic Oculism, etc.
wait…not announcing the narrator is quoting Robert Graves, his intro to Idris Shah’s The Sufis if I remember, well, I dunno…that’s fraudulant…but Graves was a fraud presenting false dilemmas…one was an Apollo poet, or a Muse poet, which he extends to one being a Sufi, or an Islamisists…there is differences in talent, and talent will out!🐬
The article on 29:22 proofs if it’s magic or spiritual exorcism. All are prophets names with sketches and triangle blocks. So are those prophets evil .no their names are blesings to Muslims more dear to a Muslim heart then his own being. Top left JACOB, top right abraham Right second Adam and David. Left second row Allah, solomon, 3rd row, Zachariah,muhammed, Aaron 4th row, Moses, Joseph 5th row,messiah ( jesus ) Ishmail,Ilyas, yahya .
These practices are still very prevalent in the Islamicate world specially in my Country in Pakistan. Almost in each family there is someone who is somewhat envolved in these stuff. These things specially Sihr is very very dirty blasphemous thing, more than people realize. It’s also extremely selfish, selfsurving and leads directly to Shirk. But I find it interesting knowing about the occult arts (for eg vedic astrology and other alchemical stuff) just as I’m interested in history, psychology, theology and science.
I just played for back ground noise while going to sleep and left the phone by my head, It was the worst nightmare I’ve ever fucking had, I kept trying to force myself to wake up but it was like I was being forced to be stuck, I realised what was causing it and kept trying to switch it off, in my dream, the phone would keep disappearing, melting, not responding, I tried to recite Quran over and over again everything after but everything after عوذ بالله من الشيطان الرحيم would get lost from my mind, I fake woke up so many times, dream in a dream in a dream until I was finally able to wake up for real and switch it off, the sound of this man’s voice remained almost constantly through out… Whatever this is it’s fucking evil
Beautiful as I’ve learned Magick is the science and art of causing change in conformity with one’s Will. That’s includes writing and language, song, poem, and prayer, habit, ritual, direction, or purpose. Overall this is a great discussion that every religion must look to overrule the dogma that has of culminated over the time. But hey love is the law, and love under will. 93 👍🏾
The appropriate term is miracles, which are performed with the permission of god and by god’s authorised divine entity/people.If it’s done in conjunction with specified way it’s allowed, and if it is done without such permission then it’s forbidden! Here’s some example Ability of Jesus to treat ill people Ability of moses to split water Split of moon, talking to angels and preaching word from god (Quran) done by Mohammad s.a. Ability to predict cyclone by Noah Knowledge of entire universe, It’s all qualities are in all of them and their descendents!
6:53 According to my knowledge of Islam, there is no “Halal Magic”. Magic itself is ‘shirk’. but i have to say that in our sub-continent i.e. Indo-Pak, there are many people who claim themself as Sufi, Saints etc. promoting this concept of “Halal Magic” and vice versa. but the reality is 99% of them are Magicians themself and other 1% have no clue what Islam is. In a nutshell Magic is strictly forbidden in Islam because you have to commit shirk to make a deal with devil. or how they say in Movies” i have sold my soul to devil”.
From what I know, this is happen when the “dark age” in europe. Because the dark age is “golden age” in muslim country. All about this recorded in the book and stored in the largest library at that time “house of wisdom”. But all them was lost, burned by the Mongols (Hulagu Khan). Maybe not many people understand this in the Arab world, but you can actually see this in Indonesia. Because when the spread of Islam in Indonesia they also brought the occult knowledge. Indonesia is a unique country, there is a lot of black magic, so this is also needed by preachers of Islamic teachings while in Indonesia. This is just a little picture that I give you. The rest you all can find out more deeply. Before Islam entered Indonesia, there was Animism & Dynamism, then came Hinduism and Buddhism. Then came Islam followed by Christianity.
Let me teach you about Occult a bit, all of it has same sources, speaks the same . There is no specific Islamic occult science, there is only their interpretation of older stuff . And that older stuff i can even tell you when it was, it was before Tower of Babel, before that everyone in the world Spoke same language, and its known what that language was . And when i say the same language, i mean Priests, the elite . Peasants spoke differently from town to town always, as they do today . But as today all scientists speak the same language, so were the Priests of the day . So it was Science then, its called actually Natural Philosophy, and they had it all nailed down, in some cases it was more advanced then modern science . Philosophically it was eons more advanced then what exists today in form of ISlam, Christianity and that dumb shit . Religon and Science it was all the same, you would explore wourld from the Inside out, you would look in to your self to figure out the world outside, because it all works the same . You have Above and Below inside you as well as outside, you have Internal Gravity that is when your forget things and it goes in to your subconscious, to show you simply . Things were about Principals, the exact way something happens was not so important, they knew Scientific Progress without Moral and Ethical Progress leads to destruction, and that is why they lived like they lived, witch is something we still dont know . But we will learn .
at 17min36 you gave us A definition of alchemy, but wikipedia gives different definitions, one of them is alchemy comes from “kemet” the black land, so “al kimiya” would mean the black magic(AKA the science of blacks, the people who created it in ancient egypt), i mean people take what they want right ? you decided to take one definition, AND AS AN AFRICAN i decide to take the kemet one(and i can even quote ancient physicists who did the same and said al kimiya came from egypt and means “the black magic”, not because the magic is black but because it’s blacks who invented it)
The amount of hard work and reaearch involved in making this vedio is worthy of lot of praise. You indeed have done a wonderful job. As a muslim I can say that many of these practices have found their way in main stream Islam which condemns these things. Allow me to say that the down fall of Muslims as compared to what they were in the initial period of Islam is because of these thoughts and slowly sinking down to unislamic practices
Why jinn can scare insan or humans, why it’s not the other way around; why possession happens on Human subject not the other way around: a mystry because the fear factor it’s very humane embedded in our hormonal and also deeper subconsious of strong Disliking or Rejection of human mind. So, does Aladdin realy found Ginne ohhh Yes of course in his ‘Will’, there is will there is a way.
Yes, I could initiate you to the science of the letters, but not in esotreric way, but semantic one. For example, the word Sihr, from root SHR from etymon HR to warm, prefixed by Sin which is a feeding energy, an ongoing. A Sihr could be understood as a medication against a desease, but also a sorcery which maintain something hot, damaging. And kabbalists had right, the R is a tension, a constraint, like in NooR and AmR.
Little correction, it wasn’t denied, in fact Prophet Muhammad PBUH was a victim of sihr and clearly stated it to exist but people should refrain from it. It was the reason why the last 3 Chapters of the Qur’an was revealed. So the idea that it was denied by some scholars in the Islamic world denies its existence is a western colonialist claim. Academic approaches to topics like this is imbalanced and full of gaps even though they try to be objective. You can’t talk about magic or sihr in the Islamic world and have no regard for the number 1 authority which is the Qur’an. Scholars can have their opinion on what is halal or haram but will never differ on its prohibition.
Isn’t religions particularly Islam is occultist as they believe in jiin and life after death, sacrifice the poor animals for Allah, etc? Certainly the Shi’it is by far more occultic (if that is a word:) as they believe Ali had so many magic powers. One little perhaps correction that magic is not a western word (if I understood you correctly) magic came to the west via the Greek from the Persian word magush.
I realized what botgered me most about your articles. You are using too many alleviating words.like Sometimes, some, almost, usually, somehow. The reason is probably you taking a broad subject. Therefore talking about it in precise language makes it self contradictory. Suggestion: Narrow down your subject, and use less alleviating words. Cause the audience at the end of the day feels he learned some new words but no absolute facts cause the speaker himself is not really sure either.
Magic is definitely forbidden in Islam, you made it seem like it isn’t lol imagine people that haven’t read the Quran or done their own honest research, they’d take your narrative as a fact 🤦♂️ there are people in all religious backgrounds that have gotten involved in the dark world/arts. In Islam, you’re not a Muslim if you deviate to this kind of practice.
And today is the day Let’s Talk Religion decided to go from appreciator of faith studies to Orientalist. You know topics like these fuel Christian critics to absolutely link Islam with mysticism. Islam is already portrayed as something linked to the dark arts by the west. Even spooky & dirty. Your recent vids help fuel that. That said, I believe in freedom of expression so you can go right on ahead I guess…just leaves a sour taste in my mouth I suppose but i’ll get over it.
I think magic is anything we do… even what we say. Our words are powerful, and give permission for things (good or bad) to enter our lives and bind ties to the spiritual side of things… its basically sort of like psychology, If you continually say negative things about yourself or others it creates negativity in your life, if you speak light or good in your life and over others good things will come to you, and even the bad won’t seem as bad… words shift perspective and perspective is how you will interpret your reality and this is not witchcraft but its what a lot of religions teach…we must filter things through what God has said to the people through the prophets and that filter will help build a positive experience while we inhabit these bodies… this is what makes “magic”… its not an attempt to control or manipulate energy but instead its understanding we create life with our words and when we seek a life God and speak truth that we take away from that journey we create a life that unlocks levels of revealing and healing in the mind, body, and spirit that can only come from divine inspiration… its in a sense weaving a tapestry with word and action, but superstitions are different because they show a lack of faith and putting all your hope in an object (like a talisman) is taking away your faith from God to an object so it can become “idolatry”… so I understand why its forbidden, because that creates a path for one to be misled
In the Quran it’s said that magic was brought by two angels: Harut and Marut. I can’t remember if it was brought into Babylon or another city. Other things are mentioned like divining with arrows (Q5) and blowing on knots (Q113). I’ve seen articles where sihr is explained, for instance how a magician would consult the djinn or shayateen and it’s quite disgusting. I saw a Quran that was placed into a sewer and when it was taken out it was covered in excrement. A buried talisman that was wrapped with menstruation blood and the name of whomever the magic is being placed on. In another one a magician was caught and revealed how he performed it, he wore all red and in a room a chicken would be slaughtered and it’s blood would be splattered on the walls. As an interesting side note, the Jewish Talmud explains how to see demons (it’s some nasty stuff). In the Jewish TNK (or Christian Old Testament) it’s said that necromancers/spiritists are to be killed. Interesting relationship between magic and religion all together.
Truly well presented. In Lamu, the occult practice still persists among various known Islamic clerics in the archipelago, and I have even come across manuscripts with occult traditions related in multiple corpora that demonstrates much of what you have shared, notably the Shams al-Ma’arif. Could I ask, would it be right to say that (for the most part) major practitioners within the Islamic context often lean into the Sufi tradition as compared to the other emergent schools of thought? I feel teh Sufi tradition created alot of leniency in many aspects which are perceived by notable Islamic scholars as ‘haram’
Muslims have the praises of about all prophets saved and orally revised . And many different praises are linked to every prophet. Jesus 1 in many praise to God is known in muslims to bring blessings and food.which he called at the table we repeat that . Moses is called friend of God who talked to him.1 of many of his praise to God became a blessing to ask for memory, confidence etc. Jonah prayed a verse in belly of the fish so he was pardoned and muslims write and read it orally unlimited times and put it around neck as protector so God may parfon him as Jonah. Adam’s praise is what we put in as talisman on which he was forgiven. The praise of noah is a verse for protection, forgiveness. Joseph’s praised words as verse helps us to be firm,gives security, and ask forgiveness from God. Praised words of lut, asking God for strength to be firm against the corrupts. So so many more from prophets and quran and God attributes how can they be evil. The problem comes on putting it as talisman which has different opinions. When muslims call God by the prophets praises they ask by the link or reference of the prophet as acceptance of their sacrifices and in their love.
Magic occult amulet all these stuff are 100 percent prohibite in Islam ☪️ your information is deep u have done good work about it but people are still practicing it which is haram in Islam, and Islam doesn’t allow it we mostly believe all these stuff come form haroot and Maroot (the angels 👼) and also we believe Prophet suleman fight against it even he hide the books under his chair but after his death people approached those books and start magic all these stuff Second thing when u r using a word Islamic world plz mention some people form Islamic world believe in it not all
I have a question about soloman (A), according to islam he was a prophet of Islam, Allah gave him all kind of power like he can control the Jin . I read a Hadith like Solomon can travel 1 month path in just one day the distance was l point of sun rises to sun set, I want to celculate actually how much path did he travel and what kind of technology he used, if I compare with the modern hypersonic technology, in one day how much distance can travel a modern hypersonic missile. My another question is soloman a technology so upgraded then our modern world technology?