Letters, Numbers, and Talismans

In this episode, we explore Solomon as an occult authority in the Islamicate world: from the Quranic stories of Sulayman commanding the jinn and the winds, to the legendary Seal of Solomon, to his role in Islamic magic, talismans, letter science (ʿilm al-ḥurūf), and grimoires. We’ll look at how the Quran itself deals with Solomon and magic (Surah al-Baqarah 2:102), the figure of Asaf ibn Barkhiya, and how Solomonic lore became a foundation for the Islamic occult sciences, and ultimately influenced Western esoteric traditions as well.

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Sources/Recommended Reading:

Al-Buni, Ahmad ibn ‘Ali. “The Sun of Knowledge (Shams al-Ma’arif): An Arabic Grimoire in Selected Translation”. Translated by Amina Inloes & Illustrated by J.M. Hamade. Revelore Press, 2021.

Coulon, Jean-Charles (2022). “Amulets and Talismans in the Earliest Works of the Corpus Bunianum”. In “Amulets and Talismans of the Middle East and North Africa in Context” (Edited by Marcela A. Garcia & Petra M. Sijpesteijn). Brill.

Coulon, Jean-Charles (2022). "Salomon dans les traités de magie arabes médiévaux*". Le roi Salomon au Moyen Âge: Savoirs et représentations, éd. par Jean-Patrice Boudet, Jean-Charles Coulon, Philippe Faure et Julien Véronèse, Turnhout, 2022 (Bibliothèque d’histoire culturelle du Moyen Âge, 22), p. 55-78.

Gardiner, Noah (2012). “Forbidden Knowledge? Notes on the production, transmission, and reception of the major works of Ahmad al-Buni”. Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies 12 (2012). University of Michigan.

Gardiner, Noah (2017). “Esotericist Reading Communities and the Early Circulation of the Sufi Occultist Aḥmad al-Būnī’s Works”. Arabica 64 (2017) 405-441. Brill.

Melvin-Koushki, Matthew & Noah Gardner (2017). "Islamicate Occultism: New Perspectives". Brill.

Saif, Liana (2015). "The Arabic Influences on Early Modern Occult Philosophy". Palgrave Macmillan.

Saif, Liana; Francesca Leoni; Matthew Melvin-Koushki & Farouk Yahya (2021). "Islamicate Occult Sciences in Theory and Practice". Brill.

Savage-Smith, Emily (ed.) (2004). "Magic & Divination in Early Islam". Ashgate Publishing.

“Shams al-Ma’arif al-Kubra”. Arabic Printed Edition by Dar al-Mizan.

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