Islamic Symbols and Sufi Rituals for Protection and Healing: Religion and Magic in the Writings of Ahmad ibn Ali al-Buni - Softcover

Edgar Francis IV

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1567446159 ISBN 13: 9781567446159

Publisher: Kazi Publications, Inc., 2017

Synopsis

The writings attributed to Ahmad al-Buni (d. 622/1225) are some of the most famous grimoires in the Arabic language. As such, they have been both praised and reviled as examples of Islamic magic. This book examines a selection of texts attributed to al-Buni , focusing instructions in different texts for obtaining protection and healing by manipulating Islamic symbols such as verses of the Quran, the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God, and even letters of the Arabic Alphabet. Analyzing these selections opens up questions about the ways that the use of Islamic symbols affected how premodern Arab authors thought about and constructed the rituals they prescribed. This brings up broader implications for the study of similar writings and practices in the Middle East, the Muslim world, and beyond. First, it interrogates the application of the category Islamic magic to these writings and related practices. Second, it engages with ongoing scholarly debates about the usefulness of establishing magic, science, and religion as separate categories of analysis.

About this title

About the Author

Edgar Francis IV is Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History and Islamic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He is a specialist in the history of magic in the medieval and early modern Middle East.

Edition details

• Publisher: Kazi Publications, Inc.
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1567446159
• ISBN 13: 9781567446159
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 202