In contemporary form, the book consists of two volumes; Shams al-Ma'arif al-Kubra [b] and Shams al-Ma'arif al-Sughra, [c] the former being the larger of the two. [5] [6] The first few chapters introduce the reader to magic squares, and the combination of numbers and the alphabet that are believed to bring magical effect, which the author claims is the only way to communicate with jinn, angels and spirits. The table of contents that were introduced in the later printed editions of the work contain a list of unnumbered chapters ( faṣl), which stretch to a number of 40. However, prior to the printing press and various other standardisations, there were three independent volumes that circulated, each one differing in length. [7] We must confirm all of Allaah’s Names and Attributes stated in His book (The Qur’an) or mentioned through His Messenger (Muhammad without changing them or ignoring them completely or twisting the meanings or giving them resemblance to any of the created things. These three aspects of Tauhid are included in the meaning of Laa ilaaha illullaah (None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah). It is essential to follow Allaah’s Messenger, Muhammad and it is part of the worship of the One God (Tawheedul-Uloohiyyah). This is included in the meaning of "I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah," and this means, "None has the right to be followed after Allaah’s Book (The Qur’an), but Allah’s Messenger," Allah said: "And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain from it". (Qur’an 59:7)

The Sun of Knowledge (Shams al-Ma'arif) is one of the most revered historical grimoires of the Arabic corpus. Feared by some, hallowed by others, it is one of the most famous - or infamous - books in the Arabic-speaking and Islamicate world. Written in Egypt in the thirteenth century by a Sufi mystic and mage of Algerian origin, the Shams presents the fundamentals of Arabic-Islamic occult work - from spiritual cosmology and astrology (including various particularly lunar magics) to working with spirits and jinn, magical employment of letters and numbers, and the occult applications of the Qur'an - thereby comprising a veritable encyclopedia of Islamicate magical wisdom and formulae. Images and descriptions of amulets and talismans adorn it. Numerous beautiful manuscripts of the Sun of Knowledge have survived, various of which have been used as a basis for this present work.al-Juzʼ al-thānī (Part two), starts with: "al-Faṣl al-khāmis ʻashar. Fī al-shurūṭ al-lāzimah li-baʻḍ dūna baʻḍ fī al-bidāyāt wa-al-nihāyāt." Ilm al-Hurūf, the esoteric science of Arabic letters, there is much in the Shams Al-Ma'arif that is a mystery to me. Nevertheless, the light of wisdom shines very clearly through it. A basic component of the science of letters is the fact that in Arabic, the letters denote numbers and thus can be used numerologically. Many complex number calculations and letter correspondences are used. The key insight that is invisible to modern materialists is that this is not a symbolic system, rather there are fundamental underlying spiritual realities that the letters embody and are intiminately connected to. For Sufis versed in this art the realization dawns that the One has manifested reality and continues to sustain and control it through the divine letters and words. Thus the written symbols and spoken sounds that we take as words and letters are only a shadow of these divine letters and words. As it says in the Noble Quran, "When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is." Noble Quran, Surah 3 Ali-Imran, verse 47. The saying here is the divine manifestation of the appropriate name, i.e. its letters and words. These names, these interrelationships can therefore be used magically, but their true knowledge brings gnosis, direct awareness of reality and the One.

Sufism takes the same approach to Islam’s 99 names of God, also known as the Asma as-husna. Each name describes one of Allah’s many divine attributes, for example, “Ar-Rahman”, the merciful, and “Al-Khaliq”, the creator. His control in the universe is strengthened and God, exalted be it, frees him from all misfortunes and avoids everything that displeases him. And whoever uses his zikr, learns what he did not know and wisdom becomes manifest in his words. Shams al-Ma'arif or Shams al-Ma'arif wa Lata'if al-'Awarif [a] is a 13th-century grimoire centered on Arabic magic and claimed to be a manual for achieving esoteric spirituality. It was written by the scholar Ahmad al-Buni who wrote it while living in Algeria; he died around 1225 CE (622 AH). [1] The book is a patchwork of bits and pieces of al-Buni's authentic works, and texts by other authors. [2] Scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah have criticized the book and labeled al-Buni as a deluded devil worshipper. [3] [4] The statement 'Laa illaaha illullaah' will benefit the one who says it if he confirms to its meaning in his life, and doesn’t nullify it by associating partners with Allaah, such as supplicating to the dead or calling upon the living who are absent.Dawud al-Jili Habib al-Ajami Hasan al-Basri. Buni states in the same work that he acquired his knowledge of magical squares through the following retrograde chain of teachers: Siraj al-Din al-Hanafi Shihab al-Din al-Muqaddasi Shams al-Din al-Farisi Shihab al-Din al-Hamadani Qutb al-Din al-Diya’i Muhyiddin ibn Arabi Abu’l Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Turizi Abu Abdullah al-Qurashi Abu Madin al-Andalusi. Buni states that he acquired additional knowledge about the esoteric art of letters and the magical squares through the following retrograde chain of teachers: Mohammad 'Izz al-Din ibn Jam’a Mohammad al-Sirani Shihab al-Din al-Hamadani Qutb al-Din al-Dhiya’i Muhyiddin ibn Arabi. Buni states that he acquired his occult knowledge through the following retrograde chain of teachers: Abu’l Abbas Ahmad ibn Maymun al-Qastalani Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Qurashi Abu Madin Shu'ayb ibn Hasan al-Ansari al-Andalusi Abu Ayyub ibn Abi Sa'id al-Sanhaji al-Armuzi Abi Muhammad ibn Nur Abu al-Fadhl Abdullah ibn Bashr Abu Bashr al-Hasan al-Jujari Al-Saqati Dawud al-Ta’i Habib al-Ajami Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Sirin Malik ibn Anas. Buni also made regular mention of Plato, Aristotle, Hermes, Alexander the Great, and obscure names of Chaldæan magicians. In one of his works, he recounted a story of his discovery of a cache of manuscripts buried under the pyramids, that included a work of Hermetic thinkers. His works on traditional healing remain a point of reference among Yoruba Muslim healers in Nigeria and other areas of the Muslim world. For information on his writings, see Ullmann, M. - Die Naturund Geheimwissenschaften im Islam, Handbuch der But when a person commits shirk (poltheism), they attempt to, willingly or unwillingly, direct an injustice towards the one who has provided them with all these necessary things - and often a whole lot more. This One who provides us with all our needs and wants is of course Allah, the Lord of this universe. So is it right for us to commit this offence against the one who has provided us with all that we could possibly need? Publisher: FAR Ancient Publications Ltd; reproduction of original16th century ed edition (July 2006)  Language Arabic  ISBN-10: 1905934017  ISBN-13: 978-1905934010  Average Customer Review: Be the first to review this item We must not name or attribute anything to Allah except with what Allah or His Messenger has named or attributed to Him. Shamsu'l-Ma'arif". eshaykh.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011 . Retrieved July 9, 2011.