al-Asrar al-Rabbaniyyah: The Divine Secrets: On the Mysteries of the Arabic Letters, Their Spiritual Powers, and the Angelic Sciences (Al-Buni Manuscripts Collection)

al-Asrar al-Rabbaniyyah (The Divine Secrets) is a complete English translation of an Arabic grimoire on the science of letters ('ilm al-huruf), its magic squares and talismans, for readers of Islamic esotericism and Sufi lettrism. It is attributed to Ahmad ibn 'Ali al-Buni. After a first chapter on the alif and the origin of the letters and a second on the science of the letters, the treatise works through ten of the letters in turn, moving between a letter's inner meaning and its practical forms: seals, squares and operations. It names early Sufi masters, among them Sahl al-Tustari and Dhu al-Nun al-Misri, as having brought out the subtleties of the letters, and refers the reader to "our book" Shams al-Ma'arif for more on numbers and letters. What is inside The origin of the letters from the alif, triangular diagrams of the letters and of the spiritual worlds of intellect, spirit and soul, and the Throne, Pen, Footstool and Tablet as centers of the worlds The 28 Arabic letters in fiery, airy, watery and earthly groups, set in upper and lower pairs across the spheres from the Intellect and Footstool through the seven planets to the four elements, and each assigned to one of the 28 lunar mansions, with the undotted and dotted letters matched to auspicious and inauspicious mansions Letters, zodiac signs and the organs of the body, with a method of healing by Qur'anic verses that gather the letters of the ailing organ Chapters on ten letters (Ba', Mim, Ha', Nun, Qaf, Jim, Dal, Ta', Sad and Tha') that between them give temperaments by degree, divine names, seals, squares and operations, with passages on Ra', Ya', Kaf, Shin and 'Ayn The basmala (Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim): its forms in the scrolls of Noah and Solomon, the point beneath the Ba', and the three worlds of dominion, creation and spirit that it contains Ayat al-Kursi (the Throne Verse) used in two workings, a reading of "His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth", and a section on the Footstool and its directions Workings timed by day and planetary hour, with fasting, purity, fumigation, engraving on metal tablets, and writing washed off and drunk Stated aims: memory and understanding, protection, provision, affection, safety from tyrants, release of prisoners, answers in dreams, and relief from fever, headache and scorpion sting About this edition The full text in English, with IJMES transliteration and the Arabic script for prayers, Qur'anic verses and divine names Barbarous names transliterated exactly beside the Arabic, never translated 47 captioned figures: diagrams, circular seals and talismans, and numerical and lettered magic squares, with the seals and squares reproduced as images from the source manuscript The manuscript's completion note, dated 1127 AH, followed by inner readings of Qur'anic verses Volume II of the Al-Buni Manuscripts Collection. Volume I is Shams al-Ma'arif al-Kubra.