Ahmad al-Buni is a figure of duality. On one hand, he was a respected Sufi mystic, a worker of miracles whose prayers were always answered. He studied under renowned Sufi masters, including Abu Abdillah Shams al-Din al-Asfahâni, and his spiritual lineage can be traced back through a chain of prominent Sufis, including Imam Hasan al-Basri.
So, what is actually inside this formidable book? The Shams al-Ma'arif is a vast encyclopedia of Arabic-Islamic occult science. It is not a narrative but a manual: a collection of tables, prayers, astrological calculations, and spiritual techniques. Its core framework is built around the esoteric connection between the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet, specific divine names, numbers, and the celestial bodies. The author argues that by mastering these correspondences, one can manipulate spiritual energies to produce real-world effects. Shams Al Maarif Al Kubra.pdf
The text is designed as a guide to understanding the unseen world. Unlike Western grimoires that often focus solely on demonic invocation, Shams Al Maarif focuses on the . Ahmad al-Buni is a figure of duality
Shams Al Maarif Al Kubra has faced criticism and controversy throughout its history, primarily due to its perceived emphasis on magical and esoteric practices. Some critics have accused al-Buni of promoting illicit or heretical ideas, while others have questioned the book's attribution to him. So, what is actually inside this formidable book
Later copyists, occultists, and editors added sections to the manuscript. They stripped away much of the dense Sufi theology and replaced it with practical "recipes" for talismans, wards, and interactions with the spiritual realm (including Jinn).