Shams Part 1

or; and the eternal order (abbot) which resides in the two testimonies of faith united by the noble angels is the basis of divine Science, and this is the testimony of eternity without end (abbot). Thus, whoever knows the secret of these two testimonies is a witness of the two kingdoms, then the secret of Conjunction (alitti1⁄2āl) is inculcated in him through visionary revelations (alkašfiyyāt), and everything gives him access to divine wisdom (¬ikmiyyāt).

I pray God, the Living One, the Subsisting One, to make it a sincere accepted alms, my secret confidence taking place,1 that the spirit of His pleasure may accompany me in my movements and in my dwelling, that He may illuminate the way for me and for you, and to grant us and you the lights of Verification (alta-qiq). for this merciful flash and these bright and shining suns are the paths of the Gnostics, the way of the truthful, and the means of those who aspire to the Presence of the Lord of the worlds, God of the first and the last, the Lord of lords, the Revealer of causes, the Lifter of the curtain (ijāb), the Inventor without equal, the Pure Free from bodies and forms, the Eternal One who never ceases to be qualified with the traits of perfection, Eternal in existence in eternity without beginning, Who elevates the higher worlds by His decree and His wisdom, and Who extends the lower worlds by His power and His will, there is no god but Him: the Great, the Most High, Who hides Himself with the veils of lights, Who hides Himself behind all secrets, Who withdraws Himself from the limits of gaze, hides Himself by His essence in His beginningless eternity, and manifests Himself with His attributes in His endless eternity, makes Himself known by His names in His perpetuity (sarmadiyya), and He reveals Himself by His actions in His continuity (amaddiyya), He is the First in eternity without beginning, and the Last in eternity without end, and the Visible in perpetuity. He is glorious above substances and accidents, components and parts, and working by intentions. He is not embraced by territories or regions, nor consumed by the successive movements of the ages, nor does He spend the course of day and night, praise and exalted be He!

I bear witness that there is no god but Allāh, only Him, without an associate, a testimony that accompanies the spirits by confirmation in the intermediate steps between death and Resurrection (albarzajiyāt). Who knows well the number of His creatures, living and dead, and the quantity of provisions and food. The Knower of the past and the future. Who will give life to the dead when they are nothing but dust.

1 For the understanding of these words, see Cor. LVIII:1213, verses in which believers are exhorted to offer a gift or alms before having a private conversation with the Prophet.

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2 Cor. XIII: 9.

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And I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and his messenger, the sun of the community, who delivered the servants of God from polytheism and ignominy, who turned the firmament of belief in
the Divine Oneness with his calling, the moons (ahilla) of religion took light from the suns of his wisdom, the stars of error fell by his gaze, and the dawn of those who believe in
the Oneness of God shone by his beatitude, may God bless him and his family and companions with the best of perpetual blessings, may God have in His glory the loyal companions of the Prophet and friends, and be satisfied with them all, May God’s blessing bring you to the highest of positions and the
highest of rungs!

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Then truth has signs, reality has an order, and spirits have a longing for divine knowledge. Virtue is something to be sought, the ability to acquire it is a gift granted, happiness is united with the suns of perfection, and eternal life is feared through the use of the rites of divine law. For the highest rungs on high are the rungs of those who know and practice [the said precepts], and above them is the rung and the dwelling place of the leading and the truthful, and there is no dwelling place that a wise man of the religion of God cannot acquire, just as there is no presence of life in the reality of a soul that has not been acquired. Certainly the people who are furthest from happiness are those who disdain the commandments of the community and break the rulings of the Muslims that confirm the truth.

And I, seeing that each and every one of the teachers whose words have been lifted up, whose wisdom has spread throughout the world, and whose blessing has prevailed in creatures, have written concerning the arrangement of the divine Names, the secrets of letters, the recitations, and the invocations; and having asked me who has a friendly relationship with me the explanation of what they wrote and the treasure of what they have gathered, for I have agreed to it, even though I recognize the inability to reach the degree of understanding of the ancient sages and the truthful masters who show the right path. I pray to God in the humility of my unworthiness to provide me through his spirits with the gift of help, so that the word may correspond with the demonstration of the truth and its confirmation.

I say, and I ask God for help, that the purpose of the chapters of this book is to make known in this way the nobility of the Names of God, exalted be He, and the types of sapiential jewels and the divine subtleties that God, exalted be He, placed in the sea of His Names, and how to dispose of the names of the invocations and the letters of the surahs and the Qur’anic verses of which they are to be disposed of. Depend on.

I divided this book into chapters, indicating in each chapter what it contains and enumerates of subtle sciences, by which the divine Presence is reached without difficulty or difficulty, and by which that which is desired in the earthly world is obtained.

1 That is, the situation in which the soul will find itself in the Hereafter.

2 Compare the translation of these lines in LORY, ”La magie des lettres dans le Shams alma’ārif d’alBūnī”, p. Question 98.

3 Comp. FAHD, “La magie comme “source” de la sagesse”, p. 80; LORY, ”La magie des lettres”, p. 107.

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And I entitled this blessed book, an incomparable selection and sublime science, The Sun of Mystical Knowledge and Subtleties of Divine Gifts, inasmuch as it contains concerning the subtleties of the dispositions
[of the divine names] and the gifts of the divine influences. It is unlawful for him into whose handsthis book of mine falls to show it to one who is not worthy of it, or to reveal its secrets to one who is not worthy of
it, since, if he does so, God denies him, exalted be He, his profits, and his advantages and his blessing will be departed from it.
And beware of touching it without being in a state of purity, do not approach it unless
you have called on the name of God, and do not use it except for what pleases God, exalted be He! Beware of disobedience, for his secret will be denied you, and his blessing will be departed from you: this is the book of
the saints, the virtuous, the obedient, the disciples, the devotees
, and the fervent. Be cautious with him, do not practice him too little or too much, and let your conviction be true and your faith
in his sure truth: “Actions are only worth with intentions, and each one will be rewarded for what he purposed.”2

If you intend to do some work (‘amal),3 then have faith and be faithful to the saying of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessing!: “None of you call upon God except he who is convinced
that he will be cared for”4; and finish your work according to his saying, peace and blessing be upon him: “When any of you beseech God, let him do his request firmly, for
it is certainly not reprehensible.”5 And you must be convinced that you will get the answer, and finish your work rightly
, as he said, God bless him and save him!: “He will answer any one of you, provided he is not impatient and says: I called on God and he does not answer me”6. Beware of finding the answer slowly and do not make the mistake of being impatient with its appearance, waiting for it continuously.

This firm standard and righteous method embraces forty chapters, and each chapter comprises hidden and apparent meanings, signs, and symbols. And they are as follows:

CHAPTERONE: on the letters of the aliphate and the secrets and enigmas arranged in them.

CHAPTER TWO: on fraction (kasr) and harmonious deployment (basÐ) [of letters and names] and the preparation of work at times and hours.

ChapterTHREE: On the judgments (a¬kām) of the twenty-eight celestial lunar mansions. CHAPTERFOUR: On the Twelve Zodiacal Signs, Their Power and Influences.
ChapterFIVE: On the Secrets of the Basmala, Its Peculiar Virtues, and Its Blessings

Hidden.
ChapterSIX: On Spiritual Retreat and the Exercises of Asceticism That Lead to the Worlds

Upper.

1 Cf. LORY, “Magie et religión dans l’œuvre de Muhyi alDîn alBûnî”, p. 11; LORY, “La magie des lettres”, p. 105, n. 40.

2 Famous saying of the Prophet with which the collection of al-Bujārī begins. Also Muslim, no. 3530; AlTirmi2ī, no. 1571, etc.

3 The term ‘amal refers to any of the magical operations contained in book 4 Version of the ¬adī£ collected by AlTirmi2ī, no. 3401.
5 Bujārī, no. 5863; Muslim, no 4837.
6 Bujārí, no 5865; Muslim, no 49167; Abū Dāwūd, no. 1269, etc.

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CHAPTERSEVEN: On the names by which Jesus, peace be upon him, raised the dead.

CCHAPTER EIGHT: on the four quarters (£awāqif) of the year and the seasons and cycles they have.

CHAPTERNINE: On the peculiar virtues of the letters that begin the surahs of the Qur’an and the virtues of the evident verses.

CHAPTER TEN: On the mysteries of Fate, and its known beneficial virtues.

CHAPTERELEVENTH: On the merciful creations in the illuminations of divine mercy.

CHAPTERTWELFTH: On the Supreme Name of God and His Occult Powers.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN: On the absent letters (sawāqi) in the Fatia and the magic squares and invocations they have.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN: On invocations (a2kār) and prayers attended and subordinating.

ChapterFIFTEEN: On the Indispensable Rules for Some Persons at the Beginning of the First Degrees and the Lights of the Later Spiritual Degrees [in Harmonization with the Divine Attributes].

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CHAPTERSIXTEEN: On the Most Beautiful Names of God and His Magic Squares of Proven Usefulness.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: On the peculiar virtues of Kāfhā’yā”ayn1⁄2ād and his divine and sacred letters.

CHAPTEREIGHTEENTH: on the peculiar virtues of the verse of the Throne and the divine blessings it has.

CHAPTERNINETEENTH: on the peculiar virtues of some magic squares and proven talismans.

CHAPTERTWENTY: On Surah Yā’sīn and the Prayers Answered Which It Has.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIRST: On the [ninety-nine] Most Beautiful Names of God, their classes (anmāÐ) and the dispositions of each class.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO: On the second class [of the Names of God] and their concessional Names.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE: ON THE THIRD CLASS AND WHAT IT SYMBOLIZES ABOUT THE ATTRIBUTES OF ETERNITY.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR: On the fourth class and the names of the Lord of the creatures that are in it.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIFTH: ON THE FIFTH CLASS AND THE PECULIAR VIRTUES THAT ARE IN IT.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SIXTH: THE SIXTH CLASS ON THE SECRETS OF THE RESOLUTIVE CONTINGENTS.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVENTH: On the seventh class, for the elucidation of symbols in divine influences.

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CCHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTH: ON THE EIGHTH CLASS AND ON THE MANNER OF INITIATION IN THE FIRST GRADES.

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINTH: ON THE NINTH CLASS, AND ON THE MEANING OF CORPOREAL LETTERS.

CHAPTERTHIRTIETH: on the tenth class, on the luminous names that control wills.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE: On Arabic letters and what they have [in relation to] the stars, minerals, servant [angels], and spiritual beings.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO: ON THE MODES OF USE OF LETTERS, THEIR EXERCISES OF ASCETICISM, AND THEIR PECULIAR VIRTUES AS A WHOLE AND SEPARATELY.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE: On the division of letters according to the higher and lower spiritual kings, and the names of those spiritual beings that each letter has.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR: On the Explanation of the Secrets of the Circle of Absolute Power (Dā’ira Ali¬āÐa), known as The Pearls Strung on the Explanation of the Supreme Name 1.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIFTH: ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCIENCE OF ZĀYRŶA, THE METHOD OF ITS PROPORTIONS AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF ITS DISCS (ISTIÐāqāt).

CCHAPTER THIRTY-SIXTH: On the secret knowledge (jāfiya)2 of letters according to the divinatory foundations (jafriyāt)3, and according to the authority of our lord Ja’far a1⁄21⁄4ādiq4.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN: ON THE DIVINE EMANATION AND THE RESPLENDENT LIGHT (ŠA’ŠA’ĀNĪ) IN THE PREPARATION OF THE ESSENCES OF PLANTS, AND ON THE SECRETS OF THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE (AL-AṢAR AL-MUKARRAM).

CCHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTH: ON THE WORKS OF WHITE MAGIC (ALSĪMIYĀ) AND THE TWELVE TEACHINGS (MAQĀLĀT) TRANSMITTED BY Ā1⁄2āf b. Barajyā5.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINTH: On the interpretation of the most beautiful Names of God, as mentioned in the sublime Qur’an, with a detailed commentary.

CHAPTER FORTIETH: on the isolated prayers with which to invoke in the rest of the nights and moments.

I say, I ask God for help and I trust in Him, that I have divided the objects of desire into two classes: earthly and otherworldly. And each of them in turn is divided into different classes according to the objectives. And people already talked about the comparison of magic squares, about the study of the stars, the practices of asceticism, and the actions of talismans before this book and what was said in it was written. This is an enormous science that many people coveted, applied themselves to and persevered in, especially those who found in it a practical effectiveness. However, I wanted to oppose

1 On this work, see above, p. x.

2 According to FAHD, “La magie comme “source” de la sagesse”, p. 101, jāfiya is the method of knowing hidden things by applying morphology and isopsefia to the letters of aliphate.

3 ‘Ilm aljafr is the science that encompasses all divinatory methods based on the letters of the aliphate.

4 Famous imām of Shi’ism, who is credited with inventing the divinatory system called jafr, and whose authority in matters of magic is recognized throughout the Islamic world, especially in North Africa. He died in 765 AD. C.

5 Name of the legendary wazīr of King Solomon, to whom some works of magic have also been attributed.

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that by adopting the current followed by the elite (aljā1⁄21⁄2a), in which the scholars of this aforementioned science are directed, about which the first sages spoke and which many people admitted: if one chooses that [first attitude] in this life, it will be harmful to the Other. This is what I will mention to you, so that it may be profitable to you in this life and in the next, and God is the One Who helps for what is right.

1 Comp. LORY, “La magie des lettres”, p. 99; and HAMÉS, “Taktub ou la magie de l’ècriture islamique”, pp. 305325.

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CHAPTER ONE
ONTHE LETTERS OF THE ALIPHATE AND THE MYSTERIES AND SECRETS THAT ARE IN THEM.

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APARTADO: I will speak first of all about the letters of the aliphate, because they are the elements of speech, its base, and with them its structure rises.

Know that numbers have secrets just as letters have effects, and that the upper world has its prolongation in the lower world, that the world of the Throne (‘arš) has its prolongation in the world of the footstool (kursī), and the world of the footstool is extended in the sphere of Saturn. The sphere of Saturn is prolonged in the sphere of Jupiter, the sphere is prolonged in the sphere of Mars, the sphere of Mars is prolonged in the sphere of the Sun, the sphere is prolonged in the sphere of Venus, the sphere of Venus is prolonged in the sphere of Mercury, the sphere is prolonged in the sphere of the Moon, and the sphere of the Moon is prolonged in the sphere of heat. The sphere of heat is prolonged [in the sphere of moisture, it is prolonged in the sphere of cold, the sphere of cold is prolonged in the sphere of dryness, it is prolonged] in the sphere of air, the sphere of air is prolonged in the sphere of water, it is prolonged in the sphere of earth (turāb), and the sphere of the earth has its prolongation in Saturn1.

Saturn, in the higher worlds, has the letter jām and the number that resides in it is three according to its total value, and as for the value of its letters added together, it is fifty-three as follows: the mīm with forty, the yā’ with ten and the yīm with three2, for it itself also has three letters. And in the lower worlds it has the letter 1⁄2ād, which is in number ninety and has the ternary magic square. The sphere of Jupiter has the letter dāl which is four and has the quaternary magic square which multiplies four by four. And the arrangement of the sphere of Mars in the higher worlds is altogether five, which is the letter hā’, and has a fivefold advantage of the magic squares. The sphere of the Sun is six, the letter wāw being the letter, and it has the sixfold magic square. As for the arrangement of the planet Venus, it is seven, the letter being zāy, and it has the magic square sevenfold. Mercury has the number eight, which is the letter ¬ā’, and the eightfold magic square. The sphere of the Moon has the number nine, which is the letter Ðā’, and the ninth magic square. And Saturn has the ternary magic square, famous among scholars. You have to understand this.

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ONTHE RELATION OF THE HUMAN ESSENCE.

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The Throne (al’arš) has the letter alif, the Footstool has the letter bā’, Saturn has the letter jķīm and so on to the Moon as mentioned before.

A PARTADO: the letters are of various kinds, those that begin on the right, which are the letters of the Arabs; and those that begin on the left, which are the Roman, Greek, and Coptic letters. All writing

1 On these lines, see above, p. xx.
2 That is, it takes the numerical value of the three letters that make up the word jŷīm.

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that begins on the right is continuous and all writing on the left is separated. You have to understand this.

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APARTADO: the letters are twenty-eight without counting the lāmalif, being twenty-nine in total. The first is the number of the lunar mansions, and since the mansions that appear on earth are fourteen, among these letters are those that are assimilated to the lām of the article and are fourteen: tā’, £ā’, dāl, 2āl, rā’, zāy, Ðā’, Þā’, lām, nūn, 1⁄2ād, Åād, sīn and šīn. And among them are those that appear with the unassimilated article, and there are fourteen: alif, bā’, ŷīm, ¬ā’, jā’, kāf, mīm,’ayn, gayn, fā’, qāf, hā’, wāw and yā’.

APARTADO: the first of the letters is the alif and then those that follow it, such as the ðā’āt, those assimilated to the article and the rā’āt, derive from the alif. And if one observes the letters carefully, one finds in them a common imprint in their essence, which is present in their essence before it is found in their figures.

The alif in the letters is the one in the numbers, and the numbers have a subtle spiritual power. Numbers are part of the secrets of words, just as letters are part of the secrets of actions. Numbers contain in the world of human creatures secrets and utilities that the Creator ordained, exalted be His power!, just as He arranged in the letters effective secrets such as invocation, spells (ruqà), as well as other things whose influence is manifest in the sensory world through the different types of Names1. And you must know that letters do not have a moment that restricts them, but act in the concrete for those who want it. On the other hand, numbers act through natural qualities (alÐabī’āt), which are conditioned by the choices (alijtiyārāt)2 of the heavenly bodies.

[APARTADO SOBRE LA LETRA DĀL]
The letter dāl has the number four, and whoever makes a figure that multiplies four by four3 and

He puts in it a numerical relationship, that being Monday, the day of the birth of the Prophet4, may God bless and save him!, the day of his prophetic mission and the day of his death5, the Moon being at its height at three degrees of Taurus, thus being free from harmful influences, and at the hour of the Moon; and after having performed ritual ablutions and prayed two rak’at with the verse of Throne6 and surah of Cult7, he writes it a hundred times on a clean parchment, for to him who carries this magic square written with him, God, exalted be He, facilitates memorization, understanding, and wisdom, and magnifies His power in the upper world and in the lower world together. If he is hanged by a prisoner, he is released from his prison immediately. If this parchment is carried on a banner, it defeats infidel and oppressive enemies; and whoever carries it with him and argues with someone, defeats his adversary, because in this letter which is the dāl resides the number four and its square multiplies four by four.

1 Comp. ABEL ”La place des sciences occultes dans la décadence”, p. Article 303.

2 Astrological technicality that refers to the lavish or nefarious nature of some planets or stars in certain circumstances.

3 That is, a magic square of 4 x 4 squares, whose perpetual sum is 16.
4 On the 12th day of Rabī’ alawwal.
5 Day 13 of Rabī’ alawwal. He died in 632. All three events are believed to have been on a Monday. 6 Cor. II: 254.
7 Cor. CXII.

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The planet that is specific to it is Jupiter, which is a star of good omen, and the dāl is a cold letter d together, with which God completed the four natural elements: fire, air, water and
earth; [and the four humors] which are anger, blood, phlegm and melancholy. They are four times thefour of the
dāl, for it has the power of natural qualities and of their balance.

This sacred letter appears particularly in His name ‘the Eternal’ (alDā’im), and more generally in His name the ‘Full of Love’ (alWadūd), since Love (alwadd) is associative while Eternity (aldawām) is individual. Therefore the letter wāw precedes the dāl in His Name alWadūd; on the other hand, in alDā’im no letter precedes the dāl. That is why it is also at the end of the two noble and magnificent names A¬mad and Muṣammad, may God bless and save you!, and it is at the end of both names because it indicates eternity; and the end of the term is “there is no god but Him (Huwa)”, where Huwa takes place after the dāl of Eternity1 (aldawām). And He only heads His name al-Dā’im because He has the first and last perpetuity (aldaymūmiyya) and makes His servants partakers of the eternity of existence after death in the Hereafter.

It is one of the letters of the Throne, because the Throne does not alter his existence, since he is the first in the world of creations (alijtirā’āt) and the first in the world of endless eternity (abbot), towards him goes the ladder of souls, in it are the degrees of the intellects and in him are the lights of divine Mercy. And that is what the majority of the knowers of Allah, exalted be He, have revealed, according to the division made of them ©by Ariṣa2, Allah, may He be exalted, be pleased with him!, when the Messenger of Allah asked him, may Allah bless him and save him, and he said to him: “How did you awaken [to faith], ©āri£a?. And Āri��a said ©: Messenger of Allah, I woke up with true faith. The Messenger of God said, God bless and save him: every reality has a truth, what is the truth of your faith? and he said, “I awoke once that my soul has renounced the earthly world, and its stone and its gold, its life and its death, its rich and its poor, are equal to me, and it is as if I saw the Throne of my Lord protruding, and people being led to the Count, to Paradise, and to Fire.” Then the Messenger of Allah said, may Allah bless him and save him: “You have understood, persist.”

And the Prophet, may God bless and save him, said of the spirits: “When they are in a state of purity after ablutions, they are surely prostrate under the throne.”3

[ONTHE PARTS OF THE HEART OF THE MYSTIC, ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH DIVINE LOVE]

The letter dāl holds the secrets of eternity and eternal existence, and His name ‘the Eternal’ (al c Dā’im) is one of God’s names of eternity without beginning (alazal) and eternity without end (al

1 Huwa contains the letters whose numerical value is 5 and 6, after the four of the dāl.

2 This is probably Zayd b. ©āri£a (d. 624 CE), adopted son of the Prophet, who died at the Battle of Badr.

and

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3 I cannot find this addendum or the previous one in any of the collections I have.

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abbot), for with him alone God is named, exalted be He! And as for ‘the Very Lover’ (al-Wadūd), for love (alwudd) is associative as stated above, and that is that love is the manifest part of affection (al-ubb), and affection (al-ubb) is the hidden part of love (alwudd), for the beginning of love is affectionate love (alma-abba). Thus, love (alwudd) is divided into two parts, manifest and hidden, and its manifest part is love (alwudd) and its hidden part is affection (al-ubb). And the abode of love is the heart, being the most illuminating of the worlds of the heart. And passion (al’išq) is a gift that is between love and affection, and its dwelling place is the interior of the heart (alšagaf),1 and affection is the hidden part of passion, whose dwelling place is the deep heart (alfu’ād), because the heart has three chambers (tajwifāt):

One of them is at its top in thickness, and it is a resplendent light that is the seat of submission (alislām), and where the meanings of the letters take shape. It is also the seat of man’s capacity to speak, and of the capacity that regulates the conceptions of the will that are sent from the soul (alnafs).

The second [cavity] is in the middle of the heart, and is the seat of Contemplation and Remembrance; it is a resplendent light, and is the seat of tranquility (alsakīna),2 and the seat of the active imagination (jiyāl) with which the spirit is inspired (alru¬).3

And the third [cavity] is in its last part, which is the most delicate and the most subtle. It is identified with the deep heart (fu’ād), and is the seat of faith, intellect, Light, power over natural forces, secrets, the scales of reason, and wisdom gifts. And it is the seat of affection (¬ubb) and the seat of natural life coming from subtle heat. This deep heart (fu’ād) has an illuminating essence with which the realities of the divine realms, the secrets of divine Omnipotence in the higher worlds, and the scales of spiritual realities are perceived. And it is the place of the lights of the divine gifts and the secrets of the higher worlds. This is the vision with which it is perceived, for God said: ﴾ The eyes are not blind, but the hearts that are in the breasts are blind ﴿ 4.

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The central cavity, which is the seat of amorous passion (‘išq), has an illuminating essence with which the inner search for God (alðalab) is perceived. From it emanates the effort in the search and the longing for what is desired. It is the essence that is most quickly attached to people because of its subtlety, with
it one discovers the world of Sovereignty and the creation of God, exalted be He, which it contains; and in it
is found the taste for pleasant things.

1 Note that this word also means “passionate love.”

2 Cor. xlviii:4, ﴾ It is He who brings down tranquility in the hearts of believers so that they may add faith to their faith ﴿.

3 Cf. LORY, “La magie des lettres”, p. 106,

4 Cor. XXII:45. LORY, loc. cit., stresses in this regard that in this case the purification of the heart is not to be understood as a moral virtue but as a progress in the knowledge of the esoteric and mystical sciences.

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Then the first cavity has an illuminating essence with which the secrets of the sensible realities (alma¬sūsāt) and the states of the composite elements (almurakkabāt), the spiritual realities of the letters and their mysteries are observed: sublime is that which God, exalted be He, has deposited in
them as to the secrets of the Names and the truths of their mystical knowledge. In them
resides the love of God’s creatures, exalted be He, and the exaltation of God, exalted be He, because of the knowledge they bring of what God, exalted be He, has deposited in them concerning the revelation of
the mysteries of sensible realities. And these are all the perceptions (ba1⁄2ā’ir) of the hearts,
except that they are different in the diversity of their conditions.

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And we have already mentioned in The Propitious Moments of Perceptions and the Subtleties of Secrets1 that there are three spirits of divine revelation in the book of God: the Faithful Spirit (alRū¬ al ‘amīn)2, the Holy Spirit (Rū¬ alqudus)3 and the Spirit of the Order (Rū¬ al’amr)4.

The revelation of the Faithful Spirit descends upon the first cavity of the heart, for it is the intermediate step between speech and tongue, and that is the first of the degrees of divine revelation in the descent of all that God has destined to inspire hearts.

After him is the Holy Spirit, who radiates the lights reflected in the Tablet Kept (allaw¬ alma¬fūÞ)5 into the second degree of the heart, so that faith and mental perception are strengthened, and the different types of divine wisdom and divine gifts of faith become visible.

Then there is the third degree [of the heart], which is the place of sacred light and is also the seat of hearing and intellect. God said to His Prophet, may Allah bless him and save him, in His holy book: “Thou shalt not make the calling of the dead hear, nor shall thou make the deaf hear,” and he does not mean bodily death, but he meant the death of unfaithfulness and disobedience to God; and he did not mean deafness of hearing, for the sense of hearing is present, but he meant by it this ear which is in the realm of the deep heart (fū’ād), the seat of the intellect and the place to which the Spirit of the Order descended, symbolizing Stability (altamkīn)7 and the truthfulness of the Meeting (aljam’)8. And only Muhammad distinguished himself by this descent, may God bless and save him!

1 Mawāqit alba1⁄2ā’ir walaÐā’if assarā’ir, v. supra, p. xiv.

2 V. Cor. LXXXI: 21. This Spirit is also mentioned in the prophetic tradition; however, some authors identify him with the angel Gabriel, as well as the Holy Spirit.

3 Mentioned several times in the Qur’an (2:81, 254; 4:169; 5:109, 15:29…), he is usually identified with the angel Gabriel.

4 V. Cor. XVI:2.
5 V. Cor lxxxv:22. It is the tablet that preserves the original text of divine Revelation, which God keeps in heaven. 6 Cor. XXVII:82.
7 In Sufi terminology, it designates the consolidation of the divine will in the soul of the mystic, as well as the

stability of the latter in its mystical Union (see Nurbakhsh, Sufi Symbolism, vi, pp. 207209).
8 It signifies the absolute occupation of the mystic’s consciousness with God (see Nurbakhsh, Sufi Symbolism, vi, pp.

223226).

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And we have already explained the categories of hearts, their treasures, their lights and their perceptions in our book known as The States of Limits on the Secrets of the Spiritual Exercises1. Meditate on it and you will find it clear and precise, God willing, exalted be He!

God said, Exalted be He: ﴾ The Gracious One will put His love on those who have believed and have done pious works ﴿ 2, that is, there will be love in their hearts, and they will love Him for his sake.

Then, they will love their hearts for the different types of remembrances and for the phases of mystical approaches (alqurbāt), without omitting a single act of the heart that derives from their love.

They will not love their souls until, through the breaking of earthly habits and attachments, the love of God, exalted be He, comes upon them, and their conversation becomes an expression of wisdom, and their movement becomes a path of ascent.

He will love his spirit with the realities of faith, the mysteries of the Law, and the lights of religion, until the signs of divine love become visible in the spirit, and then he will see unveiled the future life and the kinds of paradise which God, exalted be He, has prepared for His devout saints, and the kinds of torment for His enemies. Then his passion will increase in the search for the return to God, praise and exalted be He, and the longing for the encounter with God, may He be exalted!

He will love his reason by meditating on the creations of God, may He be exalted, and on the secrets of the verses, which Allah, blessed and exalted be He, has placed in them. He will love Him in the abandonment of all attachments and customs, and He will love Him by submitting to His command, since this is at the basis of purity, and then He will command only the good and know only the good.

So when the heart is set before divine love, it becomes a spectator of the secrets of the wonders of the Kingdom of God, of the communicative phases of the revelations inspired by God, and of the spiritual realities of the higher worlds. And we’ve talked enough about it.

[ASECTION ON THE VIRTUES OF THE LETTER DĀL]

And returning to what we had for discussion about the letter dāl and its uses, whoever writes the letter dāl thirty-five times, this being the numerical value of its letters because if you write “dāl”, there is the letter lām with thirty, the dāl with four and the alif with one, being in total thirty-five, and next to it his magic square of four by four on a piece of white silk, leaving around the square the letter dāl thirty-five times; and he writes it while the moon is in Cancer, free from the influence of Jupiter, puts it within a seal (jātim) at that time, and carries it with him in a state of ritual purity, fasting and inner purity, Allah, exalted be He, perpetuates him in the prosperity in which he finds himself, supports him in all activity and expands his sustenance. And whoever continually recites His name ‘the Eternal’ (al-Da’im), will get the same. We have already mentioned this and explained everything concerning the Name of the Eternal (al-Dā’im) and the letter of praise (al-amdu) in our book The Knowledge of the Straight Path and the Secrets of Good Guidance3 about His name al-Raman, so it will not be necessary to repeat it.

1 Mawāqif algāyāt fī asrār arriyāÅiyāt. v. supra, p. xiv. 2 Cor. XIX:96.
3 ‘Ilm alhudà waasrār alihtidā’, see above, p. xi.

and

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And he who composes it in this way that we will show below and carries it with him, will obtain all his objectives and what he needs from kings and rulers, women will love him, he will obtain immense fortune and every woman who sees him will love him, God willing, exalted be He! This is his figure:

Fig. 1

And a certain sage mentioned that whoever writes, “Muhammad is the Messenger of God, Amad is the Messenger of God,” thirty-five times after Friday prayer, and takes him with him, Allah, exalted be He, will provide him with strength for obedience to the divine laws and support for obtaining the blessing, and will deliver him from diabolical suggestions. And if he prolongs his gaze on that paper, staring at the name of the Prophet, may God bless and save him, Muṣṣṇd, and observing how both blessed names are completed with this sacred letter which is the dāl, and with your gaze fixed on both, every day with the rising of the sun you pray for the Prophet, Our Lord Muṣṣṇa, may God bless and save you, for God, exalted be He, provides you every day with the means to obtain happiness. And this will happen to the extent of their good disposition, their resolution and their inner purity, because it is a very subtle secret.

And whoever writes his numerical square and carries it with him, God, exalted be He, protects him from the harmful enemies of whatever worlds they may be.

And whoever writes it erases it [with water] and gives it to drink1 to those who suffer from a continuous fever, that is very profitable to him. It also soothes the pain suffered by those who have been stung by a scorpion or a snake with its venom; and it is profitable for all other things of this kind.

This is the image of the aforementioned square:

fig. 2
1 That is, the one who makes a filter with it, dissolving in water the ink with which the figure is written.

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4 14 15 1 9 7 6 12 5 11 10 8

16 2 3 13

16

And as for the square of the letters, its particularity is that it eliminates amnesia and sharpens the understanding and reason of those who persist in their intake with rainwater and honey, and it is also beneficial for those who suffer from chest pain.

And if it is engraved, when the Moon is in Scorpio and Mars is turned towards it in opposition, on a copper plate which you will red-turn in the fire, for it will be profitable for the sting of the scorpion if the water in which the seal has been immersed is drunk.

And since this square figure is the sum of the four alif, which are the secret of reason (al’aql), the secret of the spirit (alrū¬), the secret of the soul (alnafs), and the secret of the heart (alqalb), then the alif in number is one. And if you multiply the four by itself you get sixteen, which is the fractal limit of the number1, because the Throne, the footstool, the seven heavens and the seven earths are in total sixteen. And this is the last number of this square figure in which there are sixteen squares. In the sixteenth is included the even number fourteen, which are the seven heavens and the seven earths; it includes the number twelve, which are the zodiacal constellations; in it is the even number of eight, which is the even number of the angels bearing the Throne; in it resides the parity of six, which is the even number of the physical limits: above, below, behind, in front, right and left; in it resides the parity of four, which is the even number of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous; and in it is the even-numbered two, which are the two testimonies of faith: “There is no god but Allāh” and “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh.”

c

These are seven even numbers, and in it [number sixteen] are [included] from among the odd numbers the odd fifteen, which are the footstool, the seven heavens, and the seven earths. On it is the odd number thirteen, which is the odd number of the Chalamo, the Tablet, the Horn, the Holy Spirit, the Throne, the Footstool, and the seven heavens. In it is the odd number eleven, which are the five senses that exist in the human sphere: hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch, and the six directions up, down, right, left, behind and in front. In it is the odd number nine, which are the essence of man and his eight natural qualities, which are heat, dryness, cold, humidity, heat and humidity, cold and dryness, heat and dryness, and cold and moisture, because yellow bile is warm and dry, and the air is warm and moist, this being the natural quality of blood, and the nature of phlegm is cold and moist, and black bile is cold and dry, so that there are eight separately. In it resides the odd value of seven, which is the odd number of the seven celestial spheres, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury and the Moon; and it is also the odd number of the seven days and of the seven lands, for all these are sevenfold. In it is the odd number five, which is the five sentences. In it is the odd number three, which are the three dwellings: the abode of the earth, the intermediate abode (albarzach) and the abode of the Hereafter. And in it resides the odd number one, which is the Intellect (al’aql)3.

1 It probably refers to the fact that the square is made up of 16 squares and the consecutive numbers from 1 to 16, where one is located in the first square and 16 in the last.

2 Cf. Cor. IV:68.

3 A concept of capital importance in Sufi thought, which corresponds to the Plotinian Nous (cf. T. BURCKHARDT, El esoterismo isla, Madrid: Taurus, 1980, p. 145; NURBAKHSH, Sufi Symbolism, ii, pp. 445-446).

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So they gather at the number sixteen seven even numbers and eight odd numbers, each even number d includes every odd number and every odd number includes every even number. For example, one and one
are two, three and three are six, and so on, and in the same way the pairs.

And this is the numerical figure with the original script, which is the Hindu script, because this script is more correct and better:

1. 16

4 14 15 1 9 7 6 12 5 11 10 8

16 2 3 13

fig. 2
It has marvellous secrets in the letters, and it is a matter of arranging a figure in which, instead of a

the numbers write letters, being this after two weeks of fasting in which you will eat bread only at night, and in which you will remain in a state of ritual purity and continuous praise to Allah, exalted be He! Then you shall take a square sheet of pure tin and engrave on it this square of letters, facing the qiblah, and after having prayed two rak’at with the verse of the Throne once and the surah of the Cult a hundred times, on Thursday in the hour of Jupiter and at the time of the rising of the sun, the moon being protected by Jupiter and the Sun, and the zodiacal ascendant in Gemini. Then you shall fumigate him with mastic gum and white sandalwood every Thursday, for to the bearer of this seal God, may He be exalted, will make the affairs of religious practice agreeable, He will facilitate pious acts and works, He will provide him with the means of sustenance, and God, exalted be He, will bless him in all that he proposes.

Also if he places it in his post, his tent or in his trunk, his wealth increases and his provisions abound, provided that specific words are written next to it to ask for sustenance, and that there is in the subject a wide spiritual expansion (albasÐ) and the conformation of the divine blessing (baraka). as we will explain later, God willing, exalted!

And whoever writes it on a gazelle-skin parchment on Thursday at sunrise and wears it sewn on his clothes, is safe by the power of God, exalted be He, from thieves, from misfortunes, and from everything that he fears and distrusts, after the words suitable for it have been written in each case. And beware of wearing it in a state of impurity.

This is the first of the postulates concerning numbers. Later I will tell you some of the secrets of numbers and what God makes manifest in them, the nature of their benefits and the way to dispose of them; and of the mystery of the letters that are in the book of God, exalted be He, which are found in the beginnings of the surahs, which are twenty-eight surahs, a secret that only the choicest of His creatures attain. I will inform thee of that which resides in the most beautiful Names of God, exalted be He, which are the chests of mysteries and the channels of mysteries.

1 It refers to the letters called fawāti¬ or ¬urūf almuqaÐÐa’a’a, which head some surahs and are of uncertain meaning. However, the number of suras in which these letters appear is twenty-nine, so it must be an error. On the other hand, in manuscript B of our edition it reads “twenty-eight letters”, a reading that is also invalid since there are fourteen enigmatic letters.

b

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divine decrees. I will tell you about the knowledge of the supreme name of God, the greatest and noblest, and about the secrets of the divinity and the attributes of the divine Lordship that it contains, which you will not find in any book, for you will not find in any anthology the mysterious enigmas that I have gathered together or the wisdom pearls that I have extracted. so they will be of benefit to the one who reads it and understands its meaning.

And this is the image of the square of the letters as you can see:

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And it has a prayer composed from its figure and resulting
from the set of its letters, which are these: alif, bā’, ŷīm, dāl, hā’, wāw, zāy,
¬ā’, Ðā’ and yā’, predominating over them the yā’, which is the tenth. Of them
is composed the noble invocation, in which you will say: “My God, I
ask You for Your most beautiful names all of them, those I know and those I do not know, O
He, O He, O One, O One, O Guide, O Merciful, O Creator, O Seer, O Inventor, O Who extends [sustenance], O Perpetual, O Majestic, O Eternal, O Heir, O Lover, O Living, O Patient, O Truth, O Wise, O Visible, O Revealer, solve my need. Answer, O Isrāfīl, you and your heavenly and earthly helpers and servants.”

[ONTHE LINK OF LETTERS WITH THE TWENTY-EIGHT LUNAR MANSIONS]

And since it was said that the letters are twenty-eight according to the number of the twenty-eight lunar mansions, of which fourteen are visible on the earth and fourteen under the earth, for when one of them is hidden, the fifteenth appears opposite it (naÞīr),1 which is always so. That is why the letters are fifteen with diacritical dots and thirteen without punctuation, the ones provided with dots being: bā’, ta’, £ā’, ŷīm, jā’, 2āl, zay, Þā’, Åād, nūn, gayn, fā’, qāf, šīn, yā’; and the letters devoid of diacritic points are these: alif, ¬ā’, dāl, rā’, Ðā’, kāf, lām, mīm, 1⁄2ād, ‘ayn, sīn, hā’, wāw. From the letters without punctuation derive the lunar mansions fastas, and from those provided with diacritical points the nefarious mansions and the tempered mansions (almumtaziŷāt). The one with a single point is closer to the good omen, and the one with two points is halfway to the disastrous, which are the tempered ones, and the one with three points is the most disastrous, such as the šīn and the £ā’. Meditate on that.

Behold, I will explain to you the manner of this, for the lunar mansions are figures of different forms in their divine nature, without resembling one another. And God created the round moon, and in the same way the sun, by an arcane secret that cannot be explained, because the dissemination of the secret of Lordship is an act of infidelity (kufr). And as for the moon, when it descends to the mansion of alnaЬ2 it has some symbols that indicate it. But walls have ears and discretion is the most convenient, so try to understand what I pointed out and consider it, for God, exalted be He, speaks the truth and He shows the right way.

1 It refers to the system known by the Arabs as anwā’, which was used to predict meteorological phenomena as they coincided with them in a cyclical way, and which is based on the setting of one of the lunar mansions to the west, coinciding with the rise of its opposite to the east at the time of dawn.

2 “The horn [of the ram],” the α star of Aries. AlNaЬ is the name given to the first of the lunar mansions in medieval times. However, in pre-classical Arabia this first mansion was called alŠaraÐān (cf. R. L.AFFITTE, Héritages arabes – Des noms arabes pour les étoiles, Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, 2001, pp. 91-92), and the latter name is the one that the first mansion will receive in the following chapters.

d yd yh a Ð z w yb h ya y ¬

yw b ŷ yŷ

Fig. 3

19

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CHAPTER TWO
ONTHE FRACTION AND HARMONIC EXTENSION [OF THE LETTERS] AND THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE WORKS AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND HOURS.

Know, may God guide us to His obedience and to the understanding of His secrets and His providence, that Allah, exalted be He, has already spoken about the Sun and the Moon, and mentioned them in His exalted Book with His words, exalted be He: ﴾ Each one sails in a sphere ﴿1.

The Moon, when it is placed in the mansion of alNaЬ2 which is the letter alif and participates in the secret of the alif, then the spirituality of the alif is revealed in it, anger is present in different parts of the world and increases among the most important people and authorities on earth, each of the human creatures encountering anger (qahr) and spiritual contraction (qabÅ) within him, according to the degree to which humanity is: whoever studies this, will find it true.

Man should be calm at that hour and employ his strength in the worship of Allah, may He be exalted, in the frequent exercise of praise (2ikr) to Him, and in the persistence of ritual purity during such times, for in it there is a spiritual constriction of souls, so that man does not know the reason for his oppression and becomes self-absorbed. This is because the alif is the first of the degrees of the units in numbers and letters, and has no comparison; That is why disturbance in the lower world comes with it. You must understand this, for in it resides the embarrassment of the one whom you want to disturb from among the proud and the arrogant, because his disturbance and his [oppressive] property harmonize with the heat and dryness existing in the letter alif, for which reason the disturbance takes place. Then the souls are constrained by the positioning of the moon in it and by the heat and dryness that is in alNa, and it is the phase (wajh) of alAmar3, for alAmar is of a warm and dry nature, corresponding to that of fire, incendiary by its natural quality.

You must invoke at that moment with the warm and dry names proper to its nature, at the moment when the NaЬ rises in the east and the moon is in it. You shall write the letter [alif] one hundred and eleven times on copper or iron or on red terracotta pottery together with the name of the person you wish to disturb, and you shall put it on the fire in which there are substances in which heat also resides, such as clay and periwinkle (alquǺǺāb),4 so that you may vaporize it with its smoke. Then you will invoke with the names one hundred and eleven times, which is the number that results in the extension of the letter5 and the names with which you will invoke it. This results from taking the letters of the aforementioned name from whoever wants to disturb and oppress, you will spread them out and see what natural quality predominates in them, whether it is heat, dryness, cold or humidity. Then you shall take those warm and dry letters of his name, arrange them on a board, and add to them the letters of alMirrīj (Mars), alNaḥ, and alQamar (Moon), and form from

1 Cor. xxxvi:39.
2 See previous page, n. 2.
3 See below, p. 22, n.1.
4 Cf. Dozy, Takmila alma’āŷim al’arabiyya, Baghdād: Dār alšu’ūn altaqāfiyya al’amma, 1997, vol. 8, n. 381. 5 Adding the numerical value of the letters alif, lām and fā’ in the name ‘alif’: 1 + 3 0 + 80 = 111.

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They are one or more of the Names of God, exalted be He, with which you will invoke the number of times mentioned, earnestly desiring the repression and coercion of that person.

For example, Zayd and ‘Amrū. You shall put the letters separated and extended in this way: ‘ayn, mīm, rā’, wāw, mīm, rā’, yā’, jā’, nūn, Ðā’, ¬ā’, qāf, mīm, rā’ 1, and these are fourteen letters among which are igneous Ðā’ and mīm, and terrestrial ‘¬ā’, ‘ayn, rā’ and jā’. Among the warm and humid letters there are three that are wāw, yā’ and nūn; and among the letters of coldness and humidity there is only one, which is qāf. The repeated warm letters are four: mīm, mīm, mīm, Ðā’, and the repeated dry letters are six, and they are ¬ā’, ‘ayn, rā’, rā’, rā’, jā’; the warm and humid are three, which are those written [before], and [the letter] of cold and humidity is also written without repetition. The fourteen letters are then counted, and heat and dryness predominate in them. Then We have obtained from among the names of Allah, exalted be He, these which thou shalt say:

“I conjure you, O angel Samsamā’īl, by Him Who created you, for by transforming you He equals you to b a light in your sphere, distinguishes you with His strength and protects you, so that you may be my helper in whatever He desires from
you, for I command you to take revenge on So-and-so son of So-and-so, to weaken his senses, that you
mingle with the natural heat of Mars and inflame in it a heat of fire with which you repress his limbs, with which
you oppress his heart and his interior and injure his mind. Bring down upon him the angels of torment
and fire from Mars, causing fever, headache, and all other ailments. By the right (bi¬aqq) of
Mars and the misery and fire that is in it. By the right of thy abode of great dryness and warmth, avenging the ignorance (Þulma) of the wicked and of the heretical tyrants. Send the spirituality of
Mars and the [angels] lords of fire, torment, annoyance and suffering upon the spirituality of this heretical, arrogant and impious tyrant, make the torment of punishment dwell in his body and instigate within him the secret of discomfort, anger and vengeance. I conjure thee by the Mighty One,
Who surrounds all, Who covers all, the Living, the Subsistent, the Light, the Trustworthy, the Near, the Far, the Who spreads the lights, Who divulges the secrets. By the right of fire and sparks, by the red planet, and by God, the One, the Dominator. Respond, O angels, obedient and hasty to the names of the Lord of the worlds.” And you will write next to it the fivefold magic square:

18 10 22 14 1 12 4 16 8 25 6 23 15 2 19 5 17 9 21 13

24 11 3 20 7

Fig. 4

1 He has displayed the letters ‘Amru, Mirrīj, Nat¬ and Qamar, so we must assume that Zayd in this example is the subject of the operation.

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[ASECTION ON LETTER ALIF ]

Know, O brother, may God guide us to what is right, that the letter alif has a magic square related to the element of air, its planet is Mars and its servant (jādim) is al-mar 1, and it is a letter of great effectiveness, and if it is multiplied by itself, Obedience becomes visible, because it is the alif is the limit of the units. And you must know that this noble letter has power over the arrangement of the rest of the letters, because it is like the father: try to understand.

1. 20

And as for its peculiar virtues (jawā1⁄21⁄2), if you want to use it for love, you will write it in this way as we have explained to you in a good omen, and if you swap the letters of the name of the person who is the object of the work with the letters of the magic square, it is better and more powerful in the desired effects. This is the incantation: “I conjure you, O Samsamā’īl, your subordinates and your helpers of the higher and lower spheres, and the subordinates of the letter alif all together, for I conjure you to listen and obey, and to stimulate and incite the desire of 2022. By the right (bi-aqq) of that with which I conjure you, by the right of the letter alif and the secrets that God caused to descend into it, of which no one except the highest Gnostics has any knowledge, and by the right of the aliphate (abiad) and the peculiar virtues that are in it, that you may respond obediently to that for which I invoke you and submissive to that for which I conjure you.”

Try these operations and actions that are convenient, and you will prosper, God willing, exalted be He! And this is the magic square of the letter alif, whose secret and virtue is known among the sages. If you want to use it for the work of disturbance, then do as we have already indicated, and you will achieve your goal, for God speaks the truth and He shows the way.

Fig. 5

1 He is one of the seven kings of the jinn (cf. DOUTTÉ, Magie & Religion, p. 122, 160). 2 See below, p. 158, n. 1.

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[APART ABOUT THE LUNAR MANSIONS AND THEIR SPIRITUALITY IN RELATION TO LETTERS]

THESECOND LUNAR MANSION1 is BuÐayn 2, to which the letter bā’ corresponds. When the moon lodges in it, there descends from it by the command of Allah, exalted be He, a spiritual power that suits wrath and what was mentioned before. During this the medicine is drunk, and in it the powerful, the inhabitants of the earth and their rulers are disturbed. This is because it is in the second decan (wajh) 3 of Aries, which belongs to the Sun, and the exaltation of the sun is in its sixth degree on the fourth day of April4, the sun being a good omen, except that it is warm and dry, also the nature of Mars. Because of its good omen and its apogee in this dean, we will work to obtain the acceptance and good reception of the kings according to what you want from them and what you propose in it, because your needs will certainly be met. It works for love affairs, acceptance and the attraction of hearts, taking place for what is desired. It is also suitable for carrying out works related to divine Wisdom, the golden elixirs and their preparation.

THETHIRD LUNAR MANSION is al¢urayyā 5 and corresponds to the letter jķīm. When the moon descends to it, it derives from it by the decree of God, exalted be He!, a spirituality mixture of heat and humidity, which is a fairly good omen for traveling, frequenting illustrious people and visiting the notables, the lords of the earth and people of science. This is because al-urayyā is composed of a multitude of stars, and therefore the reunion with that which we have mentioned is good. He also has a sublime magic square that will be made at the moment of his apogee, which he carries with him and visits with the powerful, because its bearer gets from them what he wants, and they will appreciate him, they will obey his commission and will not deny him what he desires and asks for. By virtue of him Abū Ja’far al-Barmakī 6 had the acceptance of al-Rašīd7 and
obtained from him whatever he wanted. And it will be
arranged in this way as you see, try to understand,
and you will prosper, God
willing, exalted be He!

Fig. 6

1 The first lunar mansion, alNað¬, whose letter is the alif, and its spirituality, are found at the beginning of this chapter.

2 “The little belly [of the ram]”, corresponds to the δερ group of Aries.

3 Each astrological decan or facies results from dividing each zodiac sign into three, obtaining three decans of 10 degrees each.

4 According to Abū Ma’šar (The Abbreviation of the Introduction to Astrology, ed. and trans. Charles Burnett, Keiji Yamamoto, Michio Yano, Leiden: Brill, 1994, pp. 1415), the exaltation of the sun occurs in the nineteenth degree of Aries, or in the ninth degree of its second dean.

5 “The rich little woman”, an asterism that corresponds to the Pleiades; the name is that of a woman, possibly a pre-Islamic divinity of abundance or fertility.

6 Son of Yayayà, great wazīr of the caliph al-Rašīd, and inseparable companion of the latter, who, however, ordered his execution in the year 187/803.

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1. 21

7 Harūn al-Rašīd, fifth Abbasid caliph (786809 A.D.).

23

THEFOURTH LUNAR MANSION is alDabarān 1 and has the letter dāl. When the moon lodges in it, an evil spirituality descends from it, in which you will perform the works of corruption and disturbance that are convenient and appropriate to it.

THEFIFTH LUNAR MANSION is alHaq’a 2 and has the letter hā’. When the moon is placed in it, a mixed spirituality of intermediate agitation derives from it. He performs in it the works of good and some of the opposite.

The sixthlunar mansion is alHan’a3 and has the letter wāw. It is a mansion of good omen that is suitable for friendship and union between those who hate each other and those who distance themselves, because from it descends a spirituality destined for the works of reconciliation, goodness and happiness.

Theseventh lunar mansion is the mansion of al-irā®’ 4 and has the letter zay. When the moon is placed in it, a propitious spirituality descends from it destined for [the preparation of] medicines, and in it the mystics are inspired in their spiritual retreat, for to one who is in his meditation, a secret of the angelic world (Malakūt) is revealed. It is good for the exercise of asceticism and the search for Truth, and it is appropriate for all jobs.

THEEIGHTH LUNAR MANSION is at Na£ara 5 and has the letter “‘,” When the moon is placed in it, a spirituality results from it that does not contribute to good, working on it that refers to corruption.

THENINTH LUNAR MANSION is alÆarf 6 and has the letter Ðā’. When the moon is placed in it, a spirituality descends from it, the effect of which is malignant as in the previous case.

Thetenth mansion is alṣṣṇa7 and has the letter yā’. When the moon lodges in it, a mixed spirituality between good and evil descends from it, in which what is convenient with it will be worked on.

Theeleventh mansion is alZubra8 and has the letter kāf. When the moon is placed on it, a spirituality descends from it that is good for increasing possessions and asking for needs, and in which you will work as it is convenient.

1 “The next”, today known as Aldebaran, is the α star of Taurus. 2 “The tuft of horsehair” designates the group λφ1φ2 on Orion’s head.

3 “The mark [on the camel’s neck made of red-hot iron],” the stars γξ of Gemini.
4 “The [lion’s] paw”, stars αβ of Gemini.
5 “The dimple between the whiskers [of the lion]”, ε of Cancer. It can also designate the γδ partner of Cancer. 6 “The gaze [of the lion]” corresponds to the stars κ of Cancer and λ of Leo. It is also called alÆarfa. 7 “The [lion’s] forehead”, composed of the αηγζ group of Leo.
8 “The mane [of the lion]”, which designates the δθ pair of Leo.

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THETWELFTH MANSION is al1⁄4arfa1 and has the letter lām. When the moon lodges in it, a mixed spirituality for good and evil comes from it, in which you will work what is convenient with it.

Thethirteenth mansion is the mansion of al’Awwā’ 2 and has the letter mīm. When the moon is set on it, a mixed spirituality descends from it in which you will only travel by sea, nothing else.

Thefourteenth mansion is the mansion of alSimāk 3 and has the letter nūn. When the moon is placed in it, a spirituality not conducive to good descends from it, so do nothing in it at all.

Thefifteenth mansion is the mansion of alGafr 4 and has the letter sīn. When the moon lodges in it, there comes from it a propitious spirituality designed for all earthly and afterlife activities, so do with it what you will, and your work will succeed.

Thesixteenth mansion is alZubānā 5 and has the letter ‘ayn. When the moon lodges in it, there descends from it, by the command of God, exalted be He, a mixed spirituality in which you will bring about nothing but good.

Theseventeenth mansion is the mansion of alIklīl 6 and has the letter fā’. When the moon is placed in it, a spirituality descends from it that is not destined for the works of good, so work in it the appropriate matters that correspond, being successful.

Theeighteenth mansion is the mansion of alQalb 7 and has the letter 1⁄2ād. When the moon lodges in it, a spirituality descends from it that helps the actions of good.

Thenineteenth mansion is the mansion of alŠawla 8 and has the letter qāf. When the moon is placed on it, a mixed spirituality descends from it in which no initiative will be taken concerning earthly needs.

Thetwentieth mansion is the mansion of alNa’ā’īm9 and has the letter rā’. When the moon lodges in it, there descends from it a mixed spirituality which manifests itself by calming hearts and gladdening souls, and which is good for all matters relating to earthly affairs as well as those of the Hereafter.

1 “The change [of time]”, β of Leo.

2 “The barking [dog]” corresponds to the βηγδε group of Virgo, currently known as the constellation of the Bouvier.

3 The meaning of the word is uncertain (cf. R. L.AFFITTE, Héritages arabes, n. 151). It is the α star of Virgo, known in the West as Spica Virginis.

4 “The hair [of the lion’s tail]”, formed by the ικλ group of Virgo. Translation of the term uncertain (see R. LAFFITTE, Héritages arabes, n. 157).

5 “The [scorpion’s] pincers”, αβ stars of Libra.
6 “The crown [of the scorpion]” designates the βδπ group of Scorpio.
7 “The heart [of the scorpion]”, Antares or star α of Scorpio.
8 “The elevated part [of the scorpion’s tail]”, the name of the group λυ of Scorpio. 9 “The ostriches”, a mansion formed by two groups, γδευ and ρφτζ of Sagittarius.

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Thetwenty-first mansion is the mansion of alBalda1 and has the letter šīn. When the moon is placed on it, a mixed spirituality descends from it that is not destined for good, so you will not bring good to it.

Thetwenty-second mansion is the mansion of Sa’d al-Abi®¬2 and has the letter tā’. When the moon is set on it, there descends from it by God’s command, exalted be He, a mixed spirituality that is not appropriate for any earthly affairs, nor is it profitable to move in it.

Thetwenty-third mansion is the mansion of Sa’d Bula’ 3 and has the letter “£ā'”. When the moon lodges in it, a mixed spirituality descends from it that is not suitable for anything, nor is it beneficial for moving around, nor is it harmful.

Thetwenty-fourth mansion is the mansion of Sa’d alSu’ūd 4 and has the letter jā’. When the moon is placed on it, a spirituality that is appropriate for moving and balanced in nature descends from it. Do in it what you wish.

Thetwenty-fifth mansion is the mansion of Sa’d al-Ajbiya5 and has the letter 2āl. When the moon is placed in it, a spirituality of good omen descends from it, propitious for all benign works, for harmony, love and affection.

Thetwenty-sixth mansion is the mansion of alFarg alMuqaddam 6 and has the letter Åād. When the moon is placed on it, a spirituality of good omen descends from it, destined for all works of good. Do in it the works of the good you desire.

Thetwenty-seventh mansion is the mansion of alFarg alMu’ajjar7 and has the letter Þā’. When the moon lodges in it, a mixed spirituality descends from it in which you will refrain from making any preparations.

THETWENTY-EIGHTH MANSION is the mansion of alRišā 8 and has the letter gayn. When the moon is placed on it, a good, praiseworthy, and benign spirituality descends from it, which the wise destine to the study of the sciences. In it prayer is answered and the devout works are prosperous.

So observe, my brother, the utilities that God, exalted be He, has erected in letters. And since it is of letters that the word of God is constituted, may He be exalted, that by means of them

1 “The empty place”, as the name suggests, is an empty space of stars next to the constellation of Sagittarius.

2 “The propitiation of the sacrificer”, αβ stars of Capricorn. 3 “La propitia de Bula'”, εëν group of Aquarius.
4 “La propitica de las auspicias”, βξ stars of Aquarius.
5 “The propitious of hiding places”, group γπζη of Aquarius.

6 “The anterior orifice”, αβ of Pegasus.
7 “The posterior orifice”, γ of Pegasus and α of Andromeda. 8 “The Rope”, β of Andromeda.

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the Names of God, exalted be He, are recognized, and through them His speech is understood, for the meaning that resides within it is the spirituality that descends from the lunar mansions. And just as in the sublime Qur’an there are verses of mercy and verses of punishment, so mercy has benign angels for him who receives mercy for his virtue, and the verses of punishment correspond to evil angels for him who is tormented by them. There are also verses that execute the promise and the threat, and they are those that we have designated as mixed spirituality, since it concerns only the essence of man, since there is no defect in the essence of the angels because they are a pure good. In man also resides a pure good, which is the faith that is in him, but there is also a pure evil, for he is the sinner; and it is a mixed good, for it is the believing sinner,1 of whom God said, exalted be He: “And there are others who acknowledge their faults and put together one good work with another evil.” It is possible that God turns to them ﴿ 2, with which there is an obvious parallel.

And with these secrets in the letters the cycles go round through the stationary point of the moon, b according to the phases of the arrangement [of the stars] until the day of their appearance from the earth,each lunar mansion, each spirituality and each letter, being gathered
in the whole of the stationary point for forty days 3, and then in this way to the last of the lunar mansions and the last of
the letters with the last spirituality, the fast and the nefarious being brought together. And if it were not for this distinction
of letters and this astral rotation, man would not recognize the causes of happiness from
the good, nor the causes of misery from the evil, nor the causes of the mixture of the incompatible, for all these are poured into the nature of man.

c

Since these lunar mansions are scattered among the twelve zodiacal constellations so that their occult meaning may be manifested in them, the twelve letters are in six syllables, and they are the letters of Lā ‘ilāh illā Allāh (there is no god but Allāh) in this way: lām, alif, alif, lām hā’, alif, lām, alif, alif, lām, lām, hā’. And there are twelve letters according to the number of the twelve zodiacal constellations, for they are erected over each zodiacal sign. And since among the zodiacal constellations there are fixed (£ābit) and transitory (munqalib), then also among these twelve letters there are fixed and there are transitory ones, for the affirmation is fixed, while the negation makes a transition from existence to non-existence from which it comes. And the circular secret of these letters partakes of the sphere of the Moon, because the moon is nearer to the earth than the other [stars], and the letters are nearer to us than the moon, because they are inculcated in the nature of every man, and we have already mentioned the letters that correspond to each lunar mansion, so we will not repeat them. Each thing increases with the waxing of the moon and decreases with its waning, owing to the authority of its position and the knowledge of its degree, do you not see how darkness and its opposite increase?

1 Comp. FAHD, “La magie comme “source” de la sagesse”, p. 81. LORY, “La magie des lettres”, p. 106.2
Cor. IX: 103.
3 The translation of these lines is uncertain. On the other hand, it is well known that the moon is located in every mansion

for thirteen days, except in ‘alja’bah’, which is fourteen.
4 Cf. LORY, “La magie des lettres”, p. 102. It refers to the affirmation and denial contained in the testimony

of faith “there is no god but Allāh”.

to

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And since Allah, exalted be He, deposited in the seven planets, which are the Sun, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury, the secret of good guidance (alihtidā’), according to His saying, exalted

• He set the stars for you to guide you in the darkness of the earth and the sea • 1, for in them also lies the secret of the Designation (Allah a’l), which is a feature of Omnipotence, for among His most beautiful Names is “Who Appoints” (Allah • “eel”, according to His saying, Exalted be He, • Appoint the angels as messengers • 2, and His saying, Exalted be He, • I will appoint a vicar on earth • 3. So the virtues of these seven planets are taken from the virtues of the syllables hidden in Lā ‘ilāh illā Allāh, for they derive from these sacred divine entities.

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b

[APART ON THE DIVISION OF LETTERS ACCORDING TO THE FOUR NATURAL QUALITIES]

Now I will tell you the warm, dry, cold, and wet letters: The warm ones are seven letters: alif, hā’, Ðā’, mīm, fā’, šīn, 2āl. The wet letters are seven letters: bā’, wāw, yā’, nūn, 1⁄2ād, tā’, Åād. The cold ones are seven: ŷīm, zāy, kāf, sīn, qāf, £ā’, Þā’. And the dry ones are seven: dāl, ¬ā’, lām, ‘ayn, rā’, jā’, gayn.

Fire gathers heat and dryness, air gathers moisture and
heat, water gathers cold and moisture, and earth comprises of dryness
and cold. And in this way the four natural
humors mentioned are associated, which are anger, blood, phlegm and melancholy. Anger is
of the nature of fire, warm and dry; blood is the nature of air,
warm and moist; phlegm is of the nature of water, cold and moist; and black bile
is of the nature of earth, cold and dry. And the influence of that is well
demonstrated by experience, for some Names eliminate fever by their writing, and they are cold names, for example His name ‘the Righteous (al’Adl) 4 is strong.

And these are the cold, dry letters that you’ll insert into a sevenfold magic square as follows5. Also some Names extinguish the intense cold (alzamharīr) and are the Names of abrasive anger.

dŷba ¬zwh lkyÐ

‘snm rq1⁄2f j£tš gÞÅ2

Fig. 7

Gjr’l¬d r’l¬¬gj l¬¬gjr’ ¬gjr’l¬ jr’l¬¬g ‘l¬¬gjr ¬¬gjr’l

Fig. 8

1 Cor. VI: 98.
2 Cor. xxxv:1.
3 Cor. II:28.
4 This must be a mistake, since the letters ‘ayn, dāl and lām belong to the group of dryness. 5 The square includes only the seven letters of dryness.

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APART IN WHICH WE WILL MENTION THE PROPITIOUS AND DISASTROUS MOMENTS, THEIR HOURS AND THE GOOD AND EVIL THAT CORRESPONDS TO THEM

DOMINGO: The first hour is of the Sun: work in it for acceptance and reception before kings and wise men, and in it it is appropriate to wear new clothes. The second hour is of Venus, and it is a reprehensible hour in which you will do absolutely nothing. The third hour is of Mercury: travel in it and write in it for affection, love, acceptance, and anything like that. The fourth hour is of the moon: do not sell or buy anything on it, for it is not suitable for anything [of that]. The fifth hour is Saturn’s: work on it for separation, hatred, enmity, and whatever is like that. The sixth hour is of Jupiter: in it he asks for the favors of kings, rulers, and authorities. The seventh hour is of Mars: work not on it at all, for it is a disastrous hour. The eighth hour is of the Sun: work in it for all your needs, for it is suitable for solving all needs and affairs, being an hour of very good omen. The ninth hour is of Venus: write in it to travel, for the attraction of people, for the affection of hearts, love affairs, and whatever is like that. The tenth hour is of Mercury: work on it the talismans, the seals, and whatever is like that. The eleventh hour is of the Moon: work on it what you want because it gives good results. The twelfth hour is Saturn’s: you will only work on it the harmful works, such as disunity, hatred, and the like that1.

The first hour is of the moon, and it is suitable for the work of love, for the knotting of tongues (‘aqd al’alsina)2 and for the attraction of hearts. The second hour is Saturn’s, and it is good for traveling and meeting needs. The third hour is of Jupiter and is good for marriage, for transfer, for the writing of the document and for litigation. The fourth hour is Mars, and it is good for pernicious work such as bleeding, nosebleeds, disease, death, and anything to do with that. The fifth hour is of the Sun, and it is appropriate to solve needs, for love and to provoke desire. The sixth hour is of Venus, and is good for solving needs and for attracting hearts. The seventh hour is of Mercury and is appropriate for the work of talismans and other works. The eighth hour is of the moon and is good for marriage and for establishing peace among those who hate each other. The ninth hour is Saturn’s and is suitable for separation, transfer, hatred and whatever is like it. The tenth hour is of Jupiter, and it is appropriate for acceptance, love, for knotting tongues and reconciling those who hate each other. The eleventh hour is Mars: he writes in it for hostility, hatred, bleeding, bloodshed, and so on. The twelfth hour is of the sun, and it is suitable for the knotting of tongues and for sympathies.

1 Note that only twelve hours per day are mentioned. This is because it is the twelve planetary hours of the day or “unequal” hours, those used in treatises on magic. It would be necessary to total the minutes of light of the real day, and then divide them by twelve, obtaining the number of minutes existing in a planetary hour of the day (see IDRIES SHAH, The secret science of magic – The books of the sorcerers, Madrid: Hiperión, 1989, p. 3345). There are also nocturnal planetary hours, which in this case are not taken into account.

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2 On this expression see E. D. OUTTE, Magie & Religion, p. 247.

29

MARTES: The first hour is from Mars: in it the work will be for hatred, corruption, disunity, bleeding, diseases and evils. The second hour is of the Sun: do not do anything in it. The third is from Venus, and is appropriate for women’s marriage proposal and for marriage. The fourth hour is of Mercury: he writes in it to attract customers, for selling, buying and trading. The fifth hour is of the moon: thou shalt do nothing on it, because it is unfavorable, disastrous, and closed. The sixth hour is of Saturn and in it it is appropriate to write to knot (al’aqd)1, to provoke ophthalmia, diseases and whatever is similar to that. The seventh hour is of Jupiter: work on it what you want regarding affections, loves, and whatever is like that. The eighth hour is from Mars: work on it as you wish concerning bleeding, bloodshed, and disease. The ninth hour is of the Sun, and is suitable for the engagement of women (‘aqd alnisā’) and for exciting desire. The tenth hour is of Venus, do not work on it at all, for it is not a good omen. The eleventh hour is of Mercury, and it is appropriate for travel disruption, marriage annulment, and the like. The twelfth hour is of the moon, it is appropriate for the works of hatred, corruption, transfer, evil, repudiation, and whatever is like that.

MIDWEST: The first hour is from Mercury, and it’s appropriate for affection, crushes, and anything like that. The second hour is of the moon: thou shalt not undertake any of the labors on it, for it is unfavorable. The third hour is Saturn’s, and it is suitable for the work of diseases, bleeding, dehydration (altagawīr)2 and the like. The fourth hour is of Jupiter: work in it the works of the good you want, since it is a very good hour. The fifth hour is of Mars: beware in it of the confrontation with the people and the evil work, for it is an unfavorable hour. The sixth hour is of the Sun, and is convenient for travel by land and sea; write on it all the works of the good you want. The seventh hour is of Venus: work on it also as you wish, for it has a favorable effect. The eighth hour is Mercury, and it is good for silencing the crying of children and for writing the amulets (uŷub) of the evil eye, for the sight and everything that has to do with it. The ninth hour is of the moon, do not work on the whole of it, for it is evil. The tenth hour is Saturn, and it is good to be received by rulers and the powerful. The eleventh hour is of Jupiter: he writes on it the magic squares for the meeting with the judges, for the litigations and whatever is like that. The twelfth hour is Mars.

JUEVES: The first hour is from Jupiter: he works on it to attract sustenance, clientele and acceptance from the people. The second hour is of Mars: thou shalt not draw blood from it, nor thou shalt work in it knotting or bleeding. The third hour is of the Sun: you will never travel in it, and it will be written for acceptance, love, and whatever looks like that. The fourth hour is of Venus: work on it for infatuations, marriage, and so on. The fifth hour is of Mercury, and is convenient for the engagement of women and men. The sixth hour is of the moon: it is suitable for the journey by land and sea, and is good for all the good works you want. The seventh hour is of Saturn, it avoids litigation, and it is suitable for the meeting with the scribes. The eighth hour is from Jupiter. The

1 That is, to incapacitate a person for a certain action by means of a curse. In a more concrete sense, it would be “to render a person impotent.”

2 See on the next page, the fourth and tenth hours of Friday.

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The ninth hour is of Mars: it is suitable for the meeting with the rulers and for the work of corruption. The tenth hour is of the Sun, ask for your needs from rulers, princes, soldiers and high dignitaries. The eleventh hour is of Venus: write in it for affection and love. The twelfth hour is of Mercury: you will never do anything in it.

V IERNES: The first hour is of Venus: he works in it to excite the desire of women, for their attraction and their love, and for the reconciliation between the woman and her spouse. The second hour is of Mercury: he writes on it all the talismans. The third hour is of the moon: you will never work on it at all. The fourth hour is of Saturn, and it is good for making springs and wells dry up (litagāwīr). The fifth hour is of Jupiter: in it he writes for the acceptance of women. The sixth hour is of the Sun: he writes in it for the meeting with the governors and the obtaining of needs. The seventh hour is of Venus: the passion, affections, commitment of women and their marriage work in it. The eighth hour is of Mercury: work in it all the works and actions you want, prospering your work, for it is indeed a blessed hour. The ninth hour is of the moon: work on it for separation and transfer, for it is of rapid effect. The tenth hour [is Saturn’s], you shall not do anything in it except the disappearance (tagwīr) of the springs and streams of water and wells. The eleventh hour is of Jupiter: thou shalt not work on it at all. The twelfth hour is of Mars: travel on it, ask for your needs or any of your purposes and you will prosper, for it is a very blessed hour.

Saturday: The first hour is Saturn’s, work on it what you want regarding affections and love affairs. Saturn only has this hour of good omen on this day when it is at the beginning of the month with the crescent moon. When it is the final part of the month, all the nefarious works will be written on Saturday at Saturn’s hour: Try to understand, for we have shown you the way. The second hour is of Jupiter: he writes in it for peace among those who hate each other. The third hour is of Mars: work in it for disunity, hatred, and all the works of evil and corruption. The fourth hour is of the Sun: in it you will write for the audience before the kings and their interlocutors and to obtain from them what you need. The fifth hour is from Venus. The sixth hour is of Mercury: in it we will write for the hunt. The seventh hour is of the Moon and there is no good in it, so never write anything on it. The eighth hour is of Saturn: he works in it for diseases, indispositions, bleeding and nosebleeds. The ninth hour is of Jupiter, work on it the actions of the good you want, for it is a very favorable hour. The tenth hour is of Mars, work in it for bleeding, indisposition and diseases, for it is a disastrous hour suitable for it. The eleventh hour is of the Sun, it works in it for the acceptance and affection of rulers, ministers, authorities, judges, governors and scribes; and it is also appropriate for love affairs and reconciliation between those who hate each other. The twelfth hour is of Venus: he writes in it for the acceptance and love of women and reconciliation between spouses. And God, exalted be He, is the One Who grants success and Power.

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[APART ON THE DIVISION OF THE ZODIACAL SIGNS AMONG THE FOUR ELEMENTS]

And know that, O may Allah guide us, he who knows the proper hours for the works of good and evil, obtains his aim in whatever he wants, because it is the basis of the divine Science (al’ilm) and its door, through which it is accessed; and behold, we have explained to you all that the people
of this science wrote, to facilitate the work of these procedures found in this book,
and so that you know each work and what harmonizes with it. We have arranged a table with which you will learn which are the zodiac signs of the earth, and also those of air, water and fire. When
the moon is in the zodiacal constellations of fire, you will work during it the harmonizing works of fire. If it is in a zodiac sign of air, you will work the corresponding works related to air
and the evacuation of odors, and in the same way if it is in the zodiac signs of water and earth.
You will understand all this with the table whose explanation follows, and then we will arrange what
you will know in which zodiacal sign the moon is each day, so that when you learn that and master it it may be easy for you to obtain what you are looking for, because if [the moon] is in a zodiacal constellation of the
fire, you shall work that which harmonizes with it, and in the same way whether it is in one of the air of the earth or of the
water. The table is as follows:

. . . .

Virgo Earth Pisces Water

Leo Cancer Fire Water

Aquarius Capricorn Air Earth

Gemini Air Sagittarius Fire

Taurus

Earth Scorpio Water

Aries Fire Libra Air

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to

After that, we will explain how to know the zodiac sign in which the moon is located. When someone comes to you asking for something on any day, count the letters of their name and the name of their mother1, and the name of their request. Then observe which is the predominant element in both, and if the moon is in a zodiacal sign of water, fire, air or earth, then do a work that harmonizes with it, or place the work until the moon is in the zodiacal sign that suits the request, because at the appropriate time there will be a good omen for the subject of the ritual. Try to understand.

And this is the way to know the zodiac sign or the lunar mansion in which the moon is located: You must know, God help us to fulfill His obedience and to understand His secrets and His names, that the moon lodges every day and night in a lunar mansion. When you want to know which one it is in, then count the days that have passed in the Arab month in which you are and the days that have passed in the year. Then […], which is what is called the base (al’as). You will count how much the total is and subtract five by five until you have five or a lower number left. With that result you will count from the first of the zodiacal constellations, and in the place where the count ends, because in that same zodiacal constellation the moon will be.

b

1 Both as a single name, e.g., “Zayd b. FāÐima.”

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ASECTION IN WHICH WE WILL MENTION THE ENIGMATIC NAMES (iÅmārāt) OF THE ANGELS OF LETTERS, WITH WHICH THE WORKS ARE COMPLETED

When you want to do a job, look at [the total numerical value of] the subject’s letters, the name of the object, and the name of that day, and subtract thirty by thirty from each, leaving each one below thirty. And the rest of the letters are the ones that make up the enigmatic name (iÅmār), that is, the hidden name of that letter itself, for the names of the work you want to do1. It is impossible for the owners of the names to delay a single moment, and this is one of the most important jobs. This is the way in which the enigmatic names of angels are formed.

The angel of the alif is HLHÆÆGYĀ’IL, and these letters are her hidden name: HDHYŪN ŠLHÆĀYĀ 1⁄4MJLŠF. The enigmatic name of the angel of the bā’ is KŠN© HYLJ MDMJ. The enigmatic name of the angel of the jŷīm is 1⁄4HĀYN© NŠLÆK MHKŪDH. The enigmatic name of the angel of the dāl is YŶÆKYL; the enigmatic name of the angel of the hā’ is HŠÆ’. The enigmatic name of the angel of the wāw is MHKŪDH ŠLTMŪJ BRĀJ. The enigmatic name of the angel of zāy is S’DŪYN HÆLÆM MHÆ. The enigmatic name of the angel of the ¬ā’ is KTLĀ ÆLJ ÆYJ. The enigmatic name of the angel of the Ðā’ is ŠMHÆ MLŠY© ÆMH. The enigmatic name of the angel of the yā’ is MFY’ HKHF ŠŪNY®J. The enigmatic name of the angel of the kāf is ŠWŪD HMYÆĀ MDMJ. The enigmatic name of the angel of lām is ‘F’YÆ ÆHMS 1⁄4LŪM. The enigmatic name of the angel of the mīm is MDMJ KLYL. The enigmatic name of the angel of the nūn is ŠFY’ WLJM YHYÆ. The enigmatic name of the angel of the sīn is ŶMÆ’Æ’ ‘LÆRŶYM. The enigmatic name of the angel of la’ayn is L©ÆYM ‘N BŪĀRZ. The enigmatic name of the angel of the fā’ is KYÆM RZÆŠ DHQYK. The enigmatic name of the angel of 1⁄2ād is MŠ’ŪD’ 1⁄4HYŠ. The enigmatic name of the angel of qāf is ‘D’1⁄4R ÆLŶYĀŠ. The enigmatic name of the angel of the rā’ is ŠÆYF KHYL DYNUM. The enigmatic name of the angel of šīn is ‘LKÆF MHFĀGL M3⁄4FÆ. The enigmatic name of the angel of tā’ is ŠM’FYL ÆŪŠ YĀNŪJ. The enigmatic name of the angel of the £ā’ is ‘MŪÆYĀR WĀKŠ HFYÆ. The enigmatic name of the angel of jā’ is HHKYNŶ HMĀLŶL. The enigmatic name of the angel of the 2nd is ‘LKH1⁄4 1⁄4HD’ SHLÆ. The enigmatic name of the angel of the Þā’ is YŪJ RŪJ ĀHMŪŠ. And you must know that the angel of the Åād and the angel of the Þā’ have the same and only enigmatic name, you must understand that. The hidden name of the angel of the gayn is S’LÆF KLKFF HYŪÆ. And these are all the enigmatic names (iÅmārāt) [of angels]. God, exalted be He, is wiser.

c

d

1 The translation of these lines is uncertain. Cf. FAHD, “La magie comme “source” de la sagesse”, n. 71.

33

CHAPTER THREE
ONTHE JUDGMENTS OF THE TWENTY-EIGHT CELESTIAL LUNAR MANSIONS

Below we will arrange a table of magnificent utility, through which it will be known in which lunar mansion the new moon (hilāl) is located each month. First you should know that at the end of the Arab month the sun and the moon are in the same lunar mansion. Then you should know if the day in question is in the first, second, or third third of the Roman month, or in the first or second half, and that the first day of the Arab month corresponds to the third or half [of the Roman month]. Look at the lunar mansion in which the new moon resided, get to know it, and take it as an index. Then count as many lunar mansions as the number of days that have elapsed in the [Arabic] month, and in this way you will know the lunar mansion in which the new moon is that day. For example, we have seen that the new moon was placed on the first night of the month in the lunar mansion of alšaraṇan and seven days of the Arab month have elapsed, and we wanted to know the lunar mansion in which the moon is on that day: we will count from alšaraṇṇṇa seven lunar mansions and we will end in al2irā’, and in this way we have known that the moon is in al2irā’, calculate it. Here’s the image of the table:

Fig. 9

[APART ABOUT THE TWENTY-EIGHT LUNAR MANSIONS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS]

The Teaching on the Lunar Mansion of Allah1. This is its representation:

It has the letter alif, and when the moon descends to Allah, being fiery and evil, it will be right to do the works that concern women in it. A spirituality is then provoked

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to

1 Lit. “The two marks [of the entrance of the equinox]” correspond to the stars αβ of Aries.

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related to the souls of kings, because during it hatred, tyranny and bloodshed are manifested in them. The wise at this time give themselves over to sleep and inactivity. One person mentioned that he saw in his dreams what scared him and what contradicted his morals, so sleep deprivation at this time is better. And it is advisable to refrain from speaking except for what is essential or when it is unavoidable. You shall not perform any artifice in it, and if you want to do a work, let it be relative to evil and corruption. Whoever is born during that period of time is a person of great corruption. His incense is made of pepper and black, God is wiser!

The teaching about the lunar mansion of alBuÐayn. This is its representation:

to

It has the letter bā’, and when the moon descends to the Buḥayn, being warm and moist, a benign and balanced spirituality descends from it into the world, which is suitable for the affairs of men without women. In it you will make the talismans, and in it corresponds the craft of alchemy and every craft of high rank. It is also convenient to begin the study of the religious sciences, and the elaboration and engraving of seals. Whoever is born with the moon on it lives happily, uprightly and loved by all creatures. Its incense is made of aloewood, saffron and mastic.

The Teaching on the Mansion of Al-Urayyā. This is its representation:

It has the letter jŷīm, and when the moon descends to al¢urayyā, being a star of
mixed essence, a spirituality of heat and cold descends from it to the world, in which
the work of talismans is convenient. Do what is appropriate for women and preparing cold medicines. It is profitable for those who travel, as they make a lot of profit from their trade. It is also good for meeting with lords and for writing correspondence with them, and is appropriate for marriage and the purchase of slaves. Everything that is prepared in it is prosperous because in it resides the balance of the moon without the sun, so everything that is done in it has good results. Whoever is born with the moon on it is happy, hates debauchery, prefers the fear of God, and associates with the devout and the wise. Their incense is made of flax seed and black, God is wiser!

The teaching about the mansion of alDabarān. This is its representation:

It has the letter dāl, and when the moon comes down to al-Dabarān, being of the element of the
earth, a spirituality descends into the world in which you will do the works suitable for enmity, hatred and corruption on earth. Avoid the effort in the search for goods and in the beginning of labors, you shall not make a talisman in it or prepare any work in it, for all work in it is of pernicious effects and it is only suitable for the burial of the dead, the concealment of riches, the concealment of secrets, the digging of the wells and to cross the rivers. It is not suitable for anything that does not resemble that, and whoever is born during it is denigrated and helpless. Its incense is made of sweet pomegranate skin and frankincense.

b

The Teaching on the Mansion of alHaq’a. This is its representation:

to

It has the letter hā’, and when the moon descends to it, being a mixture of evil and good omen, a spirituality descends to earth that is sometimes evil and sometimes mixed. He works on it the poisons and their

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composition in particular. Thou shalt not prepare in it any work related to the sun or the moon, nor shall thou plant in it any seed. You will not wear new clothes or rags, and you will not marry at that time, for all this does not bode well, and you will not undertake any of the spiritual activities. Whoever is born during it is fortunate in the last years of his life, but not in his first years. Its incense is made of aloe wood (‘ūd nadd)1, frankincense, benzoin and mastic.

The teaching about the mansion of alHan’a. This is its representation:

It has the letter wāw and when the moon goes down to alHan’a, being a star of good
omen, because it works on affection, love and friendship. Make the incense sticks, present yourself in it before the kings and the notables, and procure your goods and the power of their company. It is good for contact with the most distinguished people, friendly treatment with Sufi brothers and the beginning of the jobs you want. Get married during it, buy the slaves, the slaves and the horses. He plants the trees, constructs the buildings, measures the weights, travels during it, buys and sells, all of this gives good results. Whoever is born during it, lives happily and dies as a witness. Its incense is burdock (quðrub) and artemisia grain.

b

The teaching about the mansion of al-irā®’. This is its representation:

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It has the letter zāy and when the moon goes down to the®irā’, being pneumatic (riyā¬ī), of good omen and tempered, a good spirituality descends into the world in which it is convenient to deal with spiritual matters, the beginning of devotional works, incense and meeting in places of worship. You will make the talismans and work on the chapters concerning the amulets (nāranŷiyyāt). In it he will go before the kings and is good for contact with the noblest people and with the Sufi brothers. Whoever is born with the moon on it is happy, acts righteously and is fortunate. Its incense is nettle seed and flax seed.

The teaching about the mansion of alNa£ra. This is its representation: a

It has the letter “Nara,” and when the moon descends to the Nahara, being cold mixed with heat,
of good omen mixed with bad omen, a
spirituality descends into the world in which you will act on enmity, hatred, rupture, and whatever is
like that. It is suitable for the making of talismans suitable for this purpose, and for provoking hatred and resentment against enemies and the impious, for in it the spirituality of hatred is active. Do not make in it any work related to the sun or the moon, nor visit the powerful, nor begin the works related to the devices of war, for it is evil and only suitable for the works of corruption, as we have mentioned. Whoever is born during it is unfortunate. Its incense is of cost and pomegranate skin.

The teaching about the mansion of alÆarf – this is its representation. b

1 Since nadd is a composition based on amber, musk and agaloco (cf. IBN WĀFID, Kitáb alWisād fílÐibb (Book of the Pillow on Medicine), trans. Camilo Álvarez de Morales y Ruiz Matas, Madrid: Diputación de Toledo, 1980, p. 430), we translate ‘ūd nadd simply as ‘aloe stick’ in accordance with what E. W. Lane indicates in his Lexicon, While these sticks were usually previously flavored with musk and amber,

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It has the letter Ðā’ and when the moon descends to alÆarf, being a star of water, persistent in the bad omen, a spirituality descends into the world that is assigned for the same purpose as the previous lunar mansion, intensifying its effect. Thou shalt not make a talisman in it, nor prepare any work in it, nor go before kings, nor begin the labors of love in it. Do not work medicine (ikma) on it, nor utter an incantation. During this solitude is better than company, for this mansion is evil to all work. Whoever is born with the moon on it is unfortunate. And His incense is of aloe wood and saffron.

The Teaching on the Mansion of Allah. This is its representation:

c

It has the letter yā’ and when the moon goes down to Allah, being cold, a mixture of good and
bad omen, [a spirituality descends into the world that] is closer to kindness than to corruption. In it begins the work for affection and those that resemble them, the appearance before the kings and the petition to obtain the necessary goods. It treats slow-healing diseases, is suitable for moving from one place to another, and the making of new clothes and dressing them is execrable. Whoever is born during it will be intelligent, happy, and fortunate, but there will be some cunning and deceit in him. Its incense is made of myrtle grain and saffron.

The Teaching on the Mansion of Al-Khantan 1. This is its representation:

It has the letter kāf and when the moon goes down to alJarātān, which is [also called] alZubra, being warm and dry, [a spirituality descends into the world that] is suitable for dealing with spiritual matters, the making of talismans, the treatment of the sick and the healing of the chronically ill, selling, buying, and visiting sovereigns and chiefs. It is profitable in it to make the long journey and the establishment [elsewhere]. In it works of great power are appropriate, and it is good to wear new clothes. Whoever is born during it is loved by the people, although there will be some cunning, malice and hypocrisy in him. And his incense is sweet pomegranate skin and nothing else, God is wiser!

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The Teaching on the Mansion of Al1⁄4arfa. This is its representation:

to

It has the letter lām and when the moon descends to al1⁄4arfa, being a star of mixed essence of earth and fire, a spirituality of good omen descends into the world in it. It is conducive to middle-power jobs. No work of alchemy will be carried out in it, nor will the sick be treated, nor will the sovereigns be visited. The war machines will be worked on it and the weapons and the horse will be taken. Whoever is born during it will be evil in nature, he will avoid people and people will avoid him, he will be malicious, cunning and wicked, and no one will love him because of the greatness of his wickedness and his wickedness, God is wiser! Its incense is nutmeg.

The Teaching on the Mansion of al’Awwā’. This is its representation: b

It has the letter mīm and when the moon descends to al’Awwā’, being a warm and dry constellation
, mixed with good and bad omen, a spirituality descends into the world in it that causes the

1 “The two holes [of Leo’s snout].” The name of this mansion was not mentioned before and comes to replace the one called alZubra in the previous chapter, designating the same set of stars (δθ of Leo).

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love passion (alšahwa) and causes men to love women and to unite with them. It is appropriate for the beginning of the teaching of Science and the teaching of anything. Thou shalt not prepare in it the art of the Philosopher’s Stone, nor fight enemies in it, nor dispute or plead, nor go before sovereigns. It is appropriate for her to wear new clothes and the cut of dresses. Whoever is born into it, whether male or female, will be fortunate. And the indicated incense is frankincense, God is wiser!

The Teaching on the Mansion of alSimāk. This is its representation:

c

It has the letter nūn and when the moon is placed in alSimāk, being a star of the earth, dry, because a spirituality descends into the world in it that causes enmity and corruption in women. It is convenient for the works of deadly poisons and anything that causes corruption. The preparation of works of great profit is incompatible with it, and sale, purchase and barter are disastrous in it. Whoever is born in it is a liar, a slanderer and unfortunate. Its incense is frankincense and indigo grain.

The Teaching on the Mansion of alGafr. This is its representation:

It has the letter sīn and when the moon goes down to alGafr, being a pneumatic mansion, a spirituality descends into the world during it that causes love, affection, tranquility and the obtaining of the benefits of the sovereigns. It is made up of medicines and what nullifies deadly poisons and prevents their harmfulness. It is also beneficial for the preparation of the Philosopher’s Stone, and spiritual matters will be discussed, talismans will be made, and all other arts and works that harmonize with it. Whoever is born during it is unfortunate, perverse and a liar, God is wiser! And its incense is frankincense only.

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The Teaching on the Mansion of alZubānā. This is its representation: a

It has the letter ‘ayn and when the moon goes down to alZubānā, being a pneumatic star, of mixed omen, a spirituality of the pompous and its opposite descends into the world, so act accordingly. Whoever wears new clothes during this season suffers a dog bite, enemies speak to him with bad words, and his body is damaged by a painful and painful disease. Whoever is born during it is fortunate in all his actions, whether male or female, God is wiser! And its incense is made of artemisia grain and chamomile powder.

The Teaching on the Mansion of AlIklīl. This is its representation:

It has the letter fā’ and when the moon descends to alIklīl, being a mixed star of good and bad omen, a spirituality descends into the world in which enmity, hatred and discord take place. Thou shalt do in it the evil and its opposite, thou shalt not travel in it, nor marry, nor buy the slave, nor plant the fruit trees or the rest, nor sow the crop, for all this is not auspicious, and thou shalt not make new clothes in it or clothe them, thou shalt not argue or quarrel, nor ask [the powerful] in it the resolution of thy needs. Whoever is born with the moon on it, whether male or female, is wicked and wicked. Its incense is pepper, saffron and aloe wood.

b

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The Teaching on the Mansion of alQalb. This is its representation: c

It has the letter 1⁄2ād and when the moon descends to alQalb, being a star of good
omen and from the water, wet, a spirituality descends during it beneficial for what counteracts the previous lunar mansion, and is suitable for the purchase of weapons and gadgets of war, and the purchase of beasts of burden and horseshoes, for uprooting bushes, sowing, tilling, digging up hidden things, curing livestock, taking purgative medicines, and for phlebotomy (fa1⁄2d) and cupping bleeding (al¬iŷāma). Whoever is born then will be unfortunate, whether male or female, but there will be something perverse in him. God is wiser! And its incense is made of myrobalan leaf.

The Teaching About Alšawla’s Mansion. This is its representation:

It has the letter qāf and when the moon goes down alŠawla, being a transitory mansion of the good and the evil, during it a mixed spirituality descends into the world in which you will do good and its opposite. It is appropriate for dissolution, covenant and anything that has to do with mediation. It is a bad omen for her to cut the new [clothes] and to wear them. You will not make a talisman in it or deal with spiritual matters, and during that isolation is good. Whoever is born with the moon on it, whether male or female, will be perverse, malicious, a liar, a slanderer and a liar. Its incense is made of pomegranate skin and mastic gum.

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The Teaching on the Mansion of alNa’ā’īm. This is its representation:

It has the letter rā’ and when the moon descends to alNa’ā’īm, being from the fire, fast and resplendent, a spirituality descends into the world in it that purifies hearts and induces love, happiness and happiness. It is a good omen in all situations, and in it the preparation of alchemical works is convenient. During this you will study philosophical knowledge and legal sciences, and you will make talismans. It is a good omen during this to build the buildings, plant the plantations, put on the new clothes and cut them, for the one who wears them remains content and happy until those clothes wear out. Whoever is born during it, whether male or female, will be fortunate in all his activities and rests. Their incense is frankincense and mugwort, and God is wiser!

The teaching about the mansion of alBalda. This is its representation: b

It has the letter šīn and when the moon goes down to alBalda, being a mansion of
fire and disastrous, a spirituality descends into the world in which you will work for enmity, hatred and rupture, and everything evil. Do not work anything else, beware of making a talisman, nor prepare in it the art of the Philosopher’s Stone or of the sublime alchemical matter (aljawhar almu’aÞþam), nor deal with spiritual matters in it, nor plant a seed or a crop. Don’t worry about traveling, nor do you frequent the sovereigns. Whoever is born during that, whether male or female, will be unfortunate and wicked. Their incense is tuberose and flavored aloe wood, and God is wiser!

The Teaching on the Mansion of Sa’d al®Abi. This is its representation:

c

It has the letter tā’ and when the moon descends to Sa’d al®ābi¬, being a star of the earth, a disastrous mix, a spirituality descends into the world during which you will provoke hatred, enmity and hostility.

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distance, since the effects of the work are disastrous on her. During this time the souls of kings are agitated by anger and resentment, and selling and buying are unfavorable. Whoever is born during it, whether male or female, will be fortunate, greedy for earthly goods, and perverse for them. And its incense is made of scallop.

The Teaching on the Mansion of Sa’d Bula’. This is its representation:

It has the letter ‘Āā’, and when the moon descends to Sa’d Bula’, being a star of mixed essence, of good omen mixed with bad omen, a spirituality descends into the world during which you will do the evil and its opposite, for it is between the benign and the evil. It is convenient to buy slaves, and it is profitable for the purchase of beasts of burden, for meeting the older masters (mašāyij), for agricultural work, crossing rivers, digging wells, and all the work you want. It is also good for fun, parties, and preparing meals and banquets. Whoever is born during it, whether male or female, will be fortunate and devout. And its incense is chamomile smoke.

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The Teaching on the Mansion of Sa’d alSu’ūd. This is its representation:

It has the letter jā’, and when the moon descends to Sa’d al-Su’ūd, being a star of mixed essence between earth and air, there descends into the world a spirituality which erases the traces of the [spirituality] that existed before it, and which is suitable for all work. Begin in it with the work of love, affection, and the actions you want concerning the reconciliation of hearts. In it, deal with spiritual matters, make talismans, interact with sovereigns, chiefs, high dignitaries, and other important people. Do in it the actions of love that you desire, prospering your work. Whoever is born during it, whether male or female, will love devout people. Their incense is made of aloe wood and mastic gum, and God is wiser!

The Teaching on the Mansion of Sa’d al-Ajbiya. This is its representation: b

It has the letter 2āl and when the moon goes down to Sa’d al-Ajbiya, being a pneumatic and disastrous mansion, a spirituality descends into the world at that moment in which you can work for rupture, discord, hatred, estrangement and wars. You will not complete benign work during this, because when they are completed they do not have good results. Do not treat the sick in it, nor do you deal with spirits and spiritual matters, nor make a talisman, nor prepare during it the office of alchemy or white magic (sīmīyā’). Whoever is born into it, whether male or female, will be a liar and unfaithful. And its incense is frankincense, frankincense, sarcocola (‘anzarūt) and pepper.

The Teaching on the Mansion of alFarg alMuqaddam. This is its representation:

c

It has the letter Åād and when the moon goes down to alFarg alMuqaddam, being a mansion of water and of good omen, a spirituality descends into the world in which you will do what is convenient for love, you will provoke loving passion and stimulate affection in souls. Appropriate to this is the preparation of the art of alchemy, the treatment of spiritual matters, the making of talismans, and the knowledge of white magic. During this you will combine useful medications, visit the

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kings and chiefs and you will nullify the poisons. Whoever is born during it is lucky. Their incense is frankincense, frankincense, and saffron, and God is wiser and Enough!

The Teaching on the Mansion of alFarg alMu’ajjar. This is its representation:

It has the letter Þā’ and when the moon goes down to alFarg alMu’ajjar, being a mansion of water, it is a good omen, because during it a spirituality descends in which you will prepare actions contrary to the good, as it was said in the evil lunar mansions. It will avoid war, encounters with the enemy and disputes. At that time the kings shed blood, and for this reason it is appropriate to practice phlebotomy and bloodletting by means of cupping. It is also valid for the work of bleeding and for preventing intercourse (‘aqd aljaimā’)1 between women and men. It is suitable for entering baths, for cutting hair and nails and drinking useful medicines. Whoever is born during it, whether male or female, is unfortunate, deceitful, perverse and disloyal. And its incense is pepper and Chinese cinnamon.

The Teaching on the Mansion of alRišā. This is its representation:

It has the letter gayn, and when the moon descends to alRišā, which is [also
called] Baṇ to©ūt 2, being of water and fasta, there descends into the world a
spirituality of good omen, in which you will perform benign works and good deeds. During this the craft of the philosopher’s stone and the sublime talismanic matter is prepared. Occupy yourself with the spiritual, for all labors in it are successful. And it is also appropriate for her to travel, to marry, to put on new clothes and make them, to move from one place to another, and to associate with the authorities and the chiefs. Whoever is born during it is fortunate, whether male or female. Their incense is made of black, and God, exalted be He, is wiser!

APART ABOUT THE DIVISION OF THE LUNAR MANSIONS INTO THE ZODIAC SIGNS AND THE MANSIONS THAT CORRESPOND TO EACH ZODIAC SIGN.

You should know that [alFarg] alMu’ajjar, alRišā and a third of alŠaraÐān corresponds to the sign of Aries (al©amal). The third part of Allah, alBuðayn and one third of al¢urayyā have the sign of Taurus (al¢awr). To the third part of al¢urayyā, alDabarān and alHaq’a corresponds the sign of Gemini (alŷawzā’). AlHan’a, al-irā®’ and a third of alNaṣra have the sign of Cancer (alSaraṣan). A third of alNa£ra, alÆarf and a third of alṣabha corresponds to the sign of Leo (al’Asad). A third of the Jabha, alJarātān and al1⁄4arfa corresponds to the sign of Virgo (alSunbula). To al’Awwā’, alSimāk and a third of alGafr corresponds the sign of Libra (alMīzān): To a third of alGafr, alZubānā and a third of alIklīl corresponds to the sign of Scorpio (al’Aqrab). A third of alIklīl, alQalb and alŠawla corresponds to the sign of Sagittarius (alQaws). To alNa’ā’īm, alBalda and a third of [Sa’d] to ābi¬ corresponds the®sign of Capricorn (alJadi). To a third of [Sa’d] al®ābi¬, [Sa’d] Bula’ and a third of [Sa’d] alsu’ūd corresponds to the sign of Aquarius (alDalū). And to a third of [Sa’d] alSu’ūd, [Sa’d] al Ajbiya and alFarg almuqaddam corresponds the sign of Pisces (al©ūt).

1 See above, p. 30, n.1.
2 “The Belly of Pisces”. Both names designate β of Andromeda.

d

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APARTADO: I will mention a table in which the four seasons are grouped together, which are spring, summer, autumn and winter, and I will also mention the twenty-eight lunar mansions, the
twelve zodiacal signs and the Arab months, the explanation of which follows below, if God, exalted
be He!, wills1.

Below we will give a description of the lunar mansions, in a different way from the previous section.

The first of these is alḥaraṇan: they are two separate stars, one of them to the south and the other to the north. They are the two horns of Aries (al©amal), and the brighter of the two is alNāÐi¬2; to the naked eye, when they are in the middle of the sky, there is a distance of ten arms between them. Near alSimāk there is a small star that sometimes precedes them. And this is the representation of Allah:

AlBuÐayn, are three small stars that are not very bright forming an equilateral triangle, and are the belly of Aries. And they are small because in the constellation of Aries there are many stars representing the image of the ram: alBuðayn is its belly, al¢urayyā is its tail and alŠaraÐān are its horns. The representation of alBuÐayn is as follows:

As for al¢urayyā, there are seven stars, six of them clearly visible and one that is small and recondite, with which people test their sight, and the name al¢urayyā comes from abundance (al£arwa), because this mansion is very humid and rainy3. And it has other names, among them “the star” (alNaj÷m), although there are several stars in number. A certain wise man said that with His saying, exalted be He!: ﴾ By the star when it is hidden! 4 refers to al-urayyā, and that the Arabs call al-aurayyā “star” (Najm) despite the fact that there are several stars in number, for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless and save him, called it Najum and said, “When the star rises, the plagues disappear.” meaning al¢urayyā, and referring to crop pests. Other names are al’Unqūd and alQadam6. And these verses have been saidto themselves:

c

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Whenever al¢urayyā is shown in the middle of the sky, the short view sees seven stars

On the horizon, over Mount Al Irā©’, resembling
a bracelet of pearls that line up on a wrist.

to

1 The text undoubtedly refers to the table that appears at the beginning of the chapter, and continues with another section in which the twenty-eight lunar mansions are again described.

2 Lit.: “she who gores”. The star α of Aries, while the star β would be alNat¬, a name that the author has previously used to refer to the first lunar mansion (see above, p. 1920).

3 Manuscript B attributes this explanation to the famous astrologer Abū Ma’šar (d. 886). For the Arabs, the rain brought by the sunset of this asterism produced abundance.

4 Cor. LVII:1.
5 A¬mad, no 8139, 8678.
6 Uncertain reading.
7 Manuscript B attributes these verses to the celebrated poet Imru’ lQays.

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The form of al¢urayyā is as you see:

Al-Kaff al-JaÅīb 1 of al-urayyā is [his hand] extended, and he has another Kaff which
is called [al-Kaff] alJa’a2mā’ 2, which is below Allah. And al’Ayyūq 3 is a
larger red star, followed by three stars called al’lām and also Tawabi’ al’Ayyūq 4, and below al’Ayyūq there is a star called Riŷl al’Ayyūq5. All of them are alien to the lunar mansions and we only mention them here because of their proximity to al¢urayyā.

As for alDabarān, it is the tail of Aries6, and it is said that it is so called because it is facing b (istadbara) to al¢urayyā. It has also been said that there are five stars in Taurus which are said to be their
hump (sanām) 7, and their representation is as follows:

And it was also said that it is a red star whose representation is like this:

Al-Dabarān is also called “al’Atīq”8 because it is like the majestic mountain, and in front of it there are small stars called alQilā1⁄2 9, which are the young camels, and when they are put together they represent in their image as if it were a cow’s head following al¢urayyā.

As for alHaq’a, they are three stars close to each other and are the head of Gemini, as if they were three fingers together, and their representation is as follows:

It has been said that it is the circle that is next to the animal next to the rider’s foot. And they asked Ibn ‘Abbas, 10 may Allah be pleased with him, about whom he repudiates to his wife the number of stars in the sky, and he said: “It is enough with al-Haq’a of Gemini, which is a splendid light.”

As for alHan’a, it is the left shoulder blade of alŷawzā’ (Gemini), and it is five bright star d. It has been said that they are two large stars among which there are three small ones, but what is visible is that
there are five, and their representation is as follows:12:

It is called “alHan’a” because each of its stars leans over its companion, that is, it bends (hana’a).

1 “The painted hand [of henna]” is the outstretched right hand of al¢urayyā, and designates the β star of Cassiopeia.

2 “The amputated hand”, star α of the Whale.

3 Traditionally translated as “the goat”, another popular etymology attributes its name to the fact that this star is the one that prevents (ya’ūq) aldabarān from meeting al£urayyā. It could also have its origin in a pre-Islamic divinity called Ya’ūq (Cf. R. LAFFITTE, Arab Heritages, p. 179). Designates the α star of Auriga.

4 “Those that follow al’Ayyūq”, these are the stars βθ ι of Auriga, as for alA’lām, I do not find it as a name that designates these stars.

5 “The foot or the paw of al’Ayyūq”, we believe that it must be the ε star of Auriga.
6 This must be a mistake, since only a few lines back it is said that the tail of Aries is al¢urayyā.
7 Although both manuscripts say ša’ma (“ominous”), manuscript B attributes this statement to al

Jawharī, where we find that the correct reading is sanām (al1⁄4i¬ā¬, Beirut: Dār el-Ilm lil-Malayin, 1990, ii, p. 653).

8 Name usually designated by the couple οζ of Perseus.
9 “The young camels” corresponds to the group of Hyades.
10 ‘Abd Allah b. al’Abbās (d. 6868), father of Qur’anic exegesis and great traditionist.
11 That is, the number of repudiations allowed is three.
12 Here the base manuscript erroneously presents a four-point figure, when evidently they should have been

five appear, which does occur in manuscript B. Other errors occur in the base manuscript, (see Appendix III).

c

43

As for al®irā’, it was said to be the paw of Leo1, and they are two bright stars. It has been said that they are two stars between which there are small stars called alAÞfār 2, as if they were the claws of Leo. And between the two stars there is at first glance the distance of a whip. There are two legs of Leo, one of them extended and the other contracted. The one that is extended3 is higher in the sky [than the other], and one of its two stars is called alŠi’rà alGumay1⁄2ā 4, because being unable to cross the Milky Way and unite with his companion, who is alŠi’rà al’Abūr 5, he wept until the disease called gamma1⁄2 affected his eyes. And it has also been said that he cries because he cannot reach Suhayl 6.

to

b

c

d

and

f

As for alNa��ra, there are two stars between which there is a distance of a span with the naked eye, in which there is a white splash, as if it were a fragment of cloud. It is the nose of Leo, and it is said that there are three stars whose representation is like this:

They are between Leo’s mouth and the holes in his snout, and they are called Majða al-Asad 7.

As for al-Æarf, they are two stars that precede the forehead [of the lion] (al-abha) and are the eyes of Leo. It is said that between them at first glance there is a distance of one fathom, and their figure is this:

As for Allah, it is the forehead of Leo, and there are four stars, one of them is resplendent, which is the one to the south8, having between each pair of stars with the naked eye the distance of a whip. It is called the star (alnaw’) of Leo and goes after alÆarf. Its representation is as follows:

As for alZubra, they are two stars that are the upper part of Leo’s back (kāhilān), and it is the place where hair accumulates between his scapulae. Between the two there is a whip of distance at first glance. This is its representation:

As for al1⁄4arfa, it is a single bright star in front of alZubra. It is said to be the penis of Leo (Qunb al’Asad)9. It is called “1⁄4arfa” because of the disappearance of the cold that takes place with it and the arrival of heat. It has also been said that with its exit the heatdisappears 10. This is its representation:

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As for al’Awwā’, there are five stars which are said to be the rump of Leo, and their representation is as follows:

1 O is also called ®irā’ al-Asad.
2 Lit. “[Leo’s] claws, stars that we have not identified.
3 Al®irā’ alMabsūÐa, which is the lunar mansion of which the section deals.
4 Lit. “the radiant with bleary-eyed eyes”, alpha star of Canis Minor.
5 Lit. “the radiant that crosses [the Milky Way]” (on this translation and that of the previous star, see

etymology proposed for “alši’rà” by LAFFITTE, Héritages arabes, p. 2189). It is the alpha star of Canis Major, known as Sirius.

6 Canopea (α Carina), Possibly its name refers to a mythical character. The Arabs said that Suhayl was the sister of the two Ši’rà, only one of whom crossed the Milky Way to join her.

7 “Leo’s mucus”, γδ stars of Cancer. The “splash” he refers to is the nebula called Praesepe.

8 This is undoubtedly Regulus (α of Leo), also known in the Arab world as Qalb alasad, “the heart of Leo”.

9 In the original we read Qalb alasad, and we correct as indicated by Lane in his Lexicon, who also observes this error in some of his sources.

10 That is, the coming of heat takes place at its setting at dawn, while the arrival of cold takes place at its rising at dawn.

44

As for alSimāk, they are two bright stars: [alSimāk] alA’zal 1, which is one of the lunar mansions, and alSimāk alRāmi¬ 2, which does not belong to the lunar mansions. And they are two stars that have been said to be a leg of Leo, and it has also been said that each one is one of Leo’s hind legs. Next to al-Rāmi¬ there is a star in front of him which is his spear (rum¬)3. AlA’zal is far from the stars, not being near any star: it is called alA’zal because it has no spear, and it is called “Simāk” because it ascends (samaka) in the sky, that is, it rises4. The representation of alA’zal is as follows: ; and the representation of al-Rāmi¬ is as follows:

Behind al-Rāmi¬ there are stars called al-Fakka, or also al-Falka 5, which is a circular-shaped asterism also called Qas’a alMasakina6; and alFakka is said to be opposite al-Rāmi¬. And ‘Arš alSimāk 7 are four small stars below al’Awwā’, which are called ‘Aŷuz alAsad 8. And as for alSimāk alA’zal, the point between the southern stars (yamāniyya) and the northern stars (šāmiyya).

As for alGafr, they are three small stars in which the moon is housed and which belong to Libra. It is said that [his name] derives from algafra, which is the hair found at the end of Leo’s tail. Its representation is as follows:

As for alZubānā, they are the two pincers of Scorpio, and they are two bright stars whose representation is as follows:

g

As for al-Iklīl, they are four clear stars whose representation is this:
they are three stars on the head of Scorpio, as if they formed the crown on the head.

. It is said

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b

c

d

and

As for alQalb, it is [the heart] of Scorpio, and it is a bright star next to which are two stars, and this is its representation:

As for alŠawla, they are two stars close to what is called ©uma al’Aqrab 9, and this is their representation: Someone said that it is the tail of Scorpio in the rising (šawl), that is, the elevation, as if it raised the tail by tilting it downwards. And it is said to be outside the Milky Way.

[As for al-Na’ā’īm, for there are nine stars, some of them in the Milky Way and some outside of it]10 as if they drank from it and then returned. They are said to be similar to the timbers that are

1 “The Unarmed Simāk.” The meaning of the word Simāk is uncertain. It is the α star of Virgo, known in the West as Spica Virginis.

2 “The Armed Simāk”, Bootes’ α star, known as Arthur. 3 Rum¬ alSimāk, η star of Bootes.
4 Cf. R. L.AFFITTE, Arab Heritages, p. 114, n. 151.
5 In the original it says “a star”; it is Corona Borealis.

6 “The Basket of the Poor”.
7 “The throne of alSimak” designates the γδεη stars of Virgo.
8 “Leo’s hump”.
9 “The Scorpio Stinger”.
10 In both manuscripts that we use in this chapter there is a small gap, and we complete with the

indications given in the Lexicon of Lane, who takes it from al-Qazwīnī.

45

They are found at the top of the well, from which hang the pulley and ropes, and it is called the Na’ā’īm.

As for alBalda, there are six stars in Sagittarius, to which the sun descends on the shortest day of the year. It has been said, he said, that alBalda is the slit between [Leo’s] two eyebrows. Its representation is as follows:

As for Sa’d al-Abi®, there are two stars between which at first glance is the distance of an arm, and next to one of themthere is a small star very close to it, which it seems to be sacrificing, and that is why it is called “butcher” (al-Abi®). This is his figure:

f

g

As for Sa’d al-Su’ūd, it is a single bright and well-differentiated star that brings prosperity, and this is its representation:

As for Sa’d Bula’, he is also a single star, as if he were an open mouth that wants to swallow something. This is its representation:

As for Sa’d al-Ajbiya, there are three stars as if they were the three stones that act as a trivet for cooking, and there is a fourth star under one of them. This is their representation:

It has been said that they are two stars. There are also those who say that the first of the Sa’d is Sa’d al-Su’ūd, then Sa’d al-Abi®, then Aa’d al-Akhiya, and then Sa’d Bula’. There are ten stars called Sa’d: four of them are those in the constellation Capricornus, to which the moon descends and which have already been mentioned. As for the other six that are not among the lunar mansions, they are: Sa’d Nāšira2, Sa’d alMalik 3, Sa’d alBihām 4, Sa’d alHumām 5, Sa’d alBāri’ 6 and Sa’d MaJar 7. Each of these six Sa’d has two stars, and between each pair of stars, to the naked eye, the distance of an arm’s length, for they are symmetrically arranged.

As for alFarg alMuqaddam and alFarg alMu’ajjar of alDalū 8, both are formed by two stars and at first glance there is a distance of five arms between them. They are like the two sides of the bucket, with alFarg alMu’ajjar being the side on which the water falls between the timbers of the bucket (al’arāqī). And both are also called alFargānī.

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i

j

And as for alRišā, there are many small stars in the shape of a fish, which are called BaÐn al©ūt, in the center of which there is a bright star to which the moon descends.

1 In the original, “together with each of them”. 2 Two stars on the tail of Capricorn.
3 Designates the stars αο of Aquarius.
4 νθ Stars of Pegasus.

5 It corresponds to the stars ζξ of Pegasus.
6 “Designates the couple λë of Pegasus.
7 Stars ηο of Pegasus.
8 Since alDalū is the name that normally designates the constellation of Aquarius, in this case it corresponds to

four stars in the constellation of Pegasus.

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And these are the lunar mansions with the division of each month. The moon is each night in one of them or near it, then on the second night it goes to the one behind it, and is in it or near it, and so between sunrise and sunset it travels fourteen, and between its setting and sunrise it travels fourteen more. At dawn there are two of his mansions, and all of them go from east to west, being at the time of their departure to the left of the place of prayer (almu1⁄2allà), and at the time of their setting it is to their right, depending on the variability of the geographical areas. And the Sun also stays in these mansions1.

You should know that the Arabs call the lunar mansions “alanwā'”2, and they are only called “alnaw'” because when the star that sets in the west falls, the next one appears, that is, rises. It has been said that alnaw’ is the fall of a star from the lunar mansions in the west with dawn, coinciding with the rising of its opposite (raqīb) in the east in front of it at the same time, being so every night up to thirteen days, and so each star until the end of the year, except al-Abha, to which correspond fourteen days.

And I say that we will not hear about “alnaw” being the setting of a star except in this context, and the Arabs attributed to them [the coming of] rains, winds, cold and heat, for ‘Umar b. al-Jaððāb3, may Allah, may He be exalted, be pleased with him, said: “Rain has been given to us because of such a star (naw’)” 4.

b

APARTADO ABOUT HIS MOMENTS OF DEPARTURE.

c

And that is that the rising of Allah takes place after the nineteenth night of April (nīsān), and the sun is fixed on that day in Aliklál. The departure of alBuÐayn takes place one night of the5. The departure of al¢urayyā is on the thirteenth of May (iyār) and sets in the west for fifty nights, then appears at dawn in the east; and when he is in the middle of heaven at sunset, the cold intensifies and the plagues disappear from the crops, for we have already mentioned that the Prophet, may God bless him and save him, said: “When he comes out at Najam the plagues disappear.”6 The departure from al-Dabarān is on the twenty-sixth of May. The departure of al-Haq’a takes place after eight days in June (azīrān). The departure of al-Han’a is on the twenty-first day of the same month. The departure from al-irā®’ takes place after four days in July (tammuwz). The rising of alNa£ra takes place seventeen nights in the same month, together with the rising of the star alSi’rà al’Abūr. The departure of alÆarf takes place on the first night of August (āb). The departure from al-Abha is fourteen nights out of the same month. The departure of alZubra is at the twenty-sixth of the same month. The departure of al1⁄4arfa takes place after eight days in September (aylūl). The departure from al’Awwā’ is nineteen nights after him. The Exit

1 Uncertain translation of these last indications about the lunar mansions, which seem to contain some errors.

2 Pl. de naw’: “star whose sunset coincides with the rising of another”.
3 Second caliph of Islam (634644 AD).
4 This saying underscores the disbelief (jŷāhiliyya) of the pre-Islamic Arabs, who, according to the Prophet,

they attributed the rains to the rising or setting of a star instead of being attributed to the divine will. The hadī£ is abundantly documented in the collections of Muslīm (no. 104), Abū Dawūd (no. 3407) or A¬mad (no. 639, 1033, 9494, etc.). However, these words should not be put into the mouth of ‘Umar b. al-Khaððāb, who in no case appears as a transmitter of the hadī£ in the various compendiums (almost always Abū Hurayra or Zayd b. Khalid al-Jahanī), but in the mouths of the Arabs whom the Prophet accused of disbelievers for it.

5 That is, the last night of April. 6 See above, p. 42, n. 5.

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of alSimāk takes place with two nights remaining in the same month. The departure of alGafr takes place after twelve nights in October (tišrīn al’awwal). The departure of alZubānā is on the twenty-fifth of the same month. The departure of alIklīl is on the eighth of November (tišrīn al£ānī). The departure from alQalb is on the twenty-first of the same month; The departure of alŠawla takes place after three days in December (kānūn al’awwal). The departure of alNa’ā’īm takes place after sixteen nights of the same month. The departure from alBalda takes place after twenty-nine nights of the same month. The Sa’d al®ābi¬ departure takes place after eleven nights in January (kānūn £ānī). [The departure of Sa’d Bula’] takes place after twenty-four days of the same month. The departure from Sa’d alsu’ūd is after six days in February (šubāÐ). Sa’d al-Akhubiya’s departure takes place on the eighteenth day of the same month. The departure of alFarg [alMuqaddam] takes place after two nights in March (ā2ār). The departure from alFarg alMu’ajjar takes place after fourteen nights of the same month. And the departure from alRišā is on the fourth of April, and God knows better!

APART OF THE DIVISION OF THESE LUNAR MANSIONS ACCORDING TO THE FOUR SEASONS.

You must know that spring corresponds to alṣaran, alBuṣayn, al¢urayyā, alDabarān, haq’a, alHan’a, and®irā’. In summer they correspond to the Na��ra, alÆarf, alŶabha, alZubra, al1⁄4arfa, al’Simāk and al’Awwā’. Autumn corresponds to the Gafr, alZubānā, alIklīl, alQalb, alŠawla, alNa’ā’īm and alBalda. And to winter correspond Sa’d al-Su’ūd, Sa’d al-Ābi®¬, Sa’d al-Ajbiya, [Sa’d] Bull’, the two al-Farg, alMuqaddam and alMu’ajjar, and alRišā. Each station has seven mansions.

APART ON THE RHYMED SAYINGS OF THE ARABS CONCERNING THE LUNAR MANSIONS, AND WHAT THE ANCESTORS TRANSMITTED FROM THEM.

I read our teacher Abū ‘lYumn alKindī1, may Allah, may He be exalted, have mercy on him!, who said: I read Abū Man 1⁄2ūr alAwālīqī2 where he said: I heard it said of Abū Bakr Muṣammad alMarāwbī3 who said: the Arabs say that when Allah comes out, the climate is tempered, the branches are green, the nations prosper, the neighbors are given gifts, and the poor spend the night in any place. When he leaves the Buðayn, the term of the debts expires. When al¢urayyā comes out in the evening, provide your shepherd with warm clothes, and when he comes out at dawn, provide him with a small wineskin. When the Dabarān goes out, the crops are burned and the ponds are dried up. When the Haq’a goes out, the people return from the pasture outings (alnuj’a). When it comes out to Han’a, devote yourselves to abstinence4. When it rises to®the irā’, the sun removes its veil, the rays are lit on the horizon, and the mirage shines on every plain. When it goes out to the Naṣra, the bee collects a lot of [honey] and there is not a drop [of milk] left in the dairy [cows]. When the Æarf goes out, the guest is easily attended. When al-Abha goes out, travelers are everywhere. When he goes out to 1⁄4arfa, the cunning person uses his tricks. When al’Awwā’ comes out, the tent (aljibā’) is pitched and the weather is pleasant. When the Simāk comes out, the influx (allikāk)5 increases, which means the pressure

1 Taŷ alDīn AbūlYumn Zayd b. ©asan alKindī (d. 1216 CE), grammarian mentioned by Haŷŷī Jalīfa, Kašf alÝunūn, iii, p. 159, 311, etc.

2 In the original written “alJawālīqī”, it is referred to as Abū Man1⁄2ūr alJawālīqī alBagdādī (d. 1072 CE), a grammarian of whom Haŷŷī Jalīfa mentions some works, (Kašf alÝunūn, i, p. 223; iii, p. 206, etc.).

3 A name that we cannot identify, although we believe that it must be Abū Bakr Mu¬ammad al Marwazī al-Jaraqī (d. 11381139 A.D.). See below, p. 58, n. 6.

4 Uncertain translation.
5 According to other sources, the proverb says “the affluence decreases” (cf. PELLAT, “Dictons rimés”, p. 25).

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(Alziṣṇ). When the Gafr leaves, the travelers return. When alZubānā comes out, every father of a family is dishonored. When alIklīl comes out, the clouds do not bring rain1. When al-Qalb comes out, every difficulty becomes easy. When alŠawla comes out, the old man has a great need to urinate. When he goes out to Na’ā’īm, the cold reaches everyone who is up. When it goes out to the Balda, it eats qišd 3, which is what is obtained from fresh butter and butter [left] at the bottom of the container, and in another version it says “[you eat] alŷa’da 4 “, which is a well-known plant. When Sa’d alSu’ūd comes out, the wood greens, the skins soften and it is unpleasant to stay in the sun. When [Sa’d] goes out to the®ābi¬, the barking dog protects its owners. When [Sa’d] al-Ajbiya comes out, people hurry to wear the long-sleeved robe (alaqbiya). When [Sa’d] Bula’ comes out, the camel born in spring begins to run, i.e., it becomes strong to march, and the earth begins to shine, i.e., the pastures spread. When alFarg alMuqaddam comes out, work and you won’t regret it. When alFarg alMu’ajjar comes out, hurry up and you won’t be late. When Samaka 5 comes out, movement is possible, and the thorn catches [on the clothes], i.e., the thorns of the sa’dān6. And these are the rhyming sayings of the Arabs, of which we have mentioned the necessary ones, and God is wiser!

1 We read alya’ālīl (sing. ya’lūl), instead of alta’ālīl, as it appears in the original.
2 Cf. PELLAT, “Dictons rimés”, p. 26, “to everyone who is asleep”.
3 Butter residue cooked with flour and dates.
4 Name that designates the plant called “parsnip” (Pastinaca sativa), cultivated as a food plant, and

the root of which is edible and medicinal (cf. DOZY, Takmila, ii, n. 736).
5 “The fish”, the name also given to the constellation of Pisces.
6 Name of a fodder plant for camels with thorns on top.

CHAPTER FOUR
SON THE TWELVE ZODIACAL CONSTELLATIONS AND THE SYMBOLS AND RELATIONSHIPS THEY HAVE

Know, God help us to fulfill obedience, that I will make a table before I begin to speak of the zodiacal constellations, in which I will mention the four seasons, which are spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and I will mention the twenty-eight lunar mansions according to another point of view, the twelve zodiacal signs, and the Arab months, and the peculiarities that have to do with them.

God said, Exalted be He: ﴾ We have put constellations in the sky and made them beautiful for the observers ﴿ 1; and God said, Exalted be He: ﴾ Blessed is He Who put constellations in the sky! 2; and God said, “Praise be to Him and be exalted,” ” By heaven is the Zodiac.” ﴿ 3. Alburūŷ are first of all the constellations of the sky, they are also the towers (burūŷ) that are in the corners of the fortress, and sometimes the fortress is called in this way: God said, exalted be He!: ﴾ Even though you are kept in towers (burūŷ) high ﴿ 4. And he said to©the asan al-Ba1⁄2rī5, “Allah, may He be exalted, be pleased with him!: “Alburūŷ are the castles (qu1⁄2ūr) in heaven, and they are castles like the castles of the earth”, God is wiser!, and you must understand. This is the image of table6:

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March April May June July August September October November December January February

Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

Rišā £urayyā haq’a 2irā’ ŷabha 1⁄2arfa simāk iklīl šawla balda

Su’ūd Muqaddam

šaraÐān mu’ajjar buÐayn dabarān han’a Ðarf jaratān ‘awwā’ zubānā qalb na’ā’īm bula’

[APART ABOUT THE ZODIAC HOUSES OF THE PLANETS]

to

And some wise man said about His saying, Exalted be He: ﴾ Blessed be He Who put constellations in the sky! ﴿, which are the mansions (manāzil) of the seven planets and are twelve zodiacal constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Aries and Scorpio are the house (bayt) of Mars; Taurus and Libra are the house of Venus; Gemini and Virgo are the house of Mercury; Cancer is the house of the Moon; Leo is the house of the Sun; Sagittarius and Pisces are the house of Jupiter; and Capricorn and Aquarius are the house of Saturn.

1 Cor. XV:16.
2 Cor. XXV:61.
3 Cor. LXXXV:1.
4 Cor. IV:77.
5 Famous preacher of the city of Basra, died in 728 A.D.
6 In the original, the names of the months correspond to the Arabic adaptation of the Julian calendar. On the other hand,

On the other hand, the inclusion of the lunar mansions in the painting seems to have no value, since it only houses twenty-four mansions, four of which remain to be named.

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[DIVISION OF THE ZODIACAL SIGNS ACCORDING TO THE FOUR NATURAL ELEMENTS]

These are the zodiacal signs divided according to the four natural elements, each part of them being three zodiacal signs that are called triads (mu£alla£āt): Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are the triad of fire; Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are the triad of the earth; Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are the air triad; and Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are the water triad1.

The exegetes of the Qur’an (ahl altafsīr) debated about the meaning of [the word] alburūŷ [in the sacred text], and one of them said that they are castles in which the guardians (al-aras) are, the proof of which is His saying, may He be exalted!: ﴾ Even if you were kept in high towers (burūŷ) ﴿. And it has been said that they are the stars, and it has been said [also] that they are the lamps (suruj) and that they are the gates of heaven, which are called al-Majarra2. I say that Ibn ‘Abbas, may He be exalted, may He be satisfied with both, has already stipulated, which are the well-known zodiacal constellations to which we have alluded, and there are twelve to which Allah, may He be exalted, divided into quatrains and triads, for they are divided among the seven planets as we have already mentioned. Each nation names them according to their language, but coinciding in meaning. And according to the aforementioned order, they begin with Aries.

[APART ON THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ZODIACAL CONSTELLATIONS]

The first zodiacal constellation is ARIES (al©amal): Aries are thirteen stars, and those outside the image [of the ram] are five stars. Its image is that of a ram (kabš) whose front points to the west and its rear to the east, turning towards its back so that its snout reaches its back.

The second constellation is TAURO (al¢awr), which are thirty-three stars, the ones outside the image being eleven stars, and it is the image of the front half of the bull that has bowed its head to gore, and two parts [of the image] have been divided from its half, leaving its front part to the east and its back part to the west. Among its stars are al¢urayyā and alDabarān, both lunar mansions.

The third constellation is GÉMINI (alTaw’amān), and is known as alJawzā’. There are eighteen stars, those outside the image [of the twins] being seven stars. His image is that of two children standing, one of whom has put his hand on the shoulder of the other. Their heads and the rest of their stars are to the northeast, in the direction of the Milky Way, and their feet are to the west.

1 Here the author follows the rule of dividing the zodiac into four quadrants that each comprise three zodiacal signs, each quadrant being associated with an element. This division was carried out in accordance with the theory of planetary conjunctions, especially of Saturn and Jupiter in each of the zodiacal constellations (cf. R. L. EMAY, “Des sages antiques aux astrologues médiévaux. Falsafa et Astrologie”, in R. Gyselen (ed.), Charmes et sortilèges. Magie et magiciens [Res Orientales 14], BuressurYvette, 2002, pp. 167181).

b

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2 The name given to the Milky Way.

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The fourth constellation is CÁNCER (alSaraðān): there are seven stars, with four being those outside its image. [It is a crab] whose front is to the east and its back to the west, and to the south is immediately after Gemini, as if both were leaning south in the same Milky Way.

The fifth constellation is LEO (al-Asad): there are twenty-seven stars, and those outside his image are eight stars. Its image is upright and among its stars is Qalb al-Asad 1, which is a bright star.

The sixth constellation is VIRGO (alSunbula), and is known as al’A2rā’ 2. There are twenty-six stars and those that are alien to his image are six stars. Her image is that of a girl with two wings [on her diadem] who has dropped her skirt dragging it, and her head is on al1⁄4arfa, which is a bright star. Among its stars is alSimāk alA’zal, which is a bright star that lies above its left hand3.

The seventh constellation is LIBRA (alMīzān): there are eight stars, and its image is like its name [indicates, a scale]. Those outside his image are nine stars.

The eighth constellation is ESCORPIO (al’Aqrab): there are twenty-one stars, those outside its image being three stars. Its image is upright and among its stars is Qalb al’Aqrab 4, which is a bright star.

The ninth is SAGITTARIUS (alQaws), and is also called alRāmī 5: there are thirty-one stars after the stars of Scorpio. His image is that of an animal composed of man and horse, as if it were the body of an animal up to the neck, and then protruded from the neck separation the half of a man who has put the arrow in his bow and sinks into the saddle.

The tenth constellation is CAPRICORN (alJady): there are twenty-eight stars, and it is the image of the front half of a kid (jadiī), and the second the back of a fish up to its tail.

The eleventh constellation is ACUARIO (alDalw) 6, and is also known as Sākib almā'”7: there are forty-two stars, those outside its image being three stars. His image is that of a standing man stretching out his hands, in one of which is a pitcher that he has tilted, spilling the water to the front of his feet, and the water flows under him to the south. It is also called the Dāly.

• 1 “The Heart of Leo”, Regulus or alpha star of the constellation of Leo.
• 2 “The Virgin”.
• 3 We read kaff (hand) instead of katf (shoulder), as it appears in the original. A drawing of the figure of the virgin

is found in R. L.AFFITTE, Héritages arabes, p. 113, thanks to which we specify in our translation. 4 This is the eighteenth lunar mansion.
5 “The Archer”.
6 Lit.: “the bucket of water”.

1. 47

7 “He Who Pours Out Water”

52

The twelfth constellation is PISCIS (al©ūt): There are thirty-four stars and those outside its image are four stars. Its image is that of two fish that have reached each other’s tails.

And these twelve zodiacal constellations are three hundred stars, and it has been said that they are three hundred and forty [stars]1. Also that Aries is the first of the zodiac signs, that Taurus is a tower (barŷ) in the sky; that Gemini (al-awzā’) is a star which is said to stand in the middle of the sky, for the awz of something is its centre; that Cancer is a tower in the sky; there is no mention of Leo, that Virgo is a tower in the sky, and some authors do not mention Libra, that Scorpio is a tower in the sky, as are Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Someone said that they are towers (burūŷ) in the sky, and that alujah 2 is a star that is in the direction of the pole (alchem), and with which the orientation of the qibla is recognized.

b

APARTADO ABOUT THE REGIONS THAT EACH ZODIAC SIGN HAS3 c

You should know that Aries has Babylon, Persia and Azerbaijan. Taurus has Hamadān and [the country of] the Kurds. Gemini has Ŷurŷān, Ŷīlān4, and Mūqān. Cancer has the land of China (al1⁄4īn) and Eastern Khurasan. Leo has the Turks, Sogdiana5 and the surrounding regions. Virgo has Syria, the Al Jazura6, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Libra corresponds to the land of Byzantium as far as Africa, Upper Egypt and Abyssinia. Scorpio has the©ijaz7, Yemen and the contiguous regions. Sagittarius has from Baghdad to I1⁄2fahān. Capricorn has Makrān, Oman, Bahrain and India. Aquarius has [from] Kūfa to the territory of the ©ijaz. And Pisces has Æabaristān, and part of Byzantium, Allah, Egypt, and Alexandria. We have already mentioned a few things concerning the geographical areas that complete what has been said about the zodiac signs8, and God is wiser!

ASECTION ON THE DIVISION OF TIME, AND THERE ARE FOUR PARTS d

The first part is autumn (alrabī’), which for other people is aljarīf. The Arabs called it “rabī'” because the rains take place there, and some call it “jarīf” because the fruits are harvested there. Its entrance is with the arrival of the sun to the main part (ra’s) of Libra. Then there is winter (alšitā’), and its beginning is with the arrival of the sun at the top of Capricorn. Then there is spring (al1⁄2ayf), whose entrance is with the arrival of the sun at the top of Aries, and is what the vulgar call the alrabī’. And then there is the summer (alqayÞ), which is what the vulgar call al1⁄2ayf, and whose beginning is with the arrival of the sun in Cancer.

1 According to the number of stars he has attributed to each constellation, there are 288 in total, including those outside the images of the zodiac.

2 Arabic name for the pole star, or alpha of Ursa Minor. I do not know if the author quotes it here to distinguish it from its counterpart alŶady (Capricorn), or because it participates in the confusion of both names.

3 Cf. ABŪ M A’ŠAR, The Abbreviation of the Introduction to Astrology, pp. 1521, where we also find this division of territories into the zodiacal signs, a text by which we correct some place names.

4 In the original “Kīlān”.
5 In the original “Šugd”; Abū Ma’šar (p. 19) writes “Sugd”, and the most correct seems to be “1⁄4ugd”.
6 The name given by Arab geographers to the northern part of the territory between the Tigris and Tigris rivers.

Euphrates.
7 Northwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula.
8 The Berlin manuscript mentions a book entitled Nuzhat alzaman watawārij ala’yān, of which we do not have

more news than the present quote.

1. 48

53

APARTADO ABOUT THE WINDS AND WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THEM to

The first of these is the north wind (alšamāl) and is the one that blows from the pole area. The second is the east wind (al1⁄2abā), and the place from which it blows is the place where the sun rises when night and day are equal. Below them is the west wind (aldabūr), and the Arabs hold that the west wind displaces the clouds and makes them descend into the air, then redirects them, and when it withdraws from them, the east wind receives them and puts them on top of each other until they become a single dense cloud. The south wind (janūb) takes over and spreads them, and the north wind disperses them. The fourth of them is the south wind and is the one that blows against the north wind, and the west wind is the one that is against the east wind1.

APARTADO ON THE [distance] BETWEEN EACH SKY AND SKY

We have mentioned the doctrine of the ancients concerning the shape of the celestial spheres (alaflāk) and what is connected with them. As for the doctrine of the jurists (almutašarri’ūna), for them these are the heavens. And in this regard we have heard from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, for he said that al-Abbas b. ‘Abd al-Mu’alib2 said: “We were sitting with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and save him) in al-Ba’Ṣā 3 and a cloud passed by, then the Prophet said, may Allah bless him and save him: Do you know what that is? and we said, the cloud (al1⁄2a¬āb); And he said, “And almuzn4?” and we said, “And al’ananan”; and he said, “And al’anan”; and we were silent. Then the Prophet said, “May God bless and save him!” “Do you know the distance between heaven and earth?” we said: God and his Prophet are wiser; and he said: between them two there is a distance of five hundred years, and between each heaven and heaven there is a distance of five hundred years, and the thickness of each heaven, that is, its height, is five hundred years; and above the seventh heaven there is a sea, the same distance between its surface and its bottom as there is between heaven and earth. Then there are eight goats (aw’āl) on them,6 and there is the same distance between their knees and their hooves as there is between heaven and earth. And God, exalted be He, is above all that, and none of the deeds of men are hidden from Him.”7 The proof of this is His saying, exalted be He: ﴾ It is God Who has created seven heavens and as many earths ﴿8. The total distance is fourteen thousand years, which is equivalent to the barriers (hujub) in the heavens, the footstool and the throne, and this is the distance of the journey of men.

c

As for the angel, he passes through them all in a single hour, and some of them in a moment; and in the same way the devil does on earth as the angel does in heaven.

1 This theory is based on the tradition of the four cardinal winds, whose center is the Ka’aba. This section is included in the chapter on astrology since it was believed that the direction of the wind was determined by the rising and setting of the sun and certain stars (cf. M. FORCADA, “Rī¬”, in EI 2 ).

2 Half-brother of Muhammad’s father, after whom the ‘Abbasid dynasty is named; he died about 639. In our base manuscript al’Abbās b. ‘Abd alMalik erroneously appears.

3 The name given to the central area of Mecca.
4 Rain-laden cloud.
5 ‘Anān has the same meaning as muzn : white or rain-laden cloud.
6 The commentators on this “adīt” understand it to refer to eight angels in the form of a goat.
7 This ¬adī£ is found in A¬mad, not 1676, from which we correct some error in our Arabic original.

However, Abū Dawūd (no. 4100), alTirmi2ī (no. 3242) and Ibn Maja (no. 189) give a different version in which the distance between heaven and earth, as well as between heaven and sky, would be 71, 72 or 73 years. On the other hand, Abū Dawūd himself admits to being unsure about the word al’anān.

b

8 Cor. LXV:12.

54

Abū Rākma1 relates from ‘Alī b. Abī Æālib2, may Allah be pleased with him and honour him!, that he was asked about the distance between heaven [and earth] and said: “A prayer answered”; and he was told how much there was between East and West and he said: “The distance of one day for one who obeys his Lord”; or he said: “one step”, for it is said that this life is the step of the believer.

[APART ON THE UTILITIES AND SIGNS OF THE SUN]

Al’a’labī 3 mentioned that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both, said: “The sun rises every year through three hundred and sixty skylights (kuwwa), and it does not return to the skylight of that day until the following year.”

I say: in the sun there are utilities and signs. Among them, one is that He is unique and His light illuminates all regions and the whole world, and in the same way, the Creator, may He be praised and exalted, is One and He directs the world. The second sign is that the sun is far away from us and its light is near, and God, praise and exalt be He! He is far from creatures in essence, but he is close in response. The third is that no one is deprived of his light, and Allah, exalted be He, also provides sustenance without separating any of the creatures. The fourth is that its eclipse is a sign of the existence of the Resurrection, and its sunset symbolizes its darkness (Þulma). The fifth is that the clouds cover him, and in the same way sins cover the knowledge of God (alma’rifa).

to

As for its profits, they are numerous. Among them, that it is the lamp of the world. God said, “Exalted be He!” He has made the sun a lamp 4. The second [usefulness to men] is that he is the indefatigable cook of his food and responsible for the ripening of its fruits. The third is that he goes from east to west for his benefit. The fourth is that it doesn’t stop anywhere so as not to harm creatures. The fifth is that in winter it is in the lower of the zodiacal constellations, and in summer it is in the upper of them, for the utilities of the world. The sixth is that it does not meet the moon in its domain, so as not to cancel out the light of the other. And it is said that [the sun] is in the fourth sphere, and the heavens do not hide from it, but the clouds hide from it. And we say that the heavens are subtle and transparent substances, and the cloud is thick because it ascends from the earth.

APARTADO ABOUT THE MOON, ITS COMPARISONS AND WHAT IS ON IT.

According to Abū Hurayra6, may Allah, may He be exalted, be pleased with him: “The people said: O Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection? and he said, God bless him and save him: do you argue about the moon on a night of full moon without clouds under it? They said, No, and said, “And do you argue about the sun when there are no clouds under it?” and said, “No,” and said the prophet, “God bless him and save him!”

1 I cannot identify this character (manuscript B says: Abū Rāka).

2 Cousin of Muhammad and husband of his daughter FāÐima, fourth caliph of Islam and who is claimed to be the authority of numerous esoteric doctrines. He died in 660 AD. C.

3 An exegete of the Qur’an and collector of stories, known for his Tales of the Prophets (Qi1⁄2a1⁄2 alanbiyā’). He died in 1035.

4 Cor. LXXI:16.
5 Above the spheres of the Moon, Mercury and Venus.
6 Companion of the Prophet and transmitter of a good part of his sayings. He died around 678 AD. 7 Bujārī, no. 6088, A¬mad, no. 7392, etc.

b

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Then it must be said: Why did he give as an example the sun, which is the brightest and most absolute light, and since the light of the moon comes from him? It can be answered from different points of view. One of them is that the light of the sun overcomes the gaze, which cannot look at it, so that it escapes from them; and the opposite is true of the moon, since the eyes can look at it. The second is that the light of the sun languishes, since the Truth, blessed and exalted be He, decreed it, and that is why the angel Gabriel diminishes the light of the moon with his wings, refracting the light from within, since it imitates the light of the sun. And God, blessed and exalted be He, decreed two things [to the angel Gabriel]: one of them is that he should cause the eyes to look toward the moon on the first day of every month on earth; and the second is that He should command His prophet Muhammad, God bless him and save him, to set it up as an example of the most sublime of things and the highest. And if it is said that Allah, exalted be He, said: ﴾ Glances do not reach Him, but He reaches the gaze ﴿ 1, for we will not maintain that the gaze can perceive Him in the sense of encompassing Him, in this case being the faculty of perception (almudrik) properly the visual perception (alnaÞar), because the Creator, praise and exaltation be to Him! it has imposed limits on it.

And in the moon there are also beneficial uses, one of them which is the lamp of creatures in the night, and it is a miracle (mu’jiza) for our prophet, God bless him and save him!, for His saying, exalted be He!: ﴾ The moon has split in two ﴿2. And [God] decreed for her mansions, by which the times of prayers (almawāqīt) are recognized. And He blotted out of its light ninety-nine parts according to His words, exalted be He: ﴾ We have darkened the sign of night and illuminated the sign of day ﴿3. And if it weren’t for that, then people would be active night and day, because no one would distinguish the night from the 4th.

and

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The Prince of the Believers (‘Alī b. Abī Æālib) said (may Allah, may He be exalted, honour him): “Sleeping naked under the moon transmits leprosy, and linen clothes, if washed and hung under the moon, wear out before their time.” Allah, may He be praised and exalted, knows better what is true!

ONTHE MOON AND ITS MANSIONS

God said, Exalted be He, ﴾ We have given mansions to the Moon ﴿5, and it has been said that the mansions of the moon are twenty-eight, because the moon takes one of the mansions every night, and their names are: Allah, alBuðayn, al¢urayyā, alDabarān, alHaq’a, alHan’a, al-irā®’, alNaṣra, al-Æarf, al-Abha, alZubra, al1⁄4arfa, alSimāk, al’Awwā’, alGafr, alZubānā, alIklīl, alQalb, alŠawla, alNa’ā’īm, alBalda, Sa’d alSu’ūd, Sa’d Bula’, Sa’d al®ābi¬, Sa’d alAjbiya, Farg alMuqaddam of al-Dalū, Farg almu’ajjar of Dalū, and alRišā, which is the Fish (al-ūt©).

1 Cor. VI:104.

2 Cor. LIV:1. The verse alludes to the moment when the Prophet was challenged by the Qurayš to split the moon in two if his message was true. This happened, but the Prophet was accused by them of magic.

3 Cor. XVII:13. It refers to the tradition narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas, according to which God created the moon and the sun in a hundred parts (or 70 according to another version) and so that both had the same light. The moon being the sign of the night, it darkened 99 parts of it and placed them in the sun, so that the moon would have a light lower than the sun (cf. the Tafsīr of Al-QurÐubī to this verse).

4 That is, no one would distinguish the moon from the sun. 5 Cor. xxxvi:38.

c

d

56

ABOUTTHE STARS AND WHAT HAS TO DO WITH THEM, THEIR SIGNS, THEIR DESIGNS AND THEIR MANSIONS

God said, Exalted be He: It is He Who has set the stars for you, to guide you through them in the darkness of the earth and the sea ﴿1; and He said, Exalted be He: ﴾ By the stars they are guided ﴿2. And according to Sa’īd b. Jubaīr3, may Allah have mercy on him, said Ibn ‘Abbas: “The science of the stars is of enormous usefulness which many people are unable to attain,” referring to the knowledge of the stars themselves, not to the [astrological judgments that derive from them].

The sages agreed that moonlight comes from sunlight, and they disagreed about whether starlight comes from the sun or from another light.

And the known stars are one thousand and twenty-two. Among them is alŶuday4, which is the one that best indicates the orientation of the qibla. [It is said that] alujad is a star next to the pole by which the orientation of the qibla is known, and that alujad is next to the north pole, around which there are stars in a circle, like the wheel of the hand mill, being at one of its two ends Farqadānī5, and in the other a bright star in front of them, and between them [two] and that one are small stars, three above and three below, making the rotation of the hand mill around the pole and around its spit. Those around them are Banat Na’š 6, drawing a circle around aljad and alQuÐb 7 without both leaving their place. The location of the pole can be deduced from there. It is said that alŶuday is the axis of this windlass, and it is also said that alÐÐb is its axis and that the location of alŶuday is located if the moon is not there, because if the moonlight is intense, its location becomes recondite and no one sees it except the one who is sharp in sight.

Next to it is AlSuhā 8, which is a hidden star with which people test their eyesight. Aljudai is [the star] by which the orientation of the qibla is known, and is a sling (juday) of Banāt Na’š al1⁄2ugrà 9. Banāt Na’š al1⁄2ugrà are close to [Banāt Na’š] alkubrà 10 in terms of the similarity of their formation. Four of them are Na’š, and three of them are the daughters and among the four [first] are alfarqadāni who are the two advanced stars. And among the daughters is aljaud, who is the last of them. And alSuhā is [the star] with which people test their eyesight, a hidden star in Banāt Na’š. It is said in the proverb: “I make her see the Suhā and she shows me the moon11”.

The way to know [the direction] of the qibla by al-Udayi is that you will place it behind your back in the land of Syria, standing in front of the qiblah. In the land of Iraq you will place it in front of the

1 Cor. VI:98.
2 Cor. 16:16.
3 Famous tābi’ or successor of the Prophet’s companions, of Iraqi origin. He died around 713 AD. 4 ” The Sling”, the alpha star of Ursa Minor, or pole star.
5 “The two calves” designates the beta and gamma pair of Ursa Minor.
6 “The daughters of Na’š”, three of the main stars of Ursa Major (εζη).
7 In addition to designating the pole, alQuÐb is a small star next to aljad.
8 The name given to a second-order star of Ursa Major.
9 Ursa Minor.
10 Ursa major.
11 A proverb that indicates lack of understanding.

b

c

d

57

On the back of your right ear, and you will be facing the gate of the Temple (Bāb alBayt)1 to alMaqām2; and when you turn your back to al-Farqadāni or Banāt Na’š, you are facing the location of the Ka’aba. As for al-Farqadāni, they are two bright stars near the pole, and both accompany their servant3.

I say: Banāt Na’š alkubrà are seven stars, four of them are Na’š and three daughters, and in the same way they are Banāt Na’š al1⁄2ugrà. The north pole has neither sun nor moon, and the south pole is at the place where Suhayl 4 rises, which is not visible except on the Arabian peninsula.

to

Suhayl is in the direction of the south pole. Its place of departure is the place from which the south wind blows. Then it heads west and ends at the qibla of prayers and here it disappears. [And it is said that] Suhayl is a red star and isolated from stars, and because of its proximity to the earth you will see it as if it were pulsating. It is one of the Yemeni oriental stars, its starting point is to the left of the qibla, it is seen in the whole land of the Arabs, Iraq and Syria and is not seen in the country of Armenia. And from his departure in al-jjaz ©and his vision in Iraq there are about ten nights. Someone said: Suhayl is a star from which the Arabs say: when Suhayl comes out, you are not safe from the flood (sayl). And they say: when Suhayl comes out, the water cools down and the night is longer.

You must know that these stars, which are one thousand and twenty-two, three hundred and twelve stars of them are in
twelve figures during the path of the sun, which are the twelve zodiacal constellations. Three hundred and sixty stars are in twenty-one images that are those that move northwards from the path of the sun, and among
them are the Big Dipper (alDubb alakbar) and the Lesser (ala1⁄2gar), the Dragon (alTinnīn)5 and others. Of these, three hundred and sixteen stars are in fifteen images that deviate from the path of the sun to the south, and
are the support of the stars that are in the path of the sun, because they are below the zodiacal constellations. And apart from the stars which we have already named, the rest were not given any names by the common astronomers, and they were mentioned by Abu Muhammad ‘Abd al-Abbār, called al-Kharakyī6, in his book entitled The Clarification of the Fixed Stars7, and he said: “As for the c stars that are in the constellations (1⁄2uwar) of the north, for among them is the Little Dipper (alDubb al a1⁄2gar), which is the image of a standing bear that spreads its tail. Its stars are seven and the Arabs call
them Banāt Na’š al1⁄2ugrà, of which four are alNa’š forming a square, and the other three are at
the end of its tail. The one that is alien to the image [of the bear] is a single star, and the one at the end of its tail is called aljuday, and it is the one with which the orientation of the qibla is deduced,
since it is the closest to the north pole of the stars observed.”

1 It refers to the Ka’ba and the gate on the northeastern façade, called Bāb alsalām.

2 Maqām Ibrāhīm, a small building on the northeastern façade of the Ka’ba, containing a stone with the footprint of Abraham’s foot.

3 Uncertain translation.
4 Arabic name for Canopea.
5 In classical times the Arabs took these constellations from the Greeks, while in ancient times

they saw other different representations in the Bears and the Dragon, as we have seen with the stars of the daughters of Na’š.

6 In the original “al©aramī”. He is Abū Bakr Muammad alMarwazī alJaraqī (or alJiraqī), a Persian mathematician, astronomer and geographer who died around the year 1138.

7 Altab1⁄2ira fīlkawākib al£ābita; it could be the same work attributed to him, entitled K. Altab1⁄2ira fi ‘ilm alhay’a (cf. E. WIEDEMMANN [J. SAMSÓ], “AlJaraqī” in EI 2).

1. 51

b

58

I say: among them is the Big Dipper (alDubb alakbar), whose stars are twenty-seven, and of these those that are foreign to the image are eight, and altogether there are seven stars which the Arabs call Banāt Na’š alkubrà, four to its hooves and three to its tail. And they call the one at the end of
their tail alQā’id 1, then there is al’Anāq2, and then alJawn3, and near al’Anāq there is a small star which they call al-Suhā.

The Dragon (alTinnīn) is made up of thirty-one stars, and its image is that of a great serpent (¬ayya)4 with many curves. It is started by four stars in the form of an irregular square in the form of its head, and the Arabs call them al’Awā’i2 5. [It is said that] the Dragon is a certain place in heaven6, and that the Dragon is a variety of serpent, which is the most powerful of all.

And among them is alFakka7, which is also called alIklīl alŠamālī 8, and is known as f Qa1⁄2’a alMasākīna 9 because of its circular shape, and its stars are eight. And as for alFakka, for [it is also said that] it is an asterism that revolves behind [alSimāk] alRāmi¬.

[Another constellation is] alŶā£ī 10 kneeling, his image being composed of twenty-nine stars.

1. 52

to

b

Also alSalbāq11, which are called alLūrā 12 and al1⁄4anŷ alRūmī 13.

Another of them is alSulafā 14, and its stars are ten [in all], there being among its whole a bright star which [the Arabs] call alNasr alWāqi’ 15, and it is so called because its wings are folded, and among the [eagle-shaped constellations] are alNasr alÆā’ir 16 and alNasr alWāqi’.

And among them is Dajaja17, which is seventeen stars. There are two that are alien to its image, and most of its stars are in the Milky Way (alMajarra), near alNasr alWāqi’.

And among them is ®āt alKursī 18, which are thirteen stars, and its image is that of a woman sitting on a throne on which there is a backrest, and with her feet dangling. It is in the Milky Way itself, and among its

1 “The driver [of Na’š’s daughters].” Star η of Ursa Major.
2 “The Lower Belly”, Star ζ of Ursa Major.
3 Star of ε Big Dipper. Its name is of uncertain meaning.
4 It is al©ayya, “the serpent,” the name given to this constellation by the ancient Arabs.
5 “[The camels] that have just given birth.” This is the βγξν group of the Dragon, and which constitutes its head. 6 This same definition is included in Lane’s Lexicon.

7 Corona Borealis.
8 “The crown of the north” or Corona Borealis.
9 Lit. “The basket of the poor”.
10 Constellation of Hercules.
11 Lit. “La sambuca” designates the constellation of the Lyra.
12 Arabic transcription of the Greek term Lura, “lyre”.
13 Lit. “The Byzantine Lyre”.
14 “The tortoise”, the γ star of Lyra, although in this case it designates the entire constellation.
15 “The perched eagle”, star α of Lyra, also called Vega.
16 “The eagle in flight” designates the group αβγ of Aquila, a constellation outside the Lyra, and which the author will deal with little

after.
17 “The Hen” corresponds to the constellation of the Swan. 18 “The [woman] of the throne,” constellation Cassiopeia.

and

59

The star is located alKaff alJaÅīb 1, located on one side of the backrest, and which is known as Sanām alNāqa2.

And among them is Perseus (Baršāwš), which is also ©called āmil Ra’s alGūl 3. There are twenty-six stars, and [it has been said that] the other people’s image are six, but the most correct thing is that there are three. His image is that of a standing man on whose left foot the right foot is elevated, his right hand is above his head, and in his left hand is a severed head called Ra’s alGūl 4.

And among them is Mumsik al’Inān5, and there are twenty-four stars. His image is that of an upright man, in one of whose hands there is a whip and with his other hand he holds the reins behind al ‘Ayyūq6.

And among them is Awā©’ 7, which is twenty-four stars, and those outside his image are five. His image is that of a standing man who has caught a snake with both his hands.

And among them is ©ayya al©awa’8, and there are twenty-eight stars that the serpentarium (al©awā’) has captured, and [it is a serpent] that has raised its head and tail to the height of the serpentarium’s head.

And among them is alSahm 9, which are five stars like the peak of al-Dajāya and al-Nasr al d Wāqi’).

And among them is al’Uqāb 10, nine stars, and those outside the image are six. Among its stars is alNasr alÆā’ir 11.

And among them is alDulfīn 12, and there are ten stars gathered behind alNasr alÆā’ir. Its image is that of a marine animal that resembles the swollen wineskin, and some authors do not mention it among the stars. The dolphin is an animal in the sea that saves the drowning.

And among them is Qi’a al-Faras 13, and there are four stars which are called Muqaddam al-Faras 14, and behind the stars of al-Dulfīn.

1 See above, p. 43, n. 1.
2 “The hump of the camel”.
3 “The bearer of the ogre’s head”.
4 “The Ogre’s Head”, the β star of Perseus, usually called alGūl simply.
5 “He who holds the reins” designates the constellation of Auriga. It is usually written Mumsik alA’inna.
6 “The Goat”, star α of Auriga.
7 “The Serpentarium” (Ophiucus).
8 “The serpent of the serpentarium”, constellation of the Serpent (Serpens).
9 “The Arrow”, constellation of Sagitta.
10 Lit. “The eagle”, constellation of Aquila, which was also known as alNasr alÆā’ir.
11 In this case it is α of Aquila, known simply as alÆā’ir, a name that still persists today as

“Altaír” to designate this star.
12 Constellation of the Dolphin.
13 “The horse section” designates the constellation of the Seahorse (Equuleus). 14 “The front part of the horse”.

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