Magic/Esotericism Research

Given the concept of my game I decided I would do research on real world accounts of magic and general mysticism as inspiration for my own magic system. I did not wish to simply rehash already existing magic tropes in video games as I wanted to create a system that was unique to my game and inspired directly by real accounts of magic. I also wanted to steep my system more into the Islamicate world’s esoteric ideas rather than Western ones. So I conducted my research primarily on the esoteric tradition of the Islamicate world.

The Sun of Knowledge (Shams al-Ma’arif)

The Sun of Knowledge is an infamous Arabic grimoire that contains a lot of information pertaining to the esoteric traditions and occult sciences of the mediaeval Islamicate world. It was written by a Sufi master named Ahmed Al-Buni in Algeria, who was well respected in his time, but over hundreds of years, became labelled as a heretic and a sorcerer due to his supposed heretical work. The Sun of Knowledge is infamous for it supposedly containing instructions on how to conduct “black magic” which is strictly forbidden in Islam. It’s also believed by many to be a cursed book, as such, if the reader of this blog believes in such ideas it’s worth skipping over this post as I will be discussing its ideas and contents as well as providing images from the book. It’s worth noting however, that I purchased an English translation that only adapts the first eight chapters with excerpts from several other chapters, as such, the legitimacy of my copy may be questioned and its supposed powers may not actually work (assuming those powers are legitimate to begin with). The book contains writings on talismanic magic, employing spirits, religious ideas, astrological ideas, the science of letters, and general esotericism, all of which I will delve into.

The Science of Letters

One of the most important aspects for the occult sciences and esoteric tradition in the Islamicate world is the Ilm al-Huruf, or the science of letters. It pertains to the idea that the letters (specifically Arabic letters) have powers and effects related to them. This is implied to be because the Qur’an was recited in Arabic, and as such, Arabic letters in specific have powers since the Qur’an was bestowed on Muhammad by God in Arabic. Each letter has its own effect and relation to a celestial body or constellation. As such, certain talismans or incantations require the employment of specific letters over others. The letters may be written on a talisman a specific number of times, this number is usually one of several numbers associated with the letter and may be written down however many times is needed depending on what effect is desired.

Excerpt talking about the letter ز‎ and its attributes and astrological relations

Magic Squares

Letters may be used in the construction of magic squares. Magic squares are squares that have letters and numbers associated with them. Within a magic square there are rows and columns of numbers that add up to a specific number and no matter the direction you add up the numbers from, they will always add up to the same number. This number will have an association to a specific concept, it could be to do with God or with a celestial body. The letters are important as certain numbers are connected to certain letters. So if a letter is associated with the number 15, the magic square may have 15 rows and 15 columns. All the letters, numbers, and celestial bodies are connected with one another and allow for the employment of specific spirits and effects.

Magic square/talisman pictured above.

Astrology

Within The Sun of Knowledge, there is much content on astrology regarding the 28 Lunar mansions, the moon’s domiciles, the alignment of the stars, the powers of the planetary spirits, and so on. Admittedly, I found this section difficult to understand as it relied a lot on prior knowledge of the stars and celestial bodies in order to properly grasp how it all worked. It essentially spoke of how to identify specific stars and constellations. It also relayed information on the different Lunar mansions that the moon goes through throughout the month and their different powers. Specifically as well, it mentioned what to do in each of the Lunar mansions, for instance one mansion may be suitable to engage in occult practices in, while another may be an inauspicious mansion, and thus, may not be suitable for any kind of work. There is also an idea of the twelve hours throughout the day that correspond to different celestial bodies and how fortunate or unfortunate they are, as well as their relations to the letters. Essentially, to effectively and safely engage in any occult practice one must first consult the celestial bodies and know whether or not it is suitable timing for engaging in whatever they are desiring to do.

Religion

It’s easy to simply brush off Al-Buni’s grimoire as a heretical and cursed work, however the grimoire pays a great deal of respect to God and Islam. The work time and time again encourages using its knowledge for good and only when one is pure of heart and pious. Al-Buni himself was, in his time, considered a pious man and a religious scholar, not a heretical sorcerer. Much of the grimoire employs the usage of God’s names and the Qur’an. These aspects of the book could potentially be used for the holy skill tree I am conceptualizing for my game.

The Names of God

Within the work there is much emphasis placed on the 99 names of God utilized throughout the Qur’an such as Allah (God), Al-Rahman (The Beneficent), Al-Rahim (The Merciful), etc. It is said each name of God is powerful with Allah being the strongest and it is reasoned that is due to the letter utilized in the name Allah and how each letter has powers (as mentioned before). Each name can be invoked for specific uses and there is a large section detailing how each name may be employed for specific means. There is also a supposed secret 100th name of God that only the prophets knew and it is considered his most powerful name. The work implies what the name is and shows some figures and diagrams of how to employ the name although, to me it remained unclear what exactly the name is and it seemed to require further study and work to decipher the name. It is said this name may be used to conduct miracles and is what Jesus used to raise the dead and cure the blind, it is also implied that this name was discovered by the mathematician Al-Khwarizimi and is what gave him his insights. There is a small story given on how this name was discovered by a sheikh and how only the spiritually pure and pious may have this name revealed to them. All of this information gave me the idea of perhaps having a final upgrade for my holy system, in which the player learns of a secret prayer (instead of name as to avoid totally direct parallels with Islam) to God that grants them a host of new abilities and powers to utilize. Essentially it would be a final ascension from mercenary to holy man.

Quranic Power

The Qur’an itself is said to have powers as it is itself considered to be a miracle. The verses in the Qur’an, as mentioned before, may be used for invoking God’s power, the power of spirits, crafting talismans, healing people, and general empowerment of one’s spirituality. There is also the phrase bismillah al-rahman al-rahim (In the name of God, The Beneficent, The Merciful), which is a phrase that is repeated at the beginning of nearly every surah in the Qur’an. It is said that this phrase was employed by many prophets, here are some examples: it was inscribed on Jesus’s tongue which allowed him to speak when he was a baby, it was inscribed on Solomon’s ring which allowed him to speak with animals and commune with djinn, and it was also inscribed on Moses’s staff which allowed him to part the Red Sea. This phrase is said to be very powerful and may be used to gain good fortune and spiritual awakening. If recited a specific number of times everyday it will allow one to gain clarity and understanding. This idea extends to many Quranic verses that are said to grant specific effects when recited a certain number of times. These ideas may be used for my holy system in my game, perhaps the mercenary recites a verse which grants a defense perk or uses a name of God to hurl lightning upon an enemy.

The supposed names/pattern inscribed on Moses’s staff.

Talismanic Magic

In The Sun of Knowledge, there are many guides pertaining to the creation and usage of talismans that border on being called magic. A talisman may be used to gain some sort of advantage, for example seeking to have influence over kings or seeking love. A talisman may be constructed by writing specific phrases, typically Quranic verses, but at times other phrases and sentences may be employed, as well as letters in specific patterns and/or magic squares. Depending on the talisman these writings may be inscribed in different materials, some times the materials are as simple as paper, other times the bone of an animal or an iron sheet may be used. The talisman may also require incensing and to be constructed at a specific time influenced by the astrological cycle. For instance, you may need to inscribe a talisman in an “auspicious hour” when the moon is in cancer.

Talisman inscription utilizing a magic square, inscriptions, and the letter ج 

Talismans can come in many different forms; they can be hung in one’s home, worn as a necklace, inscribed in clothing, buried in a specific location, inscribed in a ring, and many other potential forms, usually dependent on the effect it has. It can be debated whether or not talismans may be constituted as “black magic” or as something permissible in Islam as many of them employ the power of God through using verses from the Qur’an (although there is debate as to whether talismans are permissible in any sense, even if they use the Qur’an, many believe they are wholly sinful). Some however, do indeed use what may be regarded as “black magic” which would invoke spirits other than God, although The Sun of Knowledge implies that these spirits and astrological effects work by the will of God, thus I believe there is some debate to be had as to what really constitutes “black magic”. Nevertheless, most religious scholars would regard the invocation of spirits and planets as “black magic” and it may be considered heretical or blasphemous. As such, this reinforces my game’s concept of having magic be the antithesis to religion.

Employing Spirits & Summoning Rituals

There are several writings of rituals about summoning specific spirits within The Sun of Knowledge. There are a few about employing the djinn, which are other spirits that, according to the Qur’an, inhabit a different plain from human beings, although they can seep into our world. There are also several rituals and recitals one may use to employ archangels of God, as well as the employment of planetary spirits. Great caution is given by Al-Buni on these rituals as one must have a certain level of spirituality and knowledge in order to utilize them without causing undue harm upon themselves or others.

Djinn

I will not delve into the precise ritual used to employ the djinn out of basic respect for Al-Buni, my writing on his work is already tantamount to disrespect as he very much prefaced his work by saying only those that are pure of heart, pious, and knowledgeable on the esoteric tradition should have access to it, so by the very least I will censor myself in regards to what may be considered a powerful and “dangerous” ritual. The ritual to command several faithful djinn is a month-long ritual that requires fasting, hundreds of hours worth of Qur’an recital, lengthy prayers, and inscriptions. If conducted correctly and with reverence, the djinns the summoner beseeches will be powerful forces that meet the summoners needs “faster than lightning” whenever they employ them. This type of ritual is of great inspiration for my magic system as it is essentially a long quest to achieve supernatural powers, I believe it will strongly influence how I go about implementing my magic system. There are also other less elaborate employments of djinns throughout the grimoire, usually along the lines of reciting specific phrases or Quranic verses and/or inscribing them in talismans. Although these rituals are not as direct and are not implied to be as powerful as the previous ritual mentioned.

Archangels & Planetary Spirits

Aside from employing God’s power and commanding djinns, there are also methods for employing God’s archangels and the planetary spirits (although the planetary spirits may be djinn themselves as the grimoire refers to them as djinn-kings occasionally). The employment of these spirits requires reciting specific sentences and phrases as well as some (but limited) Qur’an recital. These may be used for specific tasks or needs. The archangels may only work on those with pure intentions and a high level of spirituality while the planetary spirits are implied to require further knowledge on the esoteric tradition in order to effectively employ.

Game Implications

After conducting all this research I found myself incredibly inspired. The occult sciences and overall esoteric tradition is an incredibly vast and deep well of knowledge that has revealed interesting ideas to me. Magic squares, the crafting of talismans, the invocation of spirits, the invocation of God’s power, the usage of Quranic verses, the names of God, the many intriguing recitations and incantations, the science of letters, and the astrological concepts I have learned about have many interesting facets by which I may make use of in my game. There is however, a kind of reverence that must honoured out of respect for the practitioners of the occult sciences and of course, of the faiths and religions that take these sort of concepts seriously.

Magic Implications

I will make certain alterations to the ideas mentioned within my game, out of decency. For instance, I may not utilize the science of letters as they are seen in reality, but may hint at them by taking inspiration from the way letters are used in talismans and magic squares. Furthermore I will not seek to teach anyone of these ideas as well, but I will still use them in a gameplay sense. To give an example, let’s say I want a player to cast a spell that controls enemies as taken inspiration from real “spells” that supposedly can control others, I will allow the player to learn this spell and utilize it but I will not completely relay the mechanics of how such a spell works in relation to reality. Furthermore, certain rituals that may be used to summon spirits would be greatly altered, so for instance, instead of the mercenary fasting and reciting incantations to summon a spirit, the player would have to fulfill some sort of challenge or traverse through a secret level in order to be able to invoke the spirit. I am using these occult practices as inspiration only.

Religion Implications

As for the religious side, I will not use Islam or any other real-world faith within my game, but rather, a parallel to it. The name Allah for instance, will not be utilized, but a more generic name like “the lord” or “god” may be used instead. Parallels may be clear to a Muslim, but even on this front I will certainly make more alterations as to not disrespect any Muslim players. I would hope Muslims may be inclined to this game, even if it does contain ideas of occult sciences, especially since I do not intend on portraying such practices as “good”, indeed my concept outlines that magic is antecedent to religion and the route where in which the player sides with magic is meant to be portrayed as the “bad” route. Although, given my own views on religion, I am not intending for religion to be portrayed as necessarily “good” and upon deeper inspection it should be viewed that the middle route (not religion or magic) is the best route. But also, if I can have an experience where in which anyone can take any potential meaning from it, even if it is not my own view, then that may be optimal.

Final Thoughts

The esoteric tradition in relation to religion will be used in my game. I will attempt to portray these ideas respectfully and tastefully. I hope not to offend anyone or be labelled a sorcerer or heretic if this game were to ever be made fully and released globally, although I wouldn’t be totally unentertained if that were the situation. In any case, I intend to simply take inspiration, so that should not be the end result.

Sources:
The Sun of Knowledge (Shams al ma’arif) by Ahmed Al-Buni translated by Amina Inloes.
The YouTube channel “Let’s Talk Religion” specific videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWEh7U4a3DU&t=1335s “Introduction to Islamicate occult sciences”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAzdgYl0-lQ “Shams al-Ma’arif – The Most Dangerous Book in the World?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZWt886Lo1Q “Talismanic Magic in the Islamicate World”