Shams al-Ma'arif - The Most Dangerous Book in the World? 

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Just a note for everyone, Islam does not condone the use of talisman and any kind of magic. A true muslim seek refuge from any evil and dangerous things only in The Almighty, Allah. A muslim can't even use the book quran as a protection from anything. The 'quran' means 'to recite'. A muslim can recite the verse of the quran to seek refuge by it (knowing that Allah will protect them by those verse from evil). Any sign of quranic verses written in/on any form of talisman is a form of shirik "Associating God with something in power to protect you". Written verse cannot protect you from anything by itself, but reciting quranic verse in hope that Allah gives protect does the work.

“This book teaches you to make matrices using letters instead of numbers. Hence, it must be witchcraft.” As someone who had to study quantum mechanics, I wholeheartedly agree with the modern scholars.

i am not that religious but i cannot stress enough how wonderful it is that you warn people about you quoting from this book for those who do take this seriously. it is very kind and shows that you do love learning religion and respect those even if you do not believe in them/agree. i grew such a huge respect for you from this small kind gesture!

As a muslim this is my first time hearing about this book and it’s contents and I’m very fascinated. Thank you for your deep research

i’ve never heard an english speaking native pronounce Arabic this great!!! Truly impressive!!! Subbed.

"Shame unto anyone who has this book and reveals it to a stranger." Let's talk religion: So I heard of this book..

dude, the dedication you put into your videos is huge, honestly something that you no longer see too much here in youtube

Interesting fact about Shams al-Maarif: in 1984, Serhan Tayşi - the director of Turkish National Library (which is famous for its manuscrips) recieved a letter from Ministry of Culture said that the US asked for a book named Shams al-Maarif. Curious, Tayşi took the book and began to examine it. This manuscript, unlike the prints on the market, explains some key points on how to use the knowledge provided. After that, Tayşi refused to give the book. Due to pressure from the Ministry of Culture, he brought the issue to the MIT (Turkish CIA) and the General Staff. At the end the book wasn’t given and General Staff thanked Tayşi.

For those who do not know: in Arabian countries, especially among the older generations, just the mention of this book brings out a very negative, fearful reaction. I once joked with an older person that I was reading this book and he scowled and told me not to joke about things like this. The fact that this is being covered outside is a very interesting and refreshing take! Thanks for this video!

They learned what harmed them and did not benefit them-although they already knew that whoever buys into magic would have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable indeed was the price for which they sold their souls, if only they knew! (Quran 2:102)

You always take a very respectful approach to discussing these subjects and works. Keep up the great work 💪🏽

Immediately subscribed, this was such a good watch. I really enjoyed the whole thing, learned a lot, and your Arabic pronunciation is impressive!

as someone who's studied islam my whole life i've been warned about this book by almost every person i learned from even in my highschool they warned us about this book to a point that i was even hesitant to click on this video 💀💀

Finally someone who cares about proper pronunciation. It's hard to take someone's information seriously if they're butchering the names of what they're talking about.

Your research is so thorough, I never heard this stuff. This is mind-blowing

This is creepy as hell and may Allah protect us all from evil

Finally it makes sense now. In my childhood, there was a man of my mother's village could summon Jinn mostly for healing people from illness. The jinn was known to be good unlike Satan/evil-nature but little bit ill-tempered. As urban residents, me, my father & everyone else laughed hearing such things. We decided to witness the attempt. One of my aunt was infertile. Doctor said she may haven't give birth ever. Her father couldn’t bear it. He called that man to arrange a summoning in hope that if Jinn could help. Luckily we were there too. In the full moon. There was almost 15-20 people in my aunt's house locked inside including me & my parents. Completely dark. Not a single drop of light except few aromatic joss stick. One of my grand father was holding the man tightly so that he can not do tricks by himself. The man were supposed to recite some sort of verses for quite a long time. Although he told us before starting rituals that how the jinn will enter. Exactly that happened after few minutes. Something suddenly started walking on the roof. It was so heavy that the whole house was shaking. Than it feels like somebody threw a heavy stone. It fell just in the middle of us directly from the roof . Later we saw it was a huge rock but got puzzled that how did it invaded the roof & fell upon a place full of people but nobody got hurt! Thn we felt that the thing jumped onto the ground, opned the main door which was locked inside, took a chair & sat in the center of room. Remember it was completely dark. Well thn he gave Salam to everybody. I was like shivering after listening his voice. No human can have this kind of voice. It was nasally & too sharp. He was talking bengali but in different dialect which was not familiar to me. Than he calmly heard all the problems & questions whoever asking & replied accordingly. My mother, one who is fearless lady i have ever seen, was asking some questions that results are yet to come in near future. The jinn scolded her saying "we can not tell about prophecies. That power is not given to us. We are another species just like you made by Allah with a certain special powers." my another aunt had been trying hardly to see him in the dark. He noticed instantly. Said, "you tried to see me since the very first time. Can you bear the effect after seeing my avatar? If we are in hiding, that is for a good reason. So let us be." when he was gone, he took almost half of mann fish as his charge. After the ceremony, when the light came back, we were like numb. Couldn't find any loophole that could convice us that it was fake & staged. No third person could enter in the house territory. Even if anybody stays hidden in outside, how could he open the heavy main door which was locked inside. What is the explaination of the throw. How it fell through the roof! But the most interesting part is, my infertile aunt for whom the jinn was summoned is a mother of four children now. Later the jinn appeared again by the same ceremony. Gave her some rituals to follow & told to perform her prayer regularly. So this is how the jinn was summoned by that man. He might have chanting those verses. My nana told me that the summoner had some book which is forbidden. Sometimes he may recited the verses from The Qura'n in reverse (Nawjubillah). Nana said, although the man meant to help people but it is wrong & forbidden in Islam. No one is supposed practice such things like magic or summoning Jinn. Thanks & Appreciating your efforts from Bangladesh 🇧🇩

This book and other books full of talismans and incantations were collectively known as "al kutub al safraa" (the yellow (paged) books). Being found with one in your possession was enough to have you accused of heresy or witchcraft and sent to jail. I once saw one of these books and was able to go through the various spells inside and actually found one particularly notorious spell: the one to use to make a woman you desire come to you. It involves drawing certain talismans and symbols on your member and calling out the loved one's name at night. Anyway, they say a man was desperately in love with a woman called "Barda'a" (Arabic for saddle, Bedouins often named their daughters similar names). So someone recommended that he try this particular spell after seeing how much he desired this woman. Our friend was not a learned or religious person, he knew little about Djinn and occult things, but he decided to give it a try if there was any chance he could be with the woman he wanted. So he went to a secluded hovel or shack outside of the village he lived in. He drew the figures as best he could from the book on his penis. Then he sat there in the dark and started saying, "Barda'a, Barda'a" again and again in the quiet of the night. Suddenly he heard a noise outside the door. His heart leapt with fear, excitement and hope all at once. Could this actually be Barda'a outside the door? He stood up and slowly opened the door and right there in front of his shack was a donkey saddle suspended in the air. 😂 They say he was never the same after that night in the shack outside the village.

First time I listen your video and your approach in informing people about this subject is beyond any reproach. Very informative, you don't make any judgement because of your humility. You let the scholars judge and those with more knowledge thank yourself. Now I am curious to watch all of your videos. Thank you

Thoroughly enjoyable and thought inspiring. Amazing work, mate. Thank you, and keep it coming!

Although being a non native Arabic speaker yourself, your pronunciation is pretty much smooth in itself. Goes to show your true dedication for not murdering these words.

From a Muslim here who is from an Arab country and has a descent knowledge about the religion, for those who think that this book is religious in anyway or who think they will get some kind of powers from Allah or the words of Allah, I’d tell them to not be fooled by these thoughts. This book has nothing religious in it! People see the verses and names of Allah and they think “then this book must be a good Islamic book”. Just think about this, what if a Quranic verse is written backwards that doesn’t make it from the Quran anymore. Or if this book tells you to repeat something specific numbers of times, then it changes what is supposed to be holy to something else. Remember, if the prophet didn’t do it nor his companions then that’s just mere innovation and people are fooled thinking it is “religious and holy” to do these rituals. And calling upon Jinn is just pure shirk as we say. Remember that whatever this book is telling you about things and stories is just mere lies to convince you that doing these rituals and playing with the Quran like that is ok and religious. Ask any scholar and they would tell you this book is basically nothing from Islam. Not to mention the dangers this book brings. You keep it at home and you will see and feel things change and happen. You will also hear things. You will never know peace. I had 3 family members who were fools enough to think they could learn stuff from the book and they thought they can control Jinn. Well, it turned against them, they got literally mentally ill to the point they had to have them restrained otherwise they might hurt someone or hurt themselves. Eventually all of them died after a long time of suffering with mental illness. Just stay away from this book or you will regret it. And remember that if you try to read the book and use its rituals then you will be tested. And if you can’t handle those tests then you will end up like those 3 family members I had.

An excellent treatise on the subject with historical contexts. Thank you for a very educational and unbiased perspective.

Fascinating topic! Thank you for sharing your brilliant analysis!

You clearly put a lot of effort into research and learning the correct pronunciation of Arabic names and words and it shows. I applaud your dedication

It's truly remarkable how well informed you about these stuff.

This channel is a priceless resource during these trying times we live in.. thank you from the bottom of my heart

I appreciate your microphone your information is always useful translatable and well spoken

As an Algerian myself (north of the sahara) we do not mention this book much at all not because of its dangers but because we are uneducated about this stuff 😑. So thanks for this video.

Holy moly, I’m so happy I came across this channel. Thank you for making such quality content. You definitely has me as a subscriber.

As being a Muslim i must appreciate your in depth work and the care towards even naming and declaring certain ideas. So correct and to the point, no false imagination at all and you are very well read and informed person. Lots of respects. Even some muslims dont even come close to your research and accurate details of the subject.

Excellent video! Balanced perspective that is very well presented!

Kudos !!! You truly did justice to the topic by elucidating complex terminology and concepts in an eloquent manner...

I adore this channel. your videos are so informative and well-researched. and I really appreciate how you present your knowledge without passing judgement on the cultures you talk about. it's clear that you put a lot of effort and time into your work, and it's always brilliant. even as an Arab Muslim, I'm learning so much from you that no one here ever mentioned. also, excellent pronunciation!

Loved the video great work man

I'm very grateful for your video. I believe you do very well in explaining and showing an interesting belief which is written in an ancient book. Kept me interested and was very understanding. Thank you.

I am amazed with your Arabic pronunciation and amazing presentation! Kudos!

I really appreciate the warning, this shows that you take people's concern seriously. great work.

your pronunciation is PERFECT, I'm from the subsaharan area so I know how those words are meant to be said, wow I'm impressed 👏👏👏

Thank you for the dedication you put into your video, you earned a new sub keep up the good work mate

Thanks for the academic manner in which you share these various historical sources and ideas.

I have really been loving this channel for the past few months. I do not have a post secondary education so I’m really starting from scratch here. I have always been interested in subjects such as these and this channel is a quick and good way to get a handle on things.

I am impressed how you explained this book in the way that reflects your deep knowledge of the subject and the Arabic language.

I'm truly fascinated by the wealth of information I gained from this video. Thank you for that. I'd like to kindly request if you could consider making another video about the intriguing Kitab al-Bulhan, also known as the Book of Wonders. I couldn't find much information about it, and I believe your insights would be valuable. Thanks in advance!

Your Arabic pronunciation is very impressive! ماشاء الله

Just wanted to also chime in to also say that as an Arabic speaker, your pronunciation is excellent and such a breath of fresh air to hear once in a while!

Amazing video! Very informative, this book sounds interesting

THANK YOU... for pronouncing arabic text so well.

Philip you have done a wonderful job, the pictures of painting as an artist a tour through the Islamic art from miniature, two point perspectives to a transition to realism was a bonus to watch the video, Your research and source material with Citations are spot on, it was a very well spoken, well informed talk with correlation between the sacred text and Islamic astrological and scientific side of the world. Not much impress me in life, but your work was commendable, your look beautiful, you speak like a clear water with beautiful Arabic and English pronunciation. Keep up the Good work mate! Zohair

You have a remarkable ability to spell Arabic words with such accuracy. Amazing.

Thank you for the recommendation!

Amazing work brother keep it up

i'm very happy and thankful to you that you made sure to differentiate between what is islamic and what is "islamicate", because for me as a Muslim, all these things of magic and occultism break very fundamental rules of islam, that those people chose to translate and understand in a bit of a different way.

Beautifully presented and narrated. Gives an insightful and objective perspective of a subject rarely discussed.

Thank you, very fascinating talk

Glad i discovered this video and your channel

Your pronouncinations of arabic always amazes me! Great job as always :)

Wooow, what a fantastic work you've done here, sir, absolutely fantastic 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

Thank you so much for giving such an intimate knowledge and profound understanding about this controversial book. Your diligent efforts and dedication are clearly reflected in this video. May Allah protect us all from evil and shirk.

Brother, you are such an excellent, balanced, articulate presenter!

Excellent presentation Filip thank you, eagerly awaiting your take on the most enigmatic character in the Bible Melchizedek 🙏

Amazing video as usual, all of your work seems to challenge the way I look at the world and what influences the ideas that we now hold when it comes to religion and mysticism. Bless you and continue the great work!

For those who don't know, there are 2 version of this book. One is only explaining it, while the original is scripted to contact with Djins. Some people who own a copy, think they have the original, which is never the case. It's very very difficult to get a copy,

Ty so much for such informative video truly sir I appreciate the great effort you've put in this video. God bless you

this is such a quality video the way you give a warning when your quoting something also is so considerate and your pronounciation is really good for a non native speaker you gained a new sub !

This is my first time on your channel. I must say, you’re pronunciation in Arabic is impressing. I am a language nerd (passionated by linguistics). Through languages I get to explore culture and through culture religion. Somehow I haven’t dived into the Islamic world yet. You showed me beauty today, wisdom and faith in God. I really should learn more about the Arabs.

i would so much love a video about a comparison between the occult beliefs and practices in the old world and the ancient americas . i v always wondered whether there were similarities

Your Arabic pronunciation is so good!

Excellent analysis of the book and the cultural and folk influence on its content.

This video essay is really profound. You explained it really well and spoke through the eyes of a believer. It really puts a different perspective about the context of the book. Especially when you said the book were not meant for the common people (somewhere along the line). Allahuakbar. There were no bias in the video but only well plain explainations for us to experience the book without reading it and not have misconceptions about the book. May Allah guide you and give peace and blessings.

Your pronunciation of arabic words is amazing

LA HAWLA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH ❣️

From a south Asian Sufi named Baba Bulleh Shah, there is a poem (Kafi) which repeats „Ek Nukte Wich Gal Mukdi Ay“ translated as „a single dot contains all“…the Dot of ب in Bismillah explained in this video has opened my knot of years long search/contemplation that this metaphorical expression is perhaps linked to a holier reference than what meets the eye. Thanks Filip, stay blessed 😇

I love to listen to your beautiful voice and command of Arabic, not to mention the profundity of the topics

I really liked the way you have passion for knowledge.

Your pronunciation of the works and names in Arabic is so satisfying, thank you for making such effort to say them right! Being an Arabic native speaker, I know how hard some letters and vocals can be to non-Arabic speakers.

We need more channels like this with useful informations and legit sources

I'm Arabic and your Arabic pronunciation is Great!!

Great work my friend

Truly appreciate your efforts at presenting valuable knowledge in an objective, thorough yet respectful way. I am fascinated as to the way mystics from many different religions have accessed common, universal truths. For example it seems cryptograms were used in many cultures to reinforce faith in the spiritually alchemical properties contained in sacred scriptures. Best wishes.

I appreciate the effort and research you put into these videos , and also i must note your Arabic pronunciation is very good !

One important thing to note is that Sufism was never a majority form of Islam or even a dominant sect of it. Although, it was an significant sect of Islam, primarily responsible for tons of conversions such as the Mongols and even flourished under the Mughal empire.

I think it’s so cool how they incorporated astrological aspects into these texts for rituals. As an astrologer, it’s pretty cool especially knowing the context behind where planets perform the best and etc.

just remember everyone, that The Quran forbids magic. The Quran punishes magicians. To those people who learned magic/ talismans or believe in any part of astrology, "they learned what harmed them and did not benefit them-although they already knew that whoever buys into magic would have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable indeed was the price for which they sold their souls, if only they knew![39]" Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 102

As a Muslim and an Arab, I want to thank you for the respect you showed me by dedicating a substantial amount of effort to making sure that you get a decent pronunciation of the Arabic Language and researching the most dangerous book on earth to help everybody get a clear understanding of the context of the book and story behind it. Also, you, as a non-Muslim and a non-Arab, have educated me about the power and value contained inside the Arabic Language and sentences of the Quran, you have honestly brought me closer to God and to my religion which is something that you’ll be given good deeds for and not forgotten on the day of judgement.

Wow your pronunciation is really amazing

Through your video, I found that the talismans my late grandma made could be from the teaching of this. She's highly offended when told that it was magic, she said it's a form of praying, and to this day I still carry some of the talisman she gave me as an heirloom. Thank you for passing this knowledge.

To all those wondering, Yes in Islam we strongly believe in other beings like Djinns who can be either bad or good i nature. To take shelter or staying safe from any kind of evil, there are few Surah (verses) we are told by Allah and Prophet (pbuh) to recite, especially after early morning prayer and last prayer before we sleep. Here in Pakistan, we have extreme ignorance among various illiterate ppl who use islam and then practice magic. It is totally forbidden and can even place u out of the religion if one practices.

I am from Algeria and well introduced to that subject and I find your pronunciation of Arabic words quite perfect...May Allah guide you to the straightforward path same as me!

Mashallah this is very useful I am going to try some of this stuff tonight

This is so unreal to me I came across this channel and out of curiosity watched. Don’t really understand nor don’t think I want to continue watching, But to all others that enjoy this continue to watch GOD BLESS 😩😳

Such a beautiful presentation ❤️

I did't know anything about this and it was fascinating. Thank you Filip. An excellent job as always.

I hope there will be arabic translation for this , I'm very sure many arabs will want to watch this video too it's a perfection

One day as I was strolling back to my room I found my grandfather laying down and next to him was this book. He was following a soufi tradition and they made him believe that this was wisdom from people of old. I immediately freaked out and started a 10 days debate to finally rid him of this book and all of the accompanying beliefs that came with it. I took a look at what this book said and it was a bunch of charms and curses to apply on people. That book never saw the the next day. I burned it to a crisp along with all the writings that grandpa had scribbled from it. Hopefully Allah will forgive him as he now rests in peace.

Such an amazing knowledge presented right here.

I enjoyed the detailed scholarly account of the (in)famous anthology. Thank you for inspiring me.

Not every Arab is a Muslim and not every Muslim is an Arab. Why doesn't the world understand this?

true story , friend of mine moved into a house back when we were in uni (2004) , he found a copy of this book in the cabinet , it was worn out but still identifiable - he was not able to get a minute of shut eye in that house , weird sounds, flying utensils, jinn coming to his sleep telling him he will not rest in this house advising him to leave - he ignored and kept his daily prayer , the actions didnt stop just his fear stopped . how's that for a context ?