Societas Occulta Islamica

Magic and the Occult in Islam – Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad – Lecture at Warburg Institute, 1 May, 2013

john — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:31:26 +0000

Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad gave this lecture on al-Būnī and the use of magic squares in medieval Islamic culture at the Warburg Institute in London last week. Enjoy.

Conference on the “Occult Sciences in pre-modern Islamic culture”

john — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:13 +0000

Beirut, December 5-8
Orient Institut Beirut , American University Beirut

In any culture, the locationof the so-called “occult” sciences in an area between natural sciences and metaphysics is one that can enrich modern scholarship in regards to notions of science and knowledge. Specifically, if we investigate those “occult” sciences in pre-modern cultures and their conceptualization in classification of sciences, different understandings of science can be critically examined.
In pre-modern Islamic culture, a number of these “occult” sciences that deal with non-observable realities and are marked by ritual references were acknowledged part of the canon of knowledge and practiced also by natural scientists. The “occult” sciences, al-‘ulum al-khafiya, include sciences such as ‘ilm al-firasa (phsysiognomy), qiyafa (tracking), ‘iyafa (myomancy), kimiya (alchemy), ‘ilm ahkam al-nujum (astrology), ruqya; ta’widha (spells and incantations), ta’bir alru’ya (oneiromancy), and various forms of sihr (magic).

To investigate these and similar sciences and to place them in the context of the other sciences in Islam, and of Islamic culture in general, this conference invites contributions under two main topics: The first will examine particular “occult” sciences and their context within the body of the sciences. The second explores how the relationship between the natural and the supernatural was perceived in Islamic culture and how the “occult” in these sciences was defined.

The papers will be published in the conference proceedings.

Prof. Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad will be giving a paper titled: The Occult Technology of Aḥmad b. ʿAlī al-Būnī (d. 622/1225?): An Inquiry into the Art and Science of Talismans in the Corpus Bunianum. We will post more details as they come available. An abstract for Prof. Ahmad’s talk can be downloaded here.

Upcoming Lecture at the Warburg Institute in London

john — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:49:30 +0000

Click here for a summary of the talk.

Journal Update

john — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:52:00 +0000

We have pushed the release date for the first issue of Studia Occulta Islamica back to the end of the calendar year. We received excellent submissions and several of those selected are still in revisions. We will post the table of contents here as soon as it is available and then make further announcements as we approach the end of the year.

The first issue will be released electronically and will eventually be available in paper as well. Details for the latter are still in the works.

Please watch this space for updates.

Corpus Bunianum Lecture, Cambridge University July 9th to 11th, 2012

Nizam — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 17:30:50 +0000

Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad, founder of Societas Occulta Islamica, will be presenting a paper at the Eighth Islamic Manuscript Conference between July 9th to 11th, 2012, Queens’ College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

His paper is entitled The ‘Corpus Bunianum’. A Survey and Analysis of Key MSS ascribed to Aḥmad b. ʿAlī al-Būnī (d. 622/1225).

Those interested in further details about the Conference may contact:

The Islamic Manuscript Association Ltd

c/o 33 Trumpington Street

Cambridge CB2 1QY

United Kingdom

Fax: +44 1223 302 218

admin [at] islamicmanuscript [dot] org