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Kashifı¯'s Asra¯r-i Qa¯simı¯ and Timurid magic

THE WORK OF THE SCHOLAR, MORALIST AND EXEGETE, HUSAYN KASHIFI, IS FAIRLY well-known, and becomes even more so with the appearance of this special issue of Iranian Studies. On the other hand, the esoteric dimension of Kashifi’s work has received far less attention. It represents, however, an integral part of the author’s world vision. The goal of the present article is to cast light on the principal ideas and character of Kashifi’s work on magic, entitled Asrr-i Qsimı. This medium-sized book opens like any other, as if it were dealing with a subject as incontestable as pharmacology or astronomy. Its goal, however, is to outline the procedures that enable one to participate in the hidden laws that connect all living things. Kashifi’s stated purpose is to make the contents of the voluminous general surveys of the Ancients on esotericism accessible to a wider Persian-speaking audience. He hints that the work was done at the request of a certain Amir Sayyid Qasim, to whom it is dedicated, and as the title itself indicates. The work begins with the traditional eulogy of the Prophet, at the same time referring to several hadiths praising scientific research: “Let me see things as they are!” and “Lord, augment my knowledge!” and citing Arabic and Persian verses in a similar vein. The use of hadiths serves to situate Kashifi’s discussion within the official and legitimate scope of Islamic learning. Moreover, the citations of poetic verses introduce it as part of a culture that is both literary and religious, that is, of a select and cultivated readership. In short, the introduction reinforces the idea that the occult sciences are an integral part of the knowledge accessible to the contemporary cultural elite. His goal, however, is essentially practical, as he does not strive to do the work of a theoretician here. After these introductive eulogies, Kashifi provides an outline of the work by stating that he will focus on the sciences of kımiy, lımiy, hımiy, sımiy and rımiy. This list of strange terms is drawn from an anagram, which was well-known in esoteric circles, whereby the first letters of the five terms formed the word KLHSR, which could also be read as “kullu-hu sirr” (“All of it is a mystery”), an Arabic formula that Kashifi attributes, somewhat surprisingly, to the ancient Greek sages ( ̨ukam-yi