It is not merely a book of fairy tales or folklore. Instead, the Shams al-Ma'arif is a vast, encyclopedic manual that serves as a practical and theoretical guide to the esoteric sciences. It blends spiritual cosmology, astrology, numerology, talismanic magic, letter magic, and prayers into a comprehensive system for interacting with the unseen world. The goal of the text is to provide a pathway for achieving "esoteric spirituality"—a state of divine knowledge and power that transcends the mundane. Defenders of the book argue that it is a "book of wisdom" that explains the laws of the unseen world and helps the reader get closer to God by revealing divine secrets. Its detractors, however, label it a "compendium for dark magic" that lures readers into the world of sorcery and jinn. One famous review on Amazon describes the book succinctly as "Disgusting book which tells one about how to black magic - Very evil book - Can destroy your life by reading it."

If you are interested in the scholarly study of this text, you can look for the to see the original structure, or read summaries like the Reader's Guide to the Sun of Knowledge .

Some practitioners of, or believers in, magic seek it for its reputation as the ultimate source of practical sorcery. Historical Perspective

Creating magical charms is considered black magic (Sihr) in orthodox Islamic theology.

Ahmad al-Buni (died around 1225 CE) was a deeply religious Sufi mystic. He did not view his work as "black magic" or dark sorcery. Instead, al-Buni and his contemporaries looked at these practices as a form of sacred science—a hidden, deeper understanding of the universe that allowed human beings to interact directly with the divine order.

The text includes formulas that critics argue call upon jinn, angels, or spiritual entities rather than relying solely on God.

If you’ve ever searched for , you’ve likely stumbled into one of the most controversial corners of esoteric literature. Written in the 13th century by Ahmad al-Buni, The Sun of Knowledge is often called "the devil’s Quran" by some—but others revere it as the ultimate grimoire of Islamic mysticism.

Many seekers turn to the internet to download a free PDF of Shams al-Ma'arif . The search results are a mixed landscape of resources that require careful navigation:

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