Ta’wiz: an age-old delusion or science?
Lecture on talismans aims to explain the ‘science’ behind the phenomenon.
ISLAMABAD:
One man stood before 50 people on Thursday, in an attempt to prove to them that ta’wiz is a science. It is not an offshoot of Sufism, insisted Asim Maharvi Chishti of the Chishtiya Ribbat Sufi Studies Centre, at the first of the four lectures organised by Kuch Khaas and Hast-o-Neest (Centre for Tradition Art and Culture in Lahore). The lecture was titled “Talismanic Science of Ta’wiz”.
Talismanic science (vajdani ilm) he explained, works at different levels of human existence or the five shells: there’s the outermost or the physical shell (treated with herbs or medicines), the electromagnetic, the psychic that invokes feelings such as fear and love, psycho astral and the innermost astral shell (Roh-e-Nisama).
The human body is surrounded by a certain “aura” that prevents negative energy from penetrating your body, although its intensity varies from person to person just like intelligence, Chishti said.
Modern science, he continued, is mostly concerned with the physical as it does not accept the concept of the intangible.
However, he continued, we often forget that the commonality that brings all humans together is the spirit – the essence of life which is not limited by time and space and still eludes the logic of modern day science.
(Read: The negativity that surrounds superstitions)
Talismanic science is practiced through written numbers and alphabets. It’s foundations lay on Abjad numerals, a decimal numeral system in which the 28 letters of Arabic are assigned numerical values(Ibn-e-haroof) and numbers (1-9) that combine to form Ilm-e-Jaffar, explained the lecturer.
They are assigned values by spiritual leaders, and correspond to different elements; these cosmic and heavenly bodies have certain affects on the human existence.
Also universal shapes such as triangle, circle which have to be written down at prescribed time of the day, as for each shape only when the moon is the highest level will the ta’wiz have any affect.
He talked of the power embodied in Arabic alphabets such as ‘Alif’ which, he claimed, if repeatedly written can be destructive. This science, Chisti claimed, can reveal and treat illnesses at all levels of shells.
Ruqa, as referred to before the advent of Islam, existed since the time of Adam and was then taken up during Hazrat’s Idrees’s time, he said. Resolute on his claim of ta’wiz being a science, he said it is being misused in our society and people have fallen prey to the pseudo professors of this science. The problem, he claimed, does not lie with ta’wiz but with its diagnosis.
The hows and whys
The lecture was followed by a question and answer session. Some of the questions:
Is ta’wiz a branch of magic?
No but it can be used to cure or remove destructive effects of the notorious black magic.
How do you receive this knowledge?
It is transferred in the four spiritual orders, Chishtia, Qadiriyya, Suhrawardiyya and Naqshbandi.
So are you saying this is a sectarian divide?
Not at all. It is a tailored solution which adopts different methods and has the same aims.
How much do you charge for one ta’wiz?
The question that was perhaps on most people’s mind was finally voiced amidst subtle laughter. That is a very important question. We are not allowed to charge anything, but we also cannot refuse whatever is being offered to us.
After the discussion
Chishti told The Express Tribune that the aim behind the talk was to educate the people and pave way for what he believed was an eventually imperative collaboration between modern and talismanic science.
Do alphabets and numbers contain the power to heal? How much truth lies in these cosmic and heavenly bodies affecting us? Will talismanic science ever be accepted by the modern scientist? For some the answer will be a simple Google search; for others it will be a lifelong journey of exploration; some will not give it a second thought; others will swear by it; for those in between these two extremes, a proverbial question mark will hang over talismanic sciences, unwilling to submit to it, but vary of denying it outright.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2011.
One man stood before 50 people on Thursday, in an attempt to prove to them that ta’wiz is a science. It is not an offshoot of Sufism, insisted Asim Maharvi Chishti of the Chishtiya Ribbat Sufi Studies Centre, at the first of the four lectures organised by Kuch Khaas and Hast-o-Neest (Centre for Tradition Art and Culture in Lahore). The lecture was titled “Talismanic Science of Ta’wiz”.
Talismanic science (vajdani ilm) he explained, works at different levels of human existence or the five shells: there’s the outermost or the physical shell (treated with herbs or medicines), the electromagnetic, the psychic that invokes feelings such as fear and love, psycho astral and the innermost astral shell (Roh-e-Nisama).
The human body is surrounded by a certain “aura” that prevents negative energy from penetrating your body, although its intensity varies from person to person just like intelligence, Chishti said.
Modern science, he continued, is mostly concerned with the physical as it does not accept the concept of the intangible.
However, he continued, we often forget that the commonality that brings all humans together is the spirit – the essence of life which is not limited by time and space and still eludes the logic of modern day science.
(Read: The negativity that surrounds superstitions)
Talismanic science is practiced through written numbers and alphabets. It’s foundations lay on Abjad numerals, a decimal numeral system in which the 28 letters of Arabic are assigned numerical values(Ibn-e-haroof) and numbers (1-9) that combine to form Ilm-e-Jaffar, explained the lecturer.
They are assigned values by spiritual leaders, and correspond to different elements; these cosmic and heavenly bodies have certain affects on the human existence.
Also universal shapes such as triangle, circle which have to be written down at prescribed time of the day, as for each shape only when the moon is the highest level will the ta’wiz have any affect.
He talked of the power embodied in Arabic alphabets such as ‘Alif’ which, he claimed, if repeatedly written can be destructive. This science, Chisti claimed, can reveal and treat illnesses at all levels of shells.
Ruqa, as referred to before the advent of Islam, existed since the time of Adam and was then taken up during Hazrat’s Idrees’s time, he said. Resolute on his claim of ta’wiz being a science, he said it is being misused in our society and people have fallen prey to the pseudo professors of this science. The problem, he claimed, does not lie with ta’wiz but with its diagnosis.
The hows and whys
The lecture was followed by a question and answer session. Some of the questions:
Is ta’wiz a branch of magic?
No but it can be used to cure or remove destructive effects of the notorious black magic.
How do you receive this knowledge?
It is transferred in the four spiritual orders, Chishtia, Qadiriyya, Suhrawardiyya and Naqshbandi.
So are you saying this is a sectarian divide?
Not at all. It is a tailored solution which adopts different methods and has the same aims.
How much do you charge for one ta’wiz?
The question that was perhaps on most people’s mind was finally voiced amidst subtle laughter. That is a very important question. We are not allowed to charge anything, but we also cannot refuse whatever is being offered to us.
After the discussion
Chishti told The Express Tribune that the aim behind the talk was to educate the people and pave way for what he believed was an eventually imperative collaboration between modern and talismanic science.
Do alphabets and numbers contain the power to heal? How much truth lies in these cosmic and heavenly bodies affecting us? Will talismanic science ever be accepted by the modern scientist? For some the answer will be a simple Google search; for others it will be a lifelong journey of exploration; some will not give it a second thought; others will swear by it; for those in between these two extremes, a proverbial question mark will hang over talismanic sciences, unwilling to submit to it, but vary of denying it outright.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2011.