Greatest Name
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'''The Greatest Name''' (Arabic: اسم الاعظم; also sometimes translated as '''The Most Mighty Name''' or '''Most Great Name''') is a prominent device in Islamic esotericism, magic and the occult that is identified as the '''Seal of Solomon''' (Arabic: ختم سليمان). A series of six usually independent symbols occurring in between two pentagrams (or pentalphas) - ''viz.'' seven independent characters totaling eight in all -, this symbol is believed to reveal hidden knowledge, especially of the true name of God. In its originating transmission within the Islamic world it is attributed to 'Ali, the first Shi'ite Imam, in a poem found in the margins of the Sermon Between the Two Gulfs (khutba tatanjîya). The first seven verses of the poem state: | '''The Greatest Name''' (Arabic: اسم الاعظم; also sometimes translated as '''The Most Mighty Name''' or '''Most Great Name''') is a prominent device in Islamic esotericism, magic and the occult that is identified as the '''Seal of Solomon''' (Arabic: ختم سليمان). A series of six usually independent symbols occurring in between two pentagrams (or pentalphas) - ''viz.'' seven independent characters totaling eight in all -, this symbol is believed to reveal hidden knowledge, especially of the true name of God. In its originating transmission within the Islamic world it is attributed to 'Ali, the first Shi'ite Imam, in a poem found in the margins of the Sermon Between the Two Gulfs (khutba tatanjîya). The first seven verses of the poem state: | ||
| − | ''Three sticks in a row after a seal; above them the semblance of a straightened lance. | + | :''Three sticks in a row after a seal; above them the semblance of a straightened lance''. |
| − | A blind ‘mîm’ without a tail, then a ladder unto all that is hoped for, but which is not a ladder. | + | :''A blind ‘mîm’ without a tail, then a ladder unto all that is hoped for, but which is not a ladder''. |
| − | Four things like fingers in a row pointing to good deeds, but without a wrist. | + | :''Four things like fingers in a row pointing to good deeds, but without a wrist''. |
| − | And a ‘hâ’ that has been split, then an inverted `wâw’ like the syphon of a phlebotomist, but not a blood-letting cup. | + | :''And a ‘hâ’ that has been split, then an inverted `wâw’ like the syphon of a phlebotomist, but not a blood-letting cup''. |
| − | This is the name whose worth is magnified; if you were ignorant of it before, know it now. | + | :''This is the name whose worth is magnified; if you were ignorant of it before, know it now''. |
| − | O bearer of the great name, take sufficiency in it – you shall be preserved from misfortunes and shall be kept safe. | + | :''O bearer of the great name, take sufficiency in it – you shall be preserved from misfortunes and shall be kept safe''. |
| − | It is the [secret] name of the Godhead, may Its glory be glorified, unto all men, be they Arab or non-Arab | + | :''It is the [secret] name of the Godhead, may Its glory be glorified, unto all men, be they Arab or non-Arab''. [1] |
According to the narrative legends recorded in the magical corpus of Al-Buni’s writings as well as by others, it was the device used by Adam to name all things; by Solomon to summon both angels and demons, and was given to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel[2]. While some claim a possible Mandaean origin to the symbol[3], and versions of it can be found in Jewish Kabbalistic writings as well[4], Hans Winkler posits an Assyro-Babylonian pedigree[5]. | According to the narrative legends recorded in the magical corpus of Al-Buni’s writings as well as by others, it was the device used by Adam to name all things; by Solomon to summon both angels and demons, and was given to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel[2]. While some claim a possible Mandaean origin to the symbol[3], and versions of it can be found in Jewish Kabbalistic writings as well[4], Hans Winkler posits an Assyro-Babylonian pedigree[5]. | ||
