8vo. (23 x 16.5 cm), 36 pages, 21 lines to the page in naskh script, diagrams in red, original full calf binding, re-backed, slightly rubbed at corners, inscribed by Abdul Rahman b. Muhammad al-Tamimi at Jalfar (Jordan), 1180/ 1766.

Synopsis

A manuscript combining two practical books of divination based in particular on the science of letters and the alphabet and their numerical value, calculated using several systems, practice often related to Sufism. Al-Bistami was a mystic, who belonged to the order of dervishes Hurufis, attributed a mystical significance to the letters of the alphabet and their assembly. He had gained the favour of the Sultan Murad II, to whom he dedicated several of his works.
Bibliographic references: Zarkali 3/331; Brockelman II-300; E.I.-II-1286.