Tilsum and Hamail
The use of amulets was justified by a saying of Mohammed: "There is no wrong in using charms and spells so long as you do not associate anything with God!"
Those who prepare Tilsum (or hamail) are, in most cases, acquainted with astrology, astronomy and geomancy, with the aid of which they fix up the auspicious hour. In geomancy, dots and lines have their own significance. The time for writing an amulet is fixed. Mysterious signs and words are used as spells, while numbers and human and animal figures play an important role. Magic words, formulae, the different names of God, and of angels, sentences from the Quran, etc., engraved on square-sized metal (silver) plate, or on paper or on silk, and written over in saffron coloured or black ink, and sprinkled in certain cases with perfume or rose-water , form the staple of amulets and charms in use. These are worn on the body after some formality, so that the possessor may be sure of its effect. The day and hour for putting on a Tilsum is fixed by the writer, and women wear it in their necklaces, or as part of a head ornament. Some Tilsum are made with a definite object in view, for example, for a disease or to attract one's beloved or as a safeguard against evil genii. Some are used for securing general good also.
Many amulets are used primarily for protection against the evil eye (al- 'ain, al-nazra, al-hasad), the jinn, and the 'afarit. The widespread belief in the existence of the mysterious power of evil is justified by passages in the Qur'an and the prophetic traditions (hadith).
These magical formulae and signs include the “highest name of Allah“ or „ismillahil-asma“, as well as combinations of the seven letters of the Arabic alphabet that do not appear in the first chapter of the Qur'an. These seven letters refer to the seven kings of the jinn as well as to a cosmological system that does not need to be examined here because it is largely unknown to the general population and is in fact reserved for a small number od specialists.
Magic tool:
1. The ink used for writing amulets is saffron water, rose water, orange water, the juice of onions, water from the sacred well of Zem Zem, and sometimes even human blood.
2. Frankincense and coriander played an important role during magic rituals. Coriander is called teffah l-jinn, «the apples of the jinn.»
Many amulets are used primarily for protection against the evil eye (al- 'ain, al-nazra, al-hasad), the jinn, and the 'afarit. The widespread belief in the existence of the mysterious power of evil is justified by passages in the Qur'an and the prophetic traditions (hadith).
These magical formulae and signs include the “highest name of Allah“ or „ismillahil-asma“, as well as combinations of the seven letters of the Arabic alphabet that do not appear in the first chapter of the Qur'an. These seven letters refer to the seven kings of the jinn as well as to a cosmological system that does not need to be examined here because it is largely unknown to the general population and is in fact reserved for a small number od specialists.
Magic tool:
1. The ink used for writing amulets is saffron water, rose water, orange water, the juice of onions, water from the sacred well of Zem Zem, and sometimes even human blood.
2. Frankincense and coriander played an important role during magic rituals. Coriander is called teffah l-jinn, «the apples of the jinn.»
