Established in 2006, Antioch Gate offers fascinating, rare and highly sought-after books and PDF eBooks, from / about the Classical Age of Islamic Civilisation (circa 800-1700 CE). The emphasis is on Arabic, Persian, Oriental and Islamic manuscripts and books, some, but not all, with a mystical / occult Gnostic leaning. You will not find direct religious instruction here, although you would be spoilt for choice if you used an internet search engine for that purpose. The eBooks are not found anywhere else in their complete form. It is most unlikely that they will be found elsewhere in hard copy either. either.
Current Catalogue: ================== * Ghayat al-Hakim / Picatrix * The Goal of the Wise. Here it is! Ritter's critical Arabic Arabic text of this, the most important grimoire of magic ever written! Born in Muslim Spain, from the pen of al-Majriti, this is the grandfather of all classic European grimoires. A crucial manual of astrological magic. The black sheep of the European Renaissance, a revolution placing Man at the centre of the Universe, able to forge his own destiny d estiny by manipulating nature. Arabic with German footnotes, facsimile PDF eBook, 13 Megabytes, 432 pages __________________________________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _
* Biruni - Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology * (Kitab al-Tafhim li Awa'il Sina'at al-Tanjim)
A primer of 11th century science. In this magnificent book, Abu Rayhan al-Biruni compares and contrasts different systems of astrology. Beginning with sections on geometry and arithmetic, it leads to a thorough exposition of Ptolemaic astronomy that includes a detailed description of the use of the astrolabe. There are subsequent sections on geography and chronology. Biruni insists that no-one is entitled to call himself an Astrologer unless he possesses a thorough knowledge of these ancillary sciences. Highlights include: a comprehensive list of more than 150 Lots, various forms of aspects and planetary relationships, planetary positions relative to the sun, an excellent text on rulerships as well as comprehensive notes on weather and meteorological phenomena. This is Robert Ramsay Wright's 1934 critical English translation, ba sed on Persian and Arabic manuscripts. This is the complete work, not just a re-publication of the part on Astrology. This book is superior to Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos (written in the 2nd century CE) and moreover, was unknown to mediæval European astrologers. English with parallel Arabic / Persian text, fully bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 22 Megabytes, xviii, 666 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Ibn Sina - A Compendium on the Soul * Avicena's offering to the Prince. Translated from the Arabic original by Edward Abbott van Dyck. A rare work of the illustrious Transoxanian polymath, Ibn Sina ("Avicena"/"Avicenna", as he is known in Europe). Islamic
philosophy, imbued as it is with theology, distinguishes more clearly than Aristotelianism the difference between essence and existence. Avicena's metaphysical works demonstrate that he leaned more toward a philosophical comprehension of metaphysics than one grounded in theology. In his Compendium on the Soul, he prioritises Universal Science (Being-as-such and First Philosophy) over theology. The philosophy of Avicena, particularly that part relating to metaphysics, owes much to Aristotle and to Al-Farabi. English, bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 12 Megabytes, 94 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Dabistán-i Mazáhib * (variously transcribed as Dabestan, -i Mazahab, al-Mazaheb, e tc.) The School of Manners. The original 1843 English translation by Shea & Troyer. Includes huge amounts of text omitted in later republications. Appended is the Persian-language1809 Calcutta edition. English plus a Farsi edition, English translation fully bookmarked, zipped facsimile PDF eBook, 329 Megabytes {massive}, 4 volumes, 1,962 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Ibn Tufayl - Hayy ibn Yaqzan / Bent el-Khass * "Living Son of the Vigilant" / "The Awakening of the Soul". "In which is demonstrated by what Methods one may...attain the Knowledge of things NATURAL and SUPERNATURAL". Translated from the Arabic original by Simon Ockley and edited by Edward
Abbott van Dyck. This intense philosophical tract, which also surveys the major thinkers of the age besides making its own hypothesis in the form of a kind of "novel", was widely read, and came to inspire the British author Daniel Defoe to write his Robinson Crusoe. Appended is a very rare work in French and Arabic called La Légende d e Bent El Khass / "The Legend of Bent el-Khass" (not by ibn Tufayl). English, French & Arabic, bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 25 Megabytes, 84 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Beha ud-Din - The Life of Saladin * (Also transcribed as The Life of Salah ud Din Ayyubi) An epic history from the Crusades. This translation of a mediæval Arabic manuscript recants the history of the Third Crusade on Levantine soil, when an entire continent descended upon one Caliphate which had scanty natural resources for self-defence. From the comfort of your study room, relive the copious atrocities of the Crusaders, who were rarely knights in shining armour. Take relief in the chivalry of the Saracens, and that of the occasional Crusading knight. There are remarkable battle descriptions here, for example where outnumbered Saracen armies won virtually unscathed, where the superior genius of a teenager lifted a siege, where a mighty Eurasian Mamluk with many notches on his belt got ambushed by several wary Crusaders, but escaped when his summary executioner missed and severed an assistant executioner's hand
instead. All this against the backdrop of Islamic camaraderie and generosity, figureheaded by the leader of the Muslim armies, the Sultan Salah ud-Din. From an age when chivalry was the order of the day! English, fully bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 28 Megabytes, xx, 420 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Kitab / Rasa'il Ikhwan as-Safa * The Book / Epistles of the Brethren of Purity. The Encyclopædia of the "Freemasons of Basra"! A bumper pack consisting of the 1887-8 Arabic edition from Bombay, plus 3 English translations of the "Debate of the Animals" found in the 22nd epistle. The Kitab (“book”) or Rasa’il (“epistles”) of the Ikhwan as-Safa is a vast Arabic encyclopædia of some 52 epistles. This great treasure house of Sufic, Gnostic thought occu pies a place in the first rank of Arabic literature. Showing the compatibility of the Islamic faith with other religions and intellectual traditions, the authors of this encyclopædia drew upon Indian, Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic and Judæo-Christian sources. It is said that the members of the Ikhwan as-Safa, or “Brethren of Purity” (the common rendering of their name) formed a sort of Masonic Lodge long before Freemasonry existed. They lived in the Lower Mesopotamian river port of Basra, debating on literature, religion, philosophy and science. Apparently, this is the mysterious “Book P” of the Golden Dawn order. The appellation “Brethren of Purity” could also be the inspiration behind the “White Brotherhood” of the New-Age movement. Could the “king-bee, monarch of the flies” in the English translations of the
political debate between man and animals also given here, have been the inspiration for William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”, another political story? Arabic (bookmarked) plus a section translated thrice into English (fully bookmarked), zipped facsimile PDF eBook, 205 Megabytes {massive}, 1,289 pages (Arabic) plus 439 page s (English) __________________________________________________ _
* Buni - Shams al-Ma'arif al-Kubra * The Sun of Great Knowledge. This is the leading text of Islamic Occultism, written by the mysterious Cabbalistic Sufi Ahmad al-Buni. This work is about the Secrets of the Asma Al-Husna (the 99 “Excellent Names” of God), the mysteries of the Huruf Muqatta’at of the Qur’an (the enigmatic letters appearing at the start of some chapters), and it discusses the influence exercised by the sun, moon and stars at the time of preparing prayer-charts or phylacteries. There is a great deal on magic squares, numerology, alchemy, amulets, many formulae for day-to-day use, and much more. The Shams al-Ma’arif rivals the Picatrix in importance. Most of the "time-tested" books on sorcery in the Muslim world are simplified excerpts from the Shams al-Ma’arif. Both the Picatrix and the Shams al-Ma’arif were probably a model for H. P. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon. More intriguing, perhaps, is the similarity between some of the symbols in the Shams al-Ma’arif and the veves of the Voodoo tradition. Arabic, bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 96 Megabytes {large}, 529 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Asrar-i Qasimi * Secrets of Qasim. This is a Persian treatise on the 5 Occult Sciences, the initials of which form an acrostic of "Kulluhu Sirr" ("All Of It Is Mystery"): Kimiya (alchemy) Limiya (talismanic magic) Himiya (spellcrafting / subjugation of souls) Simiya (letter magic / producing visions) Rimiya (conjuration, trickery) The author was Husayn ibn Ali al-Kashifi (d. 910 AH / 1504 CE), also known as al-Wa'iz al-Bayhaqi. The date of composition was 907 AH / 1501 CE. The Asrar-i Qasimi (Farsi) and the Shams al-Ma’arif (Arabic) are archetypical Occult Science literatures from the lands of Islam. According to the colophon, this book is the first complete copy that is also in the right order. Farsi, facsimile PDF eBook, 45 Megabytes, 110 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Lassy - The Muharram Mysteries among the Azerbaijan Turks of Caucasia * An anthropological study from Finland. This book will show you Shi’ism in a microcosmic version of the Islamic world – Azerbaijan – where Caucasian, Persian, Arab and Turkic cultures intermingle, all in the context of one of the most important events in the political history of Islam – the Martyrdom of Husain ibn Ali. Note the parallel between the Passion of Husain and the Hollywood blockbuster The Last Samurai!
English, fully bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 12 Megabytes, iv, 284 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Kitab Alnoqat Waldawair * (Also transcribed as Kitab al-Nuqat Wa-al-Dawa'ir) The Book of Points and Circles. This is a manual of Druze doctrine, illustrated with diagrams. With an introduction by Dr. Christian Seybold. Arabic with German introduction, bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 6 Megabytes, xv, 96 pages __________________________________________________ _
* E. G. Browne - A Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the University of Cambridge * A brimming catalogue of Persian MSS in Cambridge University Library. Published in 1896, this valuable reference work describes some 343 manuscripts in the library of Cambridge University. This is Browne's first catalogue. English, fully bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 39 Megabytes, xl, 471 pages __________________________________________________ _
* E. G. Browne - A Hand-List of the Muhammadan Manuscripts in the Library of the University of Cambridge * Edward Granville Browne's first Muhammadan MSS catalogue on the worldfamous collection of Cambridge University. Hard truth: an uncatalogued manuscript collection is of little use to the scholar! Published in 1900, this valuable reference work gives brief descriptions of some 1,422 acquisitions made by Cambridge
University. The Hand-List was compiled by Edward Granville Browne (18621926), an Orientalist and professor of Arabic at Cambridge University, England. The MSS here described are for the most part in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu or Hindustani, with a few in Pushto, Punjabi, Eastern Turki, etc. English, fully bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 27 Megabytes, xvii, 440 pages __________________________________________________ _
* E. G. Browne - A Supplementary Hand-List of the Muhammadan Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University and Colleges of Cambridge * Browne's second and final complete catalogue of Muhammadan MSS in Cambridge. Published in 1922, this valuable reference work gives brief descriptions of some 1,577 acquisitions made since the previous Hand-List was published. The MSS here described are for the most part in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu or Hindustani, with a few in Pushto, Punjabi, Eastern Turki, etc. The Malay MSS are mentioned only under their class-marks, without title or description. There was one more Browne catalogue after this, completed posthumously by Reynold A. Nicholson. English, fully bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 16 Megabytes, xi, 348 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Sadi's Scroll of Wisdom * The Pand Namah of Shaykh Sadi Shirazi. This rare book - separate from the widely-available Gulistan and Bustan - is a small volume of poetry embodying precepts
which would do no discredit to the philosophy of the 21st Century CE. Concise and elegant, the work is most popular throughout the length and breadth of the Persian-speaking East. In addition to beauty of diction, it is written in a metre which flows in easy cadence, and fixes the words of the poem on the mind. Hence the lines are committed to memory to an extent that is probably not surpassed by any work in the Persian language. Lines from Sadi's poems are still commonly used in conversations by Iranians today. English, fully bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 2 Megabytes, 63 pages __________________________________________________ _
* The Poems of Mu'tamid, King of Seville * A journey into the soul of al-Andalus and its Poet-King. King Abbad III, al-Mu'tamid 'ala Allah, was the 3rd and last ruler (reigned 10691091 CE) of Seville, Spain. He counts as one of the greatest Andalusian poets, and his blood is said to live on in the royal houses of Europe, and elsewhere. English, bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 2 Megabytes, 60 pages
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FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS ==================== These eBooks are free downloads. Antioch Gate does not endorse or reject any sect or doctrine by offering these texts. * Rumi - Fihi ma Fihi * "In It What Is In It."
We are doubtless all familiar with 13th Century CE Anatolian Sufi Master Jalal ud-Din Rumi's Mathnawi, which conveys the cosmic ecstasy and esoteric enstasy of a lovefool on the pilgrimage to mystical Union. But how many have read his miscellany, the book of table-talk here given as a download? Whereas in the former work he teeters on the brink of the ineffable, in Fihi ma Fihi, the Mawlana discusses spirituality and the cultural matters of his time in a much more clinical sense. An absorbing read. English, PDF eBook, 1 Megabyte, xix, 431 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Mansur al-Hallaj - Tawasin * Maybe he was right, perhaps he was wrong. Translated by Aisha Abd ar-Rahman at-Tarjumana, this beau tifully-worded work opens up the deep mysteries of Gnosis. Abu al-Mughith Husayn Mansur al-Hallaj was born around 8 58 CE in Tur, Persia. He was an anomaly even among Sufis. Many Sufi masters felt that it was inappropriate to share mysticism with the uninitiated, yet Hallaj openly did so. After years of imprisonment, on 26th March, 922 CE, he was beheaded (some say crucified) by the Abbasid Caliph for his ecstatic, blasphemous utterances, for example "Ana al-Haq" ("I am the Truth", Truth being one of the 99 Asma al-Husna). Apparently he went to his execution dancing in his chains, totally cordial towards his death sentence. Evidently, he was a stranger to this world. Quoth Rumi on Hallaj (Mathnawi, Bk. 2): What time King Mansur became victorious,
He left his throne and hastened to the stake. (Sufi dervishes were often called "Shah", and the stake was presumably used to impale his head.) This Kitab at-Tawasin, or Ta Sin al Azal - Hallaj's best-known work - contains a number of c hapters, each of them called "tasin", after the mysterious letters at the beginning of the Qur'anic Sura 27, which are said to indicate Divine Majesty and Power. The Tawasin includes 2 brief chapters devoted to a dialogue of Satan and God, where Satan refuses to bow to Adam, although God asks him to do so. Thelemites make use of Hallaj's teachings, especially in terms of his identification as God, a central Gnostic principle known to Sufis as Fana, or Annihilation. English, PDF eBook, 0.4 Megabytes, 22 pages __________________________________________________ _
* E. G. Browne - Materials for the Study of the Babi Religion * Browne's assessment of the life and works of the Babi sect. Published in 1918, this historical and bibliographical compend ium is a primer for the academic study of Babism and its rival splinters, Bahaism and Azalism. Babism is a messianic Persian Gnostic sect founded in 1844 CE, now superseded by Bahaism and Azalism. English, fully bookmarked, facsimile PDF eBook, 35 Megabytes, xxiv, 380 pages __________________________________________________ _
* Samarqandi - Chahar Maqala * Revised translation of the classic "Four Discourses". Published in 1921, this is EG Browne's translation of the work by the 12th
Century CE Transoxanian polymath Nizam-i Arudi ("The Prosodist") Samarqandi. The subject of the discourses is: 1) Secretaries, 2) Poets, 3) Astrologers and 4) Physicians. According to Browne, it is by virtue of the Chahar Maqala that Samarqandi deserves to be reckoned amongst the great names of Persian literature. English, facsimile PDF eBook, 11 Megabytes, xv, 184 pages •
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