KuchKhaas (Islamabad) and Hast-o-Neest (Tradition, Art and Culture Center in Lahore) organised a lecture on the talismanic science of ta’wiz. Despite the fact that I, for one am not a believer in ta’wiz, I went to attend this “talk” as the speaker put it, obviously with some reservations. To say the least, it was a great learning experience nonetheless. Sahibzada Asim Maharvi Chishti of the Chishtiya Ribbat Sufi Studies Center presented a sketch of how a ta’wiz works.

To my surprise, the gathering consisted of people one would not suspect of having any inclination towards such topics. As per Asim Maharvi, the ta’wiz is not a branch of Sufism, rather a science that is yet to be accepted by those in the mainstream.

Ruqa (as called before the advent of Islam), has been with man since Adam and gained much impetus at the time of Prophet Idrees, the speaker explained. The human existence, he said, is not only the body, but consists of “five shells” – each shell existing on its own at a different level and sublimely affecting the others. The outermost shell is the physical for which’s ailments we have medicinal and herbal treatment for ailments, then is the electromagnetic shell, a psychical shell, a Astor-Psychical and finally the Roh-i-Nisma, what we call the very soul of the human being, or the astral shell. The speaker asserted that a taw’iz works at all shells; it reveals and heals certain ailments. How exactly does this come about? He explained that a talismanic science rests on the knowledge of astrology, allotropy, numerology and the 28 Arabic alphabets. Cosmic and heavenly bodies have affects on mankind; such as certain shapes like the triangle and circle can only be used when their respective moon is at the highest degree and the 12 months of the year impact the 12 dorsal vertebrae of ones’ body.

While modern science is only concerned and mostly deals with the physical, with medicines and herbs, and the mental with psychiatry and psycho-analysis – the disease can have its roots into the subtle shells of human existence that the mainstream scientist has yet not accepted, let alone explored. However, as per Asim Maharvi, Talismanic Science is not a branch of Sufism and is beyond religion, it is a universal concept that unites mankind through the most extraordinary commonality – the spirit, which till date has eluded modern day science.

Alternative medicine or perhaps just a façade of a dying hope – the question will perhaps not ever be truly answered. While explaining the “science” that the ta’wiz holds the speaker gave examples and outlines of various systems used. For example, the decimal numeral system called Abjad was where the foundations of this system lay. It is this system that links a numerical value to each of the 28 Arabic alphabets. Each letter corresponds to a positive or negative energy, say for instance the alphabet “alif” if repeated or written in a certain way at a certain time can result in destructive energy, if not always.As the speaker delved further into the discussion people interrupted him intermittently asking him questions.

Even though quite a few were skeptic of the entire talismanic science debate, many confessed to having been witness to many ‘miracles’ which had no logical explanation. The question most fervently asked was if taw’iz was a form of magic, replying in the negative Chishti said that it could be a cure for the harmful effects on a person’s mind or state of affairs.  A very relevant question was asked regarding the method of gaining the knowledge, as there are no institutes, no seminaries so where did you actually attain such an unconventional form of education? Speaking for himself, Chishti said he belonged to the spiritual Chistiya order, one of the four Islamic sufi orders (the other three being Qadiriyya, Suhrawardiyya and Naqshbandi), and that is how he was educated in the science.

Chisti condemned the common practice of ta’wiz being sought by the masses in the society, calling them all fraudulent businesses. He said the science has been maligned by the likes of such and the public needs to be educated as the problem does not lie with ta’wiz but with its’ diagnosis. The discussion could have continued but had to be wrapped up due to time constraints.

Chisti’s thesis on alternative medicine has been published in the Moscow State University Research journal. Perhaps, one day science will also explore such obscurities of the human existence, proving and disproving many things we consider as myths and legends today.