The Caliph Al Muwaffaq quizzed Abu Ma’shar and another astrologer asking them what he was thinking about.
Abu Ma’shar and the other astrologer cast their horoscopes and answered: he was thinking about the birth of an animal, a cow.
He affirmed they were right and then asked
What would be the color of the calf born to the cow?
Abu Ma’shar answered: black with white on the face.
The other astrologer said black with some white on the tail.
The calf was born back with white on their nose but its tail was covering the white so they both were right
the caliph rewarded them.
Another time the same caliph tested Abu Ma’shar and another astrologer by asking what object he hid behind his back
They cast their horoscope and made their predictions
Abu Ma’shar said a small animal
The other astrologer said it was a fruit
The caliph revealed it was an apple.
Perplexed Abu Ma’shar studied the horoscope again, until he noticed something. With a great shout of “Allahu Akbar” he rushed forth, grabbing the apple he tore it in two to reveal it had worms inside
He had been right!
Court astrologers had a lot of influence over rulers but to get there they had to impress the caliph and pass their tests
There’s also evidence of formalized testing in the training of astrologers in Al Qabisi’s works
these anecdotes indicate for medieval Islamic thinkers astrology may have been a spiritual science but it was also believed to be empirical and rigorous
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Belief in the evil eye is found in many global cultures but particularly in the Middle East, Africa, India, and the Mediterranean. It is based on the idea that the malicious or envious gaze of some can disrupt your health and luck
A quick thread
The evil eye is described by some medieval authors as a type of ray
directed either intentionally or unintentionally it can impact health and fortune
jealousy, envy, or a heart which desires strongly can unintentionally direct such rays
hate and malice can send rays directly and intentionally
In Dune the Freman follow Zensunni a future religion derived from Islam and Buddhism with Reverend Mothers like Lady Jessica. Since Zensunni derives from Islam were women religious leaders in Islam historically?
Yes!
A 🧵
The early development of Islam relies heavily in part on the instruction, attestations, and transmissions of Aisha so much so that some historians argue the development of the body of traditions called the sunnah is indebted to her.
She passes on the saying of Muhammad, teaches the Qu’ran, and instructs in religion
In ancient Persian astrology each planet governs & influences one part of your life in successive order so that throughout your life, you will go through different planetary ages. Known as firdaria, they were used to predict events by dividing your life into chapters.
A thread
The firdaria were likely drawn from a fusion of Hellenistic timelords with the planetary ages found in Indic astrology, the yuga and dasha.
In Persian cosmology, the two came together to explain the different historical ages and then eventually the different individual life ages.
Many medieval medical practitioners and writers from the Islamic world relied heavily on astrological theories in their work. They even attributed each zodiac and planet to a part of the body like the image below.
A thread-
The idea of associating the zodiac to different parts of the body can be traced back to Babylonian astrology from where it passes into the Hellenistic and Indic world then is finally adopted by Islamicate writers and thinkers in the 8th and 9th century.
According to this theory:
Aries governs the head
Taurus governs the throat
Gemini governs the shoulders and arms
Cancer governs the chest
Leo governs the heart and abdomen
Virgo governs the intestines