Occultism (Islam)


Ulum al-ghariba or Ulum al-hafiya refers to occultism in Islam. In Islamic culture, occultism deals with matters located between metaphysics and science. Since Islam has no counsil or hierarchy to fix the creed, but rather gains consens over discussions, contrary to Western esotericism and occultism, there is no clear conflict between orthodox and occultism in Islam. Muslim writers on occultism and magic usually distinguished between licit and illicit practises, rather than condemning magic and occultism as whole. However, during the end of the Ottoman Empire, Muslims started to disregard occult practises as superstitional.

Schools of Occultism

The Ottoman-Turkic theologican Tasköprüzade lists different subjects of sciences, today rather associated with the occult: