The Kitāb Sharāsīm al-Hindiyya and Medieval Islamic Occult Sciences

Sharāsīm (or Ishrāsīm) al-Hindiyya is the mysterious putative author of a treatise on astral and natural magic. This treatise was considered a milestone for the learning of magic and occult sciences in the Middle Ages. Little is known, however, about either the author or her treatise, and most of the information preserved is probably legendary, such as the fact that Sharāsīm was Hārūn al-Rashīd’s odalisque. Based upon a close study of the extant manuscripts, this article introduces Sharāsīm, her treatise, and its impact on the knowledge of occult sciences in the Middle Ages, and it serves as preamble to a forthcoming critical edition and translation of this important text.