Sirāj al-Dīn Abū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf al-Sakkākī al-Khwārizmī (Arabic: سراج الدين ابو يعقوب يوسف بن محمد السكاكي; AH 3 Jumada I 555 / CE 11 May 1160, Khwarazm[1] – AH late-Rajab 626 / CE mid-June 1229, Qaryat al-Kindi[2]) was a Persian Muslim scholar famous for works on language, rhetoric, magic, and talismans.[3][4] Like many scholars of his region and era, he wrote primarily in Arabic, although his book al-Tilasm (The Talisman)[5] was written in Persian.
Little is known about his life, due to the latter's finish coinciding with the conquest of al-Sakaki's native area by Mongols. There is a hagiographical account saying that he was originally a blacksmith until his thirties,[6] which is dubious, considering the resemblance to another scholar, al-Kaffal al-Marwazi's story.[7][8] When he was 30, he constructed an iron chest for the king and brought it to the court, where he met members gathered around a scholar. Sakkaki expressed his desire to become a scholar but was reproved for being too old. In response, he dedicated himself to learning. Ten years later, while journeying into mountains in frustration over the studying struggles, he looked at the rocks and decided that his heart was softer than them. Then, he rededicated himself to his studies and became a famous scholar.[9]
In any case, it is recorded that he had connections with the state, in that he was said to have created a magical statue or image for the king at the time, 'Ala al-Din Khwarazm-Shah, to use the former in the war against the contemporary Abbasid caliph al-Nasir.[10] Biographical literature also credited him with the ability to use magical powers to strike down cranes in mid-flight.[11] Besides his attributed supernatural talents, it's quite possible that in real life, al-Sakkaki might had been a polyglot with the knowledge of (old) Khwàrazmian, Khwàrazm Turkic, Persian and Arabic languages.
In 2001, a copy of one of his handwritten manuscripts on magic, entitled Kitab al-Shamil wa Bahr al-Kamil (The Encompassing Book and Ocean of Perfection), was sold by auction for £2,350.[12]
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