Indeed, his main treatise, the Šams al-maʿārif al-kubrā (The "Great" Sun of Knowledge), is the most important magic manual based on the Qurʾān, the beautiful names of God, invocations to the angels, etc. Unfortunately, until now, this work has been known to us through editions based on very late manuscripts, very different from the contents of manuscripts of works written by al-Būnī as the many anachronisms point out. In this research, we propose an analysis and a critical edition of part of the "corpus bunianum": Šams al-maʿārif wa-laṭāʾif al-ʿawārif (The Sun of Knowledge and the ExquisiteGraces) in its short version (the supposedly more ancient one), al-Lumʿa l-nūrāniyya (The Luminescent Glow) and other treaties that have been used to write down the Šams al-maʿārif. Editing these texts corresponding to the "historic core" of this vast corpus highlights the oldest parts of the works attributed to al-Būnī and the influences that contributed to the formation of an Islamic magic, referring not only to Greek authorities, Indian, Mesopotamian, etc.., but also to the Qurʾān, the prophetic tradition and magical, mystical and Kabbalistic Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions.Closely linked to realms of power, this magical literature also contributes to their splendour andreflects their evolution.

During the late medieval period, the circles of power were very much invested in the occult sciences. Whether we study Christendom or Islamic civilization, rulers, their advisers or their agents promoted astrology, alchemy, magic, etc. As an outstanding example, we find manuscripts of the seminal magical manual Šams al-maʿārif wa-laṭāʾif al-ʿawārif dedicated to prominent individuals. The origins of this treatise remain quite obscure, hence the paucity of research into its historical context. Attributed to Abū l-ʿAbbās al-Būnī, a Maghribi Sufi master supposed to have died in 622/1225, it may rather have been written at the end of the 7th/13th century or in the middle of the 8th/14th, under Mamluk rule. And just as al-Būnī’s tomb was visited as a Sufi shrine, the Šams al-maʿārif is supposed to contain the secrets of this shaykh, famed as “one whose prayers are granted” (muǧāb al-daʿawāt). Our purpose here is to analyse those elements of the Šams al-maʿārif which contain a historical or political dimension in order to draw out some political perspectives and the influence of political thought on this work. Such elements, in turn, may inform us about the historical background of the writing of this book.