Heydar Moslehi, the Minister of Intelligence during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, years after the end of his term, recalled a meeting he had with Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a controversial figure close to the then-President. He claims that this meeting ended without any conversation being exchanged, as Mashaei suddenly left the meeting.
The Ring that Breaks Spells
Moslehi referred to a ring he was wearing during that meeting, which had the "Amir al-Mu'minin's talisman" engraved on it. He believed that this ring breaks spells and magic, and for this reason, it prevented Mashaei from speaking. He also said: "I wanted to give this talisman to Ahmadinejad, but due to some beliefs, I was unable to do so." This narrative is just one of the unconventional stories about the position of "occult sciences" among the officials of the Islamic Republic.
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Belief in Occult Sciences Among Officials
In a recent case, a member of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament announced that, upon the advice of scholars and the decision of security officials, the release of new images of Mojtaba Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has been halted so that enemies cannot harm him using "occult sciences." These beliefs have been clearly observed over the past five decades in internal government disputes, suppression of domestic protests, and foreign wars.
Belief in supernatural forces and the use of occult sciences have been employed in various ways over the years. These beliefs have sometimes been used as a weapon against political rivals and at other times to explain the capabilities of enemies. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has mentioned his interest in Jafar and Raml in his memoirs, stating that these sciences are noble and valuable, although human knowledge has not yet been able to fully uncover their realities.
Ali Khamenei has discussed his acquaintance with occult sciences in his youth, explaining how he met a man who was active in this field. He also quotes this individual as saying that to understand the meaning of the words in the book Khazain of Mullah Ahmad Naraghi, one must learn a specific method.
Occult Sciences and Their Position in the Islamic Republic
Occult sciences refer to a collection of esoteric and supernatural knowledge and methods that their followers believe can uncover hidden matters and predict the future. Jafar, one of the most well-known of these methods, is based on the calculations of letters and numbers and is used for discovering unknowns and making predictions. Raml also answers questions using shapes created from points and lines.
Given these beliefs, occult sciences are considered a part of the culture and political behavior of officials in the Islamic Republic. In fact, these sciences have been used alongside security and political issues as tools for explaining and interpreting events, and they have now become one of the controversial topics in Iranian politics.
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