Decoding the signs of the celestial: The semiotic layers of the zühre prayer in Ahmedoğlu Şükrullah’s Edvâr-ı Mûsikî

Throughout history, from antiquity to the present, music philosophy and theory have transcended being merely an auditory aesthetic discipline or a regulative performance guide. Instead, they functioned as a metaphysical “theoria” model that conceptualizes the ontological structure of the universe, its cosmological functioning, and humanity’s existential position. This study holds significant importance within the interdisciplinary music philosophy literature by deciphering the paleo-epistemological layers of the “Zühre Prayer” (Zühre Duası) ritual. This ritual is described in Edvâr-ı Mûsikî, a foundational text of Ottoman music theory, written by Ahmedoğlu Şükrullah in the 15th century. The primary objective and central problem of this research is to provide an in-depth examination, through semiotic, and philosophical perspectives, of how esoteric codes from Ancient Mesopotamian mythology, Neoplatonism, and Illuminationist Philosophy (İşrâk)—hidden within the prayer text and its surrounding occult rituals—were syncretized in the Ottoman episteme. The study utilizes an original “Hybrid Semiotic Model” that synthesizes philosophical hermeneutics and structural/ philosophical semiotics, alongside archaeo-musicological data, and employs a “Relational History Research” design. During the analysis process, the text was correlated with Boethius’s ancient hierarchy of music (Musica Instrumentalis, Musica Humana, Musica Mundana) and examined across the layers of denotation, connotation, and myth. The historical journey of terms such as “The Primordial Beloved” (Kadim Maşuk), “Universal Intellect” (Külli Akıl), “Third Celestial Sphere” (Üçüncü Felek), and “Zühre” was resolved, tracing their path from the Sumerian Inanna/Enki cult to Suhrawardi’s hierarchy of lights. The findings demonstrate that the Zühre Prayer is not an ordinary religious supplication. Rather, it is a Theurgic act (teürjik eylem) that aims to bridge the macrocosm and microcosm to bring celestial frequencies down to earth. Furthermore, data within the prayer prove that the Sumerian Inanna cult survived by merging with the Neoplatonic Emanation (sudûr) theory in an astronomical form. Consequently, this study reveals that Ottoman music theory is not merely a normative discipline consisting of mathematical calculations. Instead, it embodies a profound hermetic synthesis filtered through Islamic mysticism (tasavvuf) and Illuminationist Philosophy (İşrâk). Within this cosmology, the musician (mousikos) is a cosmic Theurgist who initiates the return (Rücu) of the soul from its bodily cage to its origin.