An amulet is a powerful material substance worn on the human body or hung in a house to provide protection or healing for its wearer. The common word for amulet in Islamic contexts across South Asia is taʾvīz, a word of Arabic origin that literally means “refuge.” The power of the amulet in Muslim contexts to protect, heal, or positively direct ritual and/or social activity derives primarily from the written word. While an oral prayer whispered by a nonspecialist householder is believed to be protective or efficacious in other ways, the written word is more so, as if power is concentrated in ph…