The Language of the Future
Sufi Terminology
by Murshid F.A. Ali ElSenossi

Order by: Arabic English

t

tawajjuh
Turn the face towards

(Tawajjuh). Alignment, concentration or attentiveness, or 'to turn the face towards something'. Tawajjuh can refer to the spiritual concentration exercised between the Murshid and his murid. On a higher level of meaning it is Allah's Attentiveness to...

tawajud
Inviting ecstasy

(Tawajud). Inviting ecstasy or 'rushing out to meet ecstasy half way'. The spiritual concert is one of the most powerful means through which ecstasy may be invited. The lover of Allah always contains an inner movement of yearning towards Allah. When ...

tawakkul
Trust

(Tawakkul) is total trust in and reliance upon Allah. It is the rank of the one with Certainty. It is a station in which everything and every affair is entrusted to Allah. Pure tawakkul is not blind faith. It is certainty based upon knowledge.

tawali'
Lights of Unity

(Tawali'). When the lights of Divine Unity enter the hearts of the lovers of Allah all other lights are extinguished. These lights (tawali') are called the ascending stars.

tawalla
Turning away

(Tawalla). This term signifies the slave's returning to himself after being with Allah. After annihilation in Allah the slave is returned to himself and to the creation. Were he to remain with Allah the slave would be constantly 'mad-in-Allah'. Such ...

tawariq
That which enters the heart

(Tawariq ). That which enters the heart, either as glad tidings or with rebuke, during the slave's secret converse with Allah.

al-tawassu' al-ilahi
Divine Vastness

(Tawassu' al ilahi). The Self-disclosure of Allah never repeats itself because the Divine Vastness forbids repetition. The heart of man has the most tremendous capacity because Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi, "the heavens and earth contain Me not but t...

tawba (tauba)
Repentance

(Tauba). This is the turning from major sins to obedience. The Spiritual Journey of Return to Allah begins with the awakening of repentance within the self.

tawfiq (taufiq)
Success

(Tawfiq). Divine Aid or success. In reality all noble and valuable works are the result of Divine Aid because 'there is no success except with Allah' . It is Divine Aid that enables the traveller to take each step of the Spiritual Journey. Without A...

tawhid (tauhid)
Unity of Allah

(Tawhid). The Declaration of Allah's Unity, 'There is no god other than Allah' is the very pivot of Islam. Knowledge of the Declaration of Allah's Unity is a light. Yet, Allah Himself is the affirmation of His Unity. Within the higher teaching all ...

tawhid-i dhat
Unity of Essence

(Tawhid-i Dhat). The Essence is the Absolute Unknowable and knowledge of It is impossible.

tawhid-i shuhudi
Unity of Witnessing

(Wahdat al Shuhud/Tawhid-i shuhudi). This is distinct from the Unity of Finding or Being. The witnessing belongs to the slave, who witnesses Allah's presence to the extent of his capacity, while the finding belongs to Allah, Who is present and finds ...

tawhid al-uluha
Unity of the Divinity

(Tawhid al uluha). This is Allah. Man can reach knowledge of the Unity of the Divinity, but he cannot reach knowledge of the Unity of the Essence because the Essence is Unknowable. Only Allah knows Allah as He is in Himself.

ta'wil
Interpretation

(Ta'wil) means 'to take back to the origin' and to discover and explain. Interpretation is beneficial when it does not contradict the basic teachings of Islam or weaken the faith of the believers. However, through a lack of Consciousness of Allah and...

thabat
Stability

(Thabat). Constancy or stability. Due to the never-ending Self-disclosures and the speed of self- transmutation, or change from one state to another, there appears to be no constancy and no stability. Yet, sometimes the traveller is moving so fast al...