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

Order by: Arabic English

Violence
qahr

(Qahr). Violence or severity or wrath. It is through His qahr that Allah annihilates the desires and passions of the lower selves of His friends. Through His Majesty this qahr can descend, with immense force, upon the slave. The slave is overwhelmed ...

Virtuous One
muhsin

(Muhsin). The muhsin is the man with virtue, the one who has devoted all his efforts towards acquiring that quality of excellence and perfection, sanctifying virtue and spiritual beauty which is embodied in the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ...

Visible World
shahadat-i-zahir

(Shahadat-i-Thahir). The visible world of manifested things.

Vision
ru'ya

(Ru'ya). Vision or sight with the physical eye. For the knower his vision (ru'ya) and his witnessing are the same.

Vision
Mubashirah

Mubashirah - see 'Heralding vision'.

Vision
Ru'yah

Ru'yah - see 'Dream-vision'.

Visiting place
ziyarat

(Ziyarat). Because the sacred tombs of the Sufi saints are sites abounding in barakah, they become visiting places for both devotees and the pious believers who seek to benefit from the spiritual power and grace of these exalted lovers of Allah. Afte...

Visualisation
tasawwur

(Tasawwur). Conceptualization or 'giving form to'. The practice of tasawwur is integral to the Spiritual Path of the higher teaching. The spiritual endeavours of the murid may be permeated with a powerful spiritual energy through the practising of ta...

Void
al-khala'

(Al Khala').The void is that place where the cosmos takes shape. The earth is the limit of the Void and the utmost limit of density and darkness. The whole cosmos, within the Void, is forever descending in search of its centre. This search is the sea...

Voluntary Return
ruju' ikhtiyari

(Ruju' ikhtiyari). Man has been given the gift of choosing his own route of Return. By following the Divine Law he can go back to the Face of Mercy. By following his own whims and fancies he can go back to the Face of Wrath.

Voluntary work
Nafl

Nafl - see 'Supererogatory'.

Waste of time
tadyi' al-waqt

(Tadyi' al waqt). Allah created the creation purely to enable man to know Allah. Therefore, the pursuit of a knowledge of what is 'other-than-Allah' is a waste of time.

Water
Maa'

(Maa').

Water of Life
ab-i-hayat

(Abi Hayat). This Water springs from the Divine Name "The Living" (Al Hayy) and symbolises Knowledge of the Absolute. The one who drinks the Water of Life finds eternal life through Al Hayy.

Way
sabil

(Sabil). The way or path or road. Man is free to choose his own path of Return to his Origin. He may travel the wretched path of misguidance under the misguidance of Satan or he may travel the felicitous Path, the Straight Way, under the Guidance of ...