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

Order by: Arabic English

p

Pages
al-wuraqa'

(Wuraqa'). This term is synonymous with the Universal Soul which is the Preserved Tablet. Through purification of his heart and his self, man may be given the clear vision to read these Pages. The reading of the Pages of the Preserved Tablet is thro...

Pair
zawj

(Zawj). On the Spiritual Journey of Return to Allah there are certain moral and spiritual attributes which are paired. It is necessary for these pairs to be experienced and assimilated by the traveller (salik). Such pairs are hope and fear, expansio...

Paradise
al-jannah

(Al Jannah) is nearness to Allah. There are times in this life when Paradise may be experienced to a very high degree such as when the hearer is overwhelmed by ecstasy during the Spiritual Concert or when the intensity of the spiritual affinity exist...

Paradise of the Essence
jannat-i dhat

(Jannati Dhat). This Paradise is inhabited by Allah's chosen ones, the People of Solitude of the Essence, who witness only Allah.

Parting
fasl

(Fasl) is a separation you do not hope for from your Beloved. It is a differentiation from Allah after a state of identification or unification with Allah. It is full of torment and anguish. However, for the People of Solitude, the great Sufis, who ...

Partner
sharik

(Sharik). Allah, the Lord of Inaccessibility, is far above what they ascribe to Him, and the unpardonable sin is to ascribe any partner, whatsoever, to Allah. Allah is without partner.

Partner - one who assigns
mushrik

(Mushrik). The one who believes that the 'other' (ghayr) exists. This condition may occur in the earlier stages of the Journey when the lover is kept at a distance from Allah. At such a time, when his yearning is not satisfied and his desire remains ...

Partnership
musharik

(Musharik). Partnership or sharing. Although man must strive to assume the character traits of Allah he can never leave his own attributes because 'The slave is the slave and the Lord is the Lord'. However, during his ecstasy the ecstatic will experi...

Passion
shahwa

(Shahwa). Passion or desire or appetite. This is a basic power of the animal self which is opposed to the Sacred Law. The traveller must subdue the passions by exerting himself through ascetic discipline and spiritual struggle. Passion (shahwa) is c...

Passionate love of Allah
'ishq

('Ishq). Intense, overflowing and passionate love of Allah. Some say that 'ishq cannot arise without actual vision of the Beloved. 'Ishq is the highest stage before absorption in Allah. It is as rare as the red sulphur. It burns away everything of th...

Passionate upheaval
walah

(Walah). The passionate upheaval of extreme ecstasy. This upheaval occurs when the heart is utterly overwhelmed with love of Allah. Love such as this is pure, total and unconditional. This love does not differentiate between the Beloved's harshness ...

Patched Cloak
khirqa

(Khirqa) is the patched cloak which is the symbol of the spiritual traveller. It is given by the Murshid, Shaykh or Pir to his murid either on being initiated into the Tariqa or on completion of his travelling. The true khirqa is to cover oneself wit...

Path or Way
tariqa

(Tariqa) is the narrow and steep Spiritual Path to Reality. The qualified seeker can travel this Path only under the direction of a qualified Spiritual Guide. The name Tariqa is specific to the Islamic Spiritual Path.

Patience
sabr

(Sabr). Perfect patience is to surrender unconditionally, to the Will of Allah, accepting whatever becomes manifest in each indivisible moment. Sabr is a supreme virtue because it requires total and knowing surrender. The man who combines patience (s...

Patient, The
as-Sabur

(Al Sabur). One of the Beautiful Names of Allah.