The Language of the Future
Sufi Terminology
by Murshid F.A. Ali ElSenossi
safsaf al-akhlaq
Base Character Traits
(Safsaf al Akhlaq). These are the ugly vices within man which prevent him from being with his Lord. It is through the spiritual alchemy of the Remembrance of Allah that the base character traits may be transformed into noble ones.
(Husn al Akhlaq). The beautiful character traits with which the Holy Prophet Muhammad was sent and of which he is the perfect embodiment. The assuming of these beautiful character traits is the alchemical work of the Islamic Spiritual Path. Under the direction of a qualified Master (Murshid, Shaykh, Pir) the disciple (murid/seeker) is given the means by which he can transform his base character traits into the beautiful and noble ones and, in so doing, fulfill his 'reason for being'.
(Uswa hasana). The Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustapha (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) is the beautiful model. Through his perfect example man is given the means of drawing closer, and yet closer, to Allah. The degrees of such nearness depend upon the manner and attitude in which one follows the beautiful model. Those who love Allah and His Messenger more than anything, more than life itself, are the slaves who follow Muhammad al Mustapha in their outer lives and in their inner realities. To approach Allah, the slave must first meet the Holy Prophet Muhammad. This meeting is a Mystery. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, the beautiful model, becomes the slave's inner reality through the unveiling of the Reality of Muhammad. The hadith says, "Who has seen me has seen Allah".
(Al Tabib al Ilahi). The divine physician. Al tabib al ilahi is one of the Sufi Masters, an Inheritor of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Through possessing insight into his murids' spiritual conditions he is able to dispense the correct medicine, in the correct dosage, which will bring about inner balance and harmony to each unique murid.
