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

sharik
Partner

(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.


See also: Associate Covering the truth [in reality] Hidden Association Metaphorical Islam There is no god other than Allah
(Shirk). To associate or join a partner (another reality) with Allah. Shirk is the one unforgivable sin. It is in opposition to the very basis of Islam which is Unity (tawhid).
(Shirk Khafi). The great idol of all worship is the 'I-ness' or 'existence' of the worshipper. Until his existence is annihilated in That Which Truly Exists, Allah, he will be guilty of Hidden Association.
(Islami majazi). This term is a synonym for the sin of secretly joining a partner with Allah. Within this metaphorical Islam the worshipper joins his own 'I-ness' to the Oneness of Allah and in so doing commits the hidden association of partners to Allah.. The knower and lover of Allah has departed from metaphorical Islam (islami majazi) and entered into the real covering-up of the Truth (Kufr-i-Haqiqi). Real kufr is the covering-up of one's inner reality; the reality that only Allah IS. "If the reality of the Sufi was to be unveiled he would be worshipped".
(La ilaha il Allah). These words which form the first part of the Islamic Testimony of Faith could be paraphrased as 'there is no reality, only Reality' or 'there is no truth, only Truth' or 'there is no love, only Love'. The phrase is the supreme declaration of Unity. "There is no god" (La ilaha) is the negation of everything that is other-than-Allah while "only Allah" (il Allah) is the affirmation that there is only Allah. Through the dhikr of "La ilaha il Allah" the one who remembers uses the word of negation - 'la' - to sweep away all of the inner debris which is defiling his heart, the Sacred Centre. Ultimately, by the Grace of Allah, the phrase "La ilaha il Allah" is replaced by the Word of the Essence Itself - Allah. Everything other-than-Allah has been negated. Allah is affirmed. There is no divinity save the sole Divinity. The Principle insofar as It excludes and annuls the illusory World, while at the same time affirming the unique and supreme Reality. The mystery of Negation and of Affirmation of Reality (Nafy wal Ithbat).

Go Back