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

Ziyadatan fi sharafi-l Mustafa, Salla-llahu 'alaihi wa sallam
Increase the greatness of the Chosen One, May the salutations of Allah be upon Him, and Peace

Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) is the final Prophet and Messenger and is known as the Seal of the Prophets (khatm al-anbiya). He (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) is the most central figure within the Islamic tradition, in general, and in Sufism, in particular. All Sufi Orders trace their lineage to The Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace), for it was through him that Allah transmitted the final Divine revelation to humanity and it is within him that Allah has granted an incomparably great character. His (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) incomparably great character is the model par excellence for the individual seeking to draw close to Allah.

Silsilat


See also: Seal of the Prophets Spiritual Chain Qur'an Beautiful character traits
(Khatm al Anbiya). Muhammad al Mustapha (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) is the final Prophet of Allah. The Holy Prophet himself, and the message with which he was sent, contain everything that mankind needs to make the Journey of Return to the Beautiful Face of Allah.
(Silsilat). The Spiritual Chain of each tariqa descends from the Holy Prophet Muhammad himself (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) down to the present-day Shaykh. It is through his attachment to the silsilat that the newly initiated murid has the means to travel to Allah under Divine Protection.
The Recitation or The Reading. The Qur'an is the Final Revelation from Allah to humanity. This Sacred Book contains all the keys with which to open the endless unfolding of Knowledge of Allah. The Qur'an is that which brings together (qur'an), and it is also that which differentiates (furqan). Seeing furqan without qur'an is seeing only multiplicity and is therefore associating other gods with Allah. Seeing only qur'an without furqan is denying the secondary causes (asbab) and therefore limiting Allah. The First Word, 'Iqra' , of the Final Revelation, which descended upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) through Jibril, the Archangel of Revelation, (Peace be upon him), opened for mankind the Perfect and Complete Way of Return to Allah.
(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'.

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