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

ism 'alam
Proper Name

(Ism 'Alam). Through the immense spiritual courtesy and respect in which the Name 'Allah' is held by the Great Ones, they do not derive His Proper Name from the same root as 'ilah (god) or uluhiyya (Divinity). The Ism 'Alam 'Allah' denotes The Essence Itself.


See also: Allah Divinity god Spiritual courtesy
God. The Principle insofar as It includes all of its possible aspects. The mystery of Divinity. This is the Supreme Name. The Name 'Allah' indicates both the Face of the Divinity which is turned towards His creation and the Face of the Unknowable Essence Itself which is Eternally turned away from creation. Allah is the All-Comprehensive Name which contains every Divine Name. This Name alone stands for Allah as He is in Himself. The Supreme Name 'Allah' may be the Greatest Name. It leaves out nothing whatsoever of the Reality that is Allah. Allah is the innermost reality or the meaning of everything manifest and non-manifest. Allah Alone is the Goal. Yet, Allah is Absolute and Infinite. Therefore the Goal always lies ahead of the travellers. They never reach It because It has no End. The Journey of return to Allah is a Journey of bewilderment in Bewilderment. The people of the Holy land of Mecca; the birthplace of the Beloved Prophet of Allah, Muhammad Ahmad al Mustapha, salutations, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him in every breath we take and in every blink of the eye we make; came to him in the beginning of his calling and said 'Tell us, who is your God?'. The revelation descended upon the Holy Prophet to answer this complex and powerful question "Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad, Allahu Samad, Lam yalid wa lam yulad, wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan Ahad". (In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate, Say: He is the One Unique Allah: God the Eternal, The Uncaused Cause of all that Exists.. He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is nothing that could be compared unto Him (The Qur'an 112)
(Ilahiyyah). Allah has two Aspects or Faces. One is His Unknowable and Hidden Aspect which is the Essence Itself. This Face of the Absolute is turned away from His creation. The other Aspect is His being the Divinity. This Face is turned towards His creation. The term ilahiyyah indicates every Divine Name that is related to Allah's creation.
(Ilah). God or Deity. This word indicates 'god', with a small 'g', as compared with the only true God Who is Allah. But, in Reality "there is no god other than Allah" (La ilaha il Allah).
(Adab) is spiritual courtesy and gracious behaviour of the Path and perfect refinement of words and deeds. Adab is giving each thing and each moment its proper due. The science of the higher teaching is based upon adab, which encompasses all of human life. It extends from right behaviour with regard to the Sacred Law (Shari'a), right behaviour with one's fellow travellers, proper conduct towards the teaching and one's teacher, and reaches to unceasing spiritual courtesy to Allah Himself. The proper courtesy towards the Law is to stay within its boundaries, the proper conduct with regards to good actions is to complete the action and disconnect from it. Adab with regard to the Real is knowing what belongs to oneself and what belongs to Allah. Each moment and each situation has it's own adab. It has been said that the higher teaching is all adab and the greater your understanding and implementation of proper conduct is, the higher you are in the teaching.

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