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

'iyan
Face to face vision

('Iyan). This term suggests that there are still two faces to have vision of each other. The lover is not yet lost in the Beloved, absorbed by the camphor or drowned in the Ocean. He is still looking.


See also: Address of the Real One Annihilation Conversation Fountain of Camphor Letter People of the Essence Presence with Allah Union
(Fana'). Self-annihilation or self-effacement or dissolution or passing away from self. Through being joined to Allah, the Real; man is annihilated from himself - the 'limited existence' of the traveller is overpowered by the 'absolute existence' of Allah, so that the traveller becomes unaware of his own self and the creation. Fana' is the last stage on the ascent to Allah. When travelling to the Source, the seeker passes through different levels of fana', each of which brings him closer to his Goal. There are hundreds, even thousands, of fana's. Every time a form of ignorance is removed to be replaced by knowledge, the murid has experienced fana'. He has tasted the annihilation of an ignorance. And, every moment of existence is in fact a moment which is pregnant with its own particular knowledge. So, for the aware one, each moment can be a fana'. However, within the higher teaching of Tasawwuf  there are three major types of fana', through which the murid must travel if he is to reach the Absolute. These are Annihilation in the Murshid/Spiritual Guide, Annihilation in the Messenger and Annihilation in Allah.
(Muhadathah). Conversation or address. Muhadathah is an address from Allah to one of His knowers. This address occurs in the visible world, as with the Prophet Musa (Peace be upon him) and the Burning Bush.
(Ayn al Kafur). The Fountain of Camphor in Paradise from which the slaves of Allah drink directly. Camphor overwhelms and whoever enters into it becomes totally absorbed and one with the camphor. 'The Fountain of Camphor is the 'place' of annihilation (fana'), intoxication (sukr) and Divine Love ('ishq). The Fire of Divine Love ('ishq) turns into the Light of Divine Knowledge (ma'rifa) and the lover ('ashiq) is then also the knower ('arif) and is in perfect balance.
(Harf). As a letter of the alphabet, harf symbolises the language or expressions with which the Real One addresses His slave. For language to be used there must be two, a duality. There must be the Lord (Rabb) and His slave (Al Abd). The Great Silence is beyond such duality - it is within the Essence Itself.
(Al Dhatiyun). 'Those who have realised the Essence' are the slaves of Allah who drink directly from the Fountain of Camphor in Paradise. They are the People of Solitude of the Absolute Essence. Their love of Allah, being total and utter, remains constant in the face of opposites, because for them the opposites are joined. There is only Unity. There is only Allah as He is in Himself.
(Hudur) is the heart's presence with Allah when it is absent from everything else. The slave can never be present with Allah except through one of His Beautiful Names and in so doing a state of perfect spiritual courtesy is maintained.
(Wasl/Wusul). Union or joining. This term contains the idea of duality because of the joining, or union, between two. In complete union there is no duality whatsoever. Therefore, wasl is inferior to complete union. Through being the Divinity, Allah is perpetually in a state of wasl with engendered existence. "He is with you wherever you are" (The Qur'an 57:4).

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