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

khalwa
Spiritual seclusion

(Khalwa). The spiritual retreat and seclusion. Initially spiritual retreat is undertaken by physically withdrawing from those outside disturbances which have the potential of distracting one in his contemplation of Allah's Names and Attributes. Ultimately this withdrawal becomes purely spiritual when the heart is in a state of perpetual presence with Allah. Then the lover of Allah is with his Beloved at all times, regardless of the external conditions within which he is situated. Khalwa is the conversation of one's secret awareness with Allah.


See also: Conversation Corner Knowers of Allah Letter Lover - Passionate One who remembers Perpetual Presence of Allah Private prayer Silence Union
(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.
(Zawiyyah). The transmission of the Divine Wisdom which flows from the Murshid to his murids traditionally takes place in a space or room or building, which is set aside specifically for that sacred purpose. Such a place is called a zawiyyah, which literally means 'corner'. The necessity for such a special place is self evident. The Murshid, upon whom so many murids depend to learn of the signs of the Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace), needs to make himself available to them as much as possible. And, this meeting place, frequented as it is by numerous spiritual people, will rapidly develop into a site of highly concentrated barakah. An ideal zawiyyah contains not only its own mosque, or room selected for prayer and gatherings of dhikr, but also larger meeting rooms for the sharing of food, both earthly and celestial. Small chambers for murids to enter spiritual retreat is of paramount importance, where the Murshid supervises and watches over individual murids as they undergo arduous and demanding periods of seclusion. It is during such times that immense advances are made along the Spiritual Path. Just as Allah Almighty chooses to elevate certain people amongst His creation, by filling their hearts with pure love of Allah and turning them towards His remembrance, so too does Allah elevate certain pieces of His earth. Such sites are destined to become Holy places, where mosques are built, zawiyyahs are erected or where sanctified people live in His Remembrance. The barakah which accumulates around and emanates from these parts of Allah's vast earth eventually attracts the pious believers and yearning lovers of Allah. These places become Sacred visiting places.
(Al 'Arifin/'Urufa). They see and recognize Allah wherever they look. The knowers are bewildered. But this is not the bewilderment of being lost, rather it is the bewilderment of having found Allah. They know that He cannot be known. The knowers are nothing because they are everything.
(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.
('Ashiq). Lover. The 'ashiq is the one who searches for Allah with intense yearning and longing, never allowing himself rest in his pursuit of the Beloved. The perfect lover of Allah loves Allah in every Self-disclosure.
(Dhakir). The one who remembers Allah. The dhakir is precious to Allah Who created man only so that he would worship and know Allah. The one who turns, with an utter turning, towards fulfilling his reason for being, has been given the greatest gift from Allah Almighty.
(Dawam al Hudur). The Perpetual Presence of Allah. It is 'here' and 'now' that His slaves stand, in abject poverty and need, and with overwhelming awe and love. In this Presence they are oblivious to all that is other-than-Allah, because, for them, there is nothing but Allah. All is Allah!
(Munajat) is a prayer of intimate conversation between Allah and man during which words of love and affection are exchanged and consolation is found for the afflicted heart.
(Sukun) is silence or stillness. This is the great silent stillness of the Essence to which the hearts of the lovers of Allah yearn to return.
(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).

Go Back