The Language of the Future
Sufi Terminology
by Murshid F.A. Ali ElSenossi
al-akhfa
Hidden
(Akhfa). The innermost consciousness. Al Akhfa is that 'place' where a knower sees Allah through Allah, yet, in Truth, it is only Allah Who Sees. It is equivalent to the Ultimate Unseen.
(Dhat). The Essence. This is Allah in Himself without regard to His creations, His Attributes or His Names. The Essence is beyond knowledge or conceptualization. Allah warns us of this aspect of Himself. The Essence is Absolute Blindness, the Hidden of the Hidden, the Unknown of the Unknown. This is the World of Absolute Non-manifestation.
(Khafi). The innermost secret or consciousness. The Khafi is a Divine subtlety that lies hidden within the spirit. It was placed there in trust by Allah to be awakened and actualized only when the lover has been overwhelmed by Passionate Love of Allah ('Ishq).
(Dhikr). Remembrance, invocation or glorification of Allah, through the repetition of one of His Names or a phrase to His Glory. True dhikr is a spiritual state in which the one who remembers (dhakir) concentrates all of his physical and spiritual powers upon Allah so that his entire being may be united with the Absolute. It is the fundamental practice of the Sufi Path and may be undertaken in solitude or in gatherings. Specific breathing patterns are central to the effectiveness of the dhikr.
(Lata'if). This term generally refers to the subtle essences (or centres) in the body. The cleansing of the subtle centres forms the spiritual struggle of the Path. The cleansing of each separate latifah marks a stage in the Journey of Return. Lata'if also defines the subtleties within the being of the knower and lover of Allah. The mystical vision during the spiritual concert prepares a thousand of these lata'if within the ecstatic.
