(Al Amr al taklifi). The Divine Command which issues through the intermediary of a Prophet and with which the religious community is ordered to 'do this, avoid that'.
(Amthal). Images or similars. These are 'bodies' which are seen within the World of Imagination. Angels, Prophets, Saints and even Allah Himself may become 'embodied' within this Realm.
(Ana Ahmad bila mim). When the Holy Prophet Muhammad was asked, 'Are you Ahad?' he said, "No! I am Ahmad without the 'M" (Ana Ahmad bila mim). Ahmad - M = Ahad. Ahad is 'The One'. Within these words are indications of the Mystery of Muhammad al Musta...
(Ana jalisu man dhakarani). Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi, 'I am sitting with the one who remembers Me'. Allah 'becomes' that particular part or organ which is engaged in the dhikr, be it the tongue, the heart or simply the hand which holds the prayer...
(Ana'l Haqq). This is the famous ecstatic utterance of a great Sufi martyr. He was condemned by the scholars who considered his words to be heretical and he was condemned by the Sufis who considered that he had revealed that which should never be rev...
(Al aniyyah). 'I-ness' is the Divine subject which is logically opposed to the Divine object (al huwiyyah). It is the outward aspect of Abstract Oneness. In the Descent of the Absolute from 'The Blindness' it passes through three stages of manifestat...
(Ankar al nakirat). This term may be applied to either of two extremes. The Absolute Itself in Its Inconceivable Transcendence and Unknowableness is 'the most indeterminate of all indeterminates'. Through the first manifestation of the Infinite Merc...
(Anwar). The Lights. Anwar are emanations of Pure Being which gush forth from the secrets of the Reality of Muhammad.
(Anwar al 'Arsh). The Lights of the Throne. These celestial Lights, radiating from the Divine Attributes which surround the Throne, are like veils. Only the friend of Allah who is illuminated by the Lights can pass through them to the Throne Itself b...
(Al 'Aqab). This symbolizes the Pen which is the First Intellect . It is the first and highest creation of Allah. It is sometimes referred to as the Light of Muhammad.
('Aql). The intellect or the faculty of reason. The word 'aql derives from 'iqal which means fetter. The intellect fetters man and it also puts its hooks into him, preventing him from making the final stages of the ascent. On the ascension to Allah (...
('Aql al Awwal). The First Intellect has two faces; the one that is turned towards Allah receives from Allah, while the one that is turned towards the world transmits from Allah. Al 'aql al awwal is analogous to the Supreme Pen.
(Al Aqtab). These are the exalted friends of Allah around whom various realities of the universe turn. Every Pole (Qutb) is named by two names; firstly, through his essential perfection in manifesting the Name 'Allah', he is the 'Slave of Allah' ('A...
The plain outside Mecca where all pilgrims observe the Day of Standing. "Arafat is Hajj". Arafat represents the time of Divine knowledge and nearness to Allah when the slave stands in the Presence of the Unity of Allah, associating no partner with Al...
('Arad). Accident. The entire cosmos is a collection of accidents and because 'The accident does not remain for two moments' the cosmos undergoes continual change.
