The Language of the Future

Sufi Terminology by Murshid F.A. Ali ElSenossi

al-'ilm bi Allah
Knowledge of Allah

('Ilm bi Allah). This is the knowledge which is embraced in the heart. The heart is the sacred place where man encounters Allah. The more the heart is polished with the Remembrance of Allah the greater is its capacity to receive Knowledge of Allah.

See also: Capacity Heart Light Perfect Man Remembrance of Allah Throne-Greatest and Supreme Trust

(Wus') indicates the tremendous capacity of the human heart. Allah says, "The heavens and the earth contain Me not, but the heart of My believing slave does contain Me". This is its tremendous capacity. There is nothing else in creation which can contain Allah Almighty, the Truth, the King, the Most Holy. But, Allah is Limitless. Therefore He cannot be contained. And because Knowledge of Allah is Limitless it also cannot be contained. So, wus' is an infinite capacity which has no boundaries, no end, no limits. Knowledge of Allah is Light. His Radiant Light pours into the human heart in accordance with each individual heart's preparedness and receptivity to receive It.
Capacity

(Qalb). The human heart is the place of constant change and fluctuation. It is the supra-rational organ of intuition where the Transcendent Realities enter into contact with man. The heart is the isthmus between this world and the next. The battlefield of the Greater Holy War is the heart. This is where the downward-pulling lower self is confronted by the yearning spirit. The battle is fought between these two adversaries in order for one to take possession of the precious heart of man. Under the misguidance of the Misguider, the lower self wants the heart to plummet to the depths of ignorance. However, the spirit, which is from Allah, exerts a powerful attraction upon the heart, as it endeavours to guide it towards Knowledge of Allah. The greater the purification of the heart the more receptive it is to this irresistible attraction of the celestial spirit. The heart is the sanctified centre of man because it is the place which contains Allah. Keeping watch over the heart is part of the spiritual struggle of the Journey of Return. Those well-advanced along the Path never allow any intruders to enter their sanctified hearts. The heart of the Perfect Man is the Divine Throne around which circle the spiritual realities.
Heart

(Nur) is the created light which radiates from the Uncreated Light of Allah. When this light enters the heart it drives away the existent order thereby annihilating the inner eye from witnessing 'other-than-Allah'. For unveiling to take place the Light which comes from Allah must coincide with the light within the heart. If there is darkness within the heart, then it will not be able to match the Light from Allah. In such a case there is no unveiling, and Knowledge of Allah does not arrive in that heart. It is the Remembrance of Allah which polishes the heart and allows it to be filled with light. The Source of this Pure Light is the Absolute Darkness of the Essence Itself. The most complete and penetrating light is the light through which is unveiled what Allah means by the forms seen by the imagination in dreams.
Light

(Al Insan al Kamil). He is the viceregent of Allah, through whom Allah contemplates His Own Name-derived Perfection. The Perfect Man has actualized the divine form and in carrying the Trust has fulfilled his reason for being. It is through the Perfect Man that Allah enters the world. Al Insan al Kamil is also one of the names given to the Supreme Isthmus. Man consists of a body and a spirit which governs it. The cosmos also consists of a body and a spirit which governs it. Its spirit is the Perfect Man. Without him the cosmos is likened to a discarded body.
Perfect Man

(Dhikrullah). Invocation of Allah through one of His Names or through His Words. The perfect dhikrullah, in which Allah becomes the seeing, the hearing, the speaking, the grasping of the one who remembers, is attained when every atom of the dhakir's being is absorbed and annihilated in the Remembrance of Allah. The dhakir becomes internally unified with the Absolute. Only then does Allah sit totally with the one who remembers Allah.
Remembrance of Allah

(Amanat). The Trust was offered to the heavens and the earth, but they refused to carry it, but mankind accepted the Trust. The Trust is to act as a locus of manifestation of the All-Comprehensive Name 'Allah'. The Perfect Man is the one who fulfills this Trust and in so doing becomes worthy of being Allah's representative on this earth.
Trust
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