| A |
| Ahl as-Suffa: |
“people of the bench” the poor who practiced
asceticism, or zuhd
(sg. zahid, pl. zuhhad); and lived at Mosque in Medina during the life of
Muhammad (saaw)
|
| |
|
| al Insân
al Kâmil: |
"perfected man" who is the great spiritual
teacher of the age,
called Qutb (pole)
|
| Adâb: |
From adaba, etiquette,
cultured, well mannered. It implies rules or acts of 'ibâdah.
Spiritual
courtesy or manners. It is said that the whole art of being a
dervish is in one's manners, not only toward God, but also in how
one treats one's fellow humans. The purpose is to help maintain
awareness of the Divine Presence, according to the hadith 'to
worship God as if you see Him'.
|
| Adhân: |
Call
to prayer |
| Ádl: |
To act justly and fairly,
honesty, uprightness, impartiality, probity. from the root 'Adala. |
| Álim: |
Scholar, it is from the
root word álim, to know or to be recognized. |
| Árif |
"knower" or "Gnostic" who has actually experienced the
reality of the Tawhîd.
|
| Asma
ul Husna: |
The attributes of
God |
| As Salâm
Aleikum: |
Peace be upon you. Islamic
greeting. |
Ayah:(s)
Ayât: (pl)
|
(i) "verse" of Qur'an.
(ii) "signs"
which are the manifestations of nature and all created reality, everything is a "sign" of
the reality of God
|
| B |
| Bai'ah: |
A pledge or promise,
formal initiation to a Tarîqah |
| Barakâh: |
grace of Allah. All
practices are accomplished through the spiritual energy or
"grace" emanating from Allah through the silsilâh of the tarîqah. |
| Baqa: |
Subsistence,
continuing awareness through Allah. |
| Bast: |
Expansion
or elation |
| Bâtin |
Hidden, interior, inner |
| D |
| Dhawq: |
taste, perceptivity gained
through Divine Grace. |
| Dhikr:
|
"remembering" or "mentioning"
God..."Mention God often" (Qur'ân 3:41)
Remembrance, invocation of God
|
| Du'â: |
Supplication,
invocation |
| F |
| Fadail: |
Virtues,
a surplus, to excel, or surpass, deeds of excellence, or deeds that
promote moral excellence, virtues. from
fadala |
| Fana |
Stage
of annihilation in the journey to God. Ego-death,
cessation of ego awareness accomplished
in various degrees or at various levels or depths |
| Fâtiha: |
Opening.
First chapter of the Qur'ân. |
| H |
| Hadith:
|
sayings of
Prophet Muhammad (saaw). Ahâdîth (pl)
|
| Hajj: |
Pilgrimage to Mecca |
| Halâl: |
Permissible by
Islamic law |
Hal
Ahwal (pl) |
A
transitory mystical state. |
| Halqa: |
A
circle of people, usually a shaykh and murîd |
| Haq: |
Truth |
| Harâm: |
Forbidden |
| Himmah |
Power of the heart |
| I |
| Ibâdah |
Worship,
to serve, to venerate, to deify. Spiritual service. |
| Ihsân |
Doing everything with
beauty and finesse |
| Îmân: |
Faith. |
| Irfân: |
Gnosis, direct perception
of Reality. |
| Islâm |
Surrendering
to Allah, submission |
| J |
| Jalal |
Power,
grandeur |
| Jamal |
Beauty |
| Jihad: |
Struggle,
fight or effort to control the lower self. |
| K |
| Kaffârah: |
Expiation for an
irreligious act committed in violation of an Islamic Law. |
| Kâfir: |
to
cover, hide, the person who hides the bounties of Allah. |
| Kashf: |
Intuition,
occasionally experienced in lawami (flashes) |
| L |
|
| Lahut |
Divine |
| |
|
| M |
| Majnoon: |
The
person who is insane or mentally incompetent. One who is lost in the
love for Allah |
Maqâm:
Maqamat (pl) |
A station or stage of
spiritual development. A more permanent condition of having refined
one's nafs. |
| Masjid: |
Mosque.
literally a place of prostration. |
| Muhâsabah: |
Self-evaluation, rendering
account, taking stock of one's own actions. |
| Murâqabah. |
Meditation, contemplative
solitude |
| Murîd: |
Seeker, student in Sufism. |
| Murshid: |
spiritual guide, teacher
and example; those whose presence is an inspiration to spiritual
development, maturity and illumination. |
| |
|
| Mutasawwif:
|
Novice
or one who desires to follow a
spiritual teacher; also called Faqir, Murid or Darwesh |
| N |
| Nafs: |
breath, personality/ego
clusters, self, soul. The lower self which
must be purified, refined, and transcended. Levels
of the Nafs |
| Nasut |
Human |
| Niyyah |
Intention |
| Q |
| Qabd: |
Contraction, constriction,
constraint, deflation. |
| R |
| Ruh: |
Spirit, which contains
divine secret. |
| S
|
Shaikh:
(m)
Shaikha: (f)
|
Elder,
teacher. A self-realized
individual who serves as a spiritual guide for others |
| Silsilah: |
Chain,
the lineage of a tarîqah descending from the Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh), through his Companion, Ali Ibn Abu Talib or Abu Bakr, or
both. The chain of transmission includes all Murshids of the order
up to the present. |
Sirr
(s)
Asrâr (pl) |
innermost
meaning or secret. hidden wisdom. An individual's center of
consciousness; the source of an individual's being. In every
act of 'ibâdah there is hidden wisdom, the discovery of which
enriches belief and conviction. At this mysterious point, the
individual comes into contact with that which is Holy.
|
| Shirk:
|
Associating
partners with Allah. |
| Silsilah
|
Chain
of succession. |
| Sufi:
|
A
follower of the mystical path, those who seek experience of tawhîd...the
term applies only to the most advanced practitioners |
| Sûrah |
Chapter of the Qurân |
| T |
| Talib: |
A student, candidate or
aspirant |
| Tarîqah: |
Path, way, the sufi method |
| Tasawwuf: |
The Islamic mystic path. |
| Tasbih |
Glorification
of Allah. String of beads used in counting prayers |
| Tawwakul: |
Complete trust in and
reliance upon God Alone. |
| Tawhîd: |
Unity and oneness of God. |
| W |
| Wajd: |
Ecstasy. |
Wali (s)
Awliyâh (pl) |
Protecting friend, friend
of God |
| Y |
| Yaqîn: |
Certainty, usually
connoting conviction (of various degrees) concerning the goal of the
path.
|
| Z |
|
| Zâhir |
Exoteric
meaning. Manifest, apparent, self-evident meaning. |
| |
|
