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

Order by: Arabic English

i

'ibada
Worship

('Ibada). Worship and service of Allah with absolute obedience and love. Man was created in order to 'know' Allah. Therefore the essential meaning of worship is Knowledge of Allah. Allah says in The Qur'an, "I created jinn and men only to worship (kn...

'ibarah
Verbal expression

('Ibarah). Many of the Great Masters of the higher teaching have been given the gift called 'Opening of Expression' through which they are able to express highly mystical concepts, visions and seemingly inexpressible spiritual experiences. In some c...

Iblis
Satan

(Iblis). This is the personal name of Satan (shaytan). Symbolically Iblis is the fancy of 'otherness' from Allah.

ibn al-waqt
Son of the moment

(Ibn al Waqt). The Sufi is called the son of the moment. Through his consciousness of Eternity and his perpetual Remembrance of Allah and his presence with Allah he keeps himself with the timeless instant that is 'Now'. He has no desire to be 'before...

Ibrahim
Abraham

The Prophet Abraham (Peace be upon him) through whose Word descended the Wisdom of Unbounded Love.

ibtihaj
Bliss

(Ibtihaj). The Divine Marriage is the attentiveness (Tawajjuh) of Allah towards the possible thing in its state of non-existence. This Marriage combines the desire of love (Al Iradat al Hubbiyya) with bliss (Ibtihaj). The child of this Marriage is '...

ibtila
Trial

(Ibtila). In being subjected to trial and affliction (Bala') the Sufi gains more Knowledge of Allah, Who is the First Cause. When hard times come the Sufi has a feast day, because he sees beyond the trial to Allah Himself. He sees beyond the contract...

'id
Festival

('Eid). Festival or feast day. For the lover of Allah this festival is the recurrent celebration of the arrival of the Beloved. When Allah enters the courtyard of His lover's heart that moment is the moment of bliss. The hunger, thirst, pain and orde...

'id al-adha
Festival of the Sacrifice

('Eid al Adha). This Great Feast Day is celebrated after the slave has stood in the Presence of His Oneness, (symbolised by the standing at the Mount of Mercy on the Plain of Arafat outside of Holy Mecca). When the lower self has been reduced to nau...

'id al-fitr
Festival of fast breaking

('Eid al Fitr). When the traveller observes the inward fast by striving to purify his thoughts, words, deeds and heart, and when through such striving he succeeds in abstaining from everything that is 'other-than-Allah', he then breaks his fast on la...

idafa
Correlations

(Idafa). Correlations or relationships. The Divine Names demand relationships because the Divine Names are what make the cosmos manifest. The Powerful (Al Qadir) demands the object of power (Maqdur). The Merciful (Ar Rahman) demands an object of merc...

idbar
Transmit

(Idbar). 'Transmit' or 'turn away'. When Allah created the Intellect He said to it 'Receive' (iqbal) (or 'turn towards [Me]'). When it had received He said to it 'Transmit' (idbar) (or 'turn away [from Me]') and it transmitted. The First Intellect is...

idhn
Permission

(Idhn). Permission of one in authority. It is always the higher authority that gives permission to that which is lower. Therefore within the Spiritual Path this permission always comes from The Highest Authority - Allah. Permission (idhn) for the mur...

idlal
Misguidance

(Idlal). Man has been given the choice as to which path he takes on the return journey to his Origin. In this life he can make the Journey of Return to his Sacred Centre under Divine Guidance which is manifested in the Prophets of Allah and His frie...

idmihlal
Withering away of the self

(Idmihlal). This is a high degree of self-annihilation (fana').