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

Order by: Arabic English

m

ma'ad
Place of Return

(Ma'ad). The Place of Return, the future world, the destination, the Promised End. "Verily He Who has ordained the Qur'an for thee, will bring you back to the Place of Return" (The Qur'an 28:85). The Place of Return is the terminus of the ascent.

ma'ani
Meanings

(Ma'ana). Everything in creation has an outward form. These forms are the manifestations of their essential inner meanings. The meaning of everything is Allah. Within imagination all meanings become clothed in substratum and take on form. No meaning...

ma'arif
Science of Divine Knowledge

(Ma'arif). The sciences connected to Divine Knowledge. The ascent from multiplicity to Unity is a journey from wideness to narrowness. Initially the sciences are varied and numerous. Slowly and gradually, little by little, these sciences become few a...

ma'arij al-himam
Ascents of Spiritual Resolves

(Ma'arij al Himam). The ascents of aspirations and spiritual resolves. By the Grace of Allah the lover ascends to Allah, but the lover must also yearn, strive and aspire to ascend unto Allah. It is through the intensity of the lover's Spiritual Resol...

al-ma'bud
Worshipped

(Ma'bud). The worshipped. That which is worshipped, the ma'bud, of necessity demands a worshipper. Without the worshipper there cannot be the worshipped. The Worshipped is only and always Allah. The worshipper is the entire cosmos.

madda
Matter

(Madda). Substratum or matter or material from which the world of sense perception is comprised.

ma'dum
Non-existent

(Ma'dum). This is an ambiguous term because, even though a thing is as yet non-existent in the cosmos it is nonetheless existent within the Knowledge of Allah. He has not yet given the Divine Command, "Be!" ("Kun!") through which the non-existent is ...

mafatih
Keys

(Mafatih). On the Spiritual Journey of return there are many keys with which to unlock the doors of knowledge. A key may be in the form of a word, a glance, a litany, a moment, a breath. And because knowledge of Allah is endless, the keys to open th...

mafatih al-ghayb
Keys to the Unseen

(Mafatih al Ghayb). The Keys to the Unseen, which are with Allah. With the Keys to the Unseen His great friends are given the means with which to open further doors to Higher Knowledge of Allah, the Absolute.

maftur
Innate

(Maftur). All created things, with the exception of mankind and jinn, know Allah with an inborn, innate knowledge. Mankind and jinn have an innate knowledge of their outward forms but they have to acquire knowledge of Allah and of their own spirits....

maf'ul
Object of an act

(Maf'ul). The object of an act (not the agent of the act). The Lover of Allah, through whom Allah sees, hears, speaks, walks and grasps is the object of the act and Allah is the True Agent.

maghlub
Overpowered one

(Maghlub). The one who is overpowered, enraptured and annihilated in the Might of his Vanquisher.

maghlub al-qulub
Overpowered by the heart

(Maghlub ul Qulub). The one who is under the domination of his purified and illuminated heart.

mahabbah
Love - Pure

(Mahabbah). The lofty, pure and unconditional love of Allah. The attainment of such love transforms the seeker from 'the one who desires Allah' into the murad, 'the one whom Allah desires'. Nothing is greater than this. The spiritual intoxication ar...

mahabbat-i-'amm
Love of spiritual seekers

(Mahabbati 'amm). The love of spiritual seekers whose hearts incline to considering attentively the Beauty of the Qualities. There are many of these seekers who aspire to Divine Knowledge and their love of Allah is sincere. However they are not of H...