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

nifaq
Hypocrisy

(Nifaq). While in Union it becomes hypocrisy for the slave to affirm the 'other-than-Allah'.


See also: Abiding Annihilation Hypocrite One who declares Oneness Other than Allah Slave Union of Union
(Fana'). Self-annihilation or self-effacement or dissolution or passing away from self. Through being joined to Allah, the Real; man is annihilated from himself - the 'limited existence' of the traveller is overpowered by the 'absolute existence' of Allah, so that the traveller becomes unaware of his own self and the creation. Fana' is the last stage on the ascent to Allah. When travelling to the Source, the seeker passes through different levels of fana', each of which brings him closer to his Goal. There are hundreds, even thousands, of fana's. Every time a form of ignorance is removed to be replaced by knowledge, the murid has experienced fana'. He has tasted the annihilation of an ignorance. And, every moment of existence is in fact a moment which is pregnant with its own particular knowledge. So, for the aware one, each moment can be a fana'. However, within the higher teaching of Tasawwuf  there are three major types of fana', through which the murid must travel if he is to reach the Absolute. These are Annihilation in the Murshid/Spiritual Guide, Annihilation in the Messenger and Annihilation in Allah.
(Munafiq). The hypocrite manifests the form of a man of faith in his outward practice, but his inner dimension is devoid of belief and faith. Hypocrisy is making the form manifest without the meaning. It is the work of the lower self. The Murshid distributes spiritual work to his murids in accordance with each one's aptitude to receive. Without the Wisdom of such distribution the murid would run the risk of becoming a hypocrite. The murid may receive good news through a dream-vision, but due to the state of the murid's lower self, the Murshid does not yet reveal the meaning by interpreting the dream. The good news is kept back till such a time when the murid is able to receive it with gratitude, honour and respect, his ego no longer having the aptitude to become inflated by it.
(Muwahhid). The slave-lover-knower who declares Oneness through his witnessing of the One (al Wahid). The one in annihilation cannot be a Muwahhid due to his total and utter submersion in the One. He no longer has the eyes with which to witness It or the tongue with which to declare It. Only after returning from fana' can such a declaration of Oneness be made.
(Ghayr Allah). 'Other than Allah' is the cosmos and all that it contains. To be 'other than Allah' is to be imperfect, but this 'imperfection' is in itself Perfection!
('Abd). The slave (and worshipper) is the one who is in a state of total and utter submission to the Will of Allah. After having been annihilated in Allah where all duality vanished and distinctions were erased, he returns to creation with perfect courtesy and with the Truth of Certainty that 'the Lord is the Lord and the slave is the slave'. When 'abd is translated as 'servant' it carries the implication that the servant can leave the service of his Master, if he so desires. However, the 'slave' is in total bondage, being utterly dependent upon his Master. All buying and selling transactions have been terminated. The slave belongs to Allah, completely, perfectly and unconditionally.
(Jam' al Jam'). Gathering of the gathering. Jam' al jam' is the experience of union devoid of all distinctions, even of the idea of being one with Allah. This is the station of 'Two Bows' Length', the station of Perfection which is attained only by the greatest Perfect Men, who are the Prophets and the great saints. The Gathering of the gathering is also known as 'The Station of Great Glory'. This is also Unity in Multiplicity. Annihilation in totality in Allah – in the Presence of the Divine Beauty. This is the opposite of farq (separation). This is Unity without separation. To gather that which belongs to Allah within you and surrender all of it to Him is real surrender. In the cosmos, there is nothing but Allah, His Names and His attributes. In short, this is called jama’. When we say jam’, it is the centre of multiplicity.

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