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

nur
Light

(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.


See also: The Blindness Divine knowledge Engendered existence Essence 'I am sitting with the one who remembers Me' If not for you, if not for you (Oh Muhammad) Inner eye Inspiration Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah People of unveiling and finding Perception Reality of Muhammad Remembrance of Allah Unveiling
(Ma'rifa) is a light which Allah casts into the heart of whomsoever He Wills. This is the true knowledge which comes through unveiling, witnessing and tasting. This knowledge is from Allah, it is not Allah Himself, because He Is Unknowable in His Essence. The triad on the Sufi Path of Return is comprised of Fear, Knowledge and Love. Fear leads to Knowledge which leads to Unconditional Love of Allah. It is said that spiritual struggle is child's play while ma'rifa is men's work.
(Kawn/Ka'inat). Existence comes from Allah's Word "Be!" ("Kun!"). Allah, as the Divinity, is perpetually with engendered existence, but, engendered existence is not perpetually with Allah. The entire spiritual work of the higher teaching is directed towards being in a perpetual state of presence with Allah. Allah's friends, the Awliya, witness Allah constantly. Their witnessing is a joining which does not turn into a separation, just as knowledge does not turn into ignorance.
(Dhat). The Essence. This is Allah in Himself without regard to His creations, His Attributes or His Names. The Essence is beyond knowledge or conceptualization. Allah warns us of this aspect of Himself. The Essence is Absolute Blindness, the Hidden of the Hidden, the Unknown of the Unknown. This is the World of Absolute Non-manifestation.
(Basirah). Insight. The basirah is the inner eye which perceives the World of the Unseen. Man's basirah is veiled and covered with a rust which can only be removed through the sincere practising of the Remembrance of Allah. Insight is one of the forms of direct knowledge of Reality.
(Ilham). Divine inspiration or effusion. Ilham is an blowing in of the Holy Spirit into the heart of a Prophet or a Friend of Allah. Ilham is distinct from Revelation which is specific only to the Prophets of Allah. The Divine Ilham is the immense spiritual force through which the Friends of Allah speak their words of Wisdom, write their books of Knowledge, sing their songs of Divine Love. Only the purified heart which has been sanctified through the remembrance of Allah is worthy of this inblowing of ilham. The Verified Shaykh can recognise the one into whom it is blown and the work of creative inspiration which results from that inblowing. The Word of Allah descends firstly as Revelation (wahy), secondly as Inspiration (ilham) and thirdly as Incoming Thoughts (khawatir).
(Muhammadan Rasul Allah) is the second half of the Islamic Testimony of Faith (shahadah). Muhammad is the one sent by Allah. He is the representative of Allah. Without him we cannot come to know Allah. His message is the message of beautiful return to Allah. But, Muhammad is from the Light of Allah. So, before Muhammad can be the Messenger of Allah, Allah must be the Messenger of Muhammad. His Light sends out the message of Muhammad. Allah is the Messenger of Muhammad (Allah Rasul Muhammad) and then Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (Muhammadan Rasulullah).
(Ahl al Kashf wal Wujud). These are the knowers. They have passed beyond the veils which stand between themselves and their Lord and they stand perpetually in His Presence.
(Idrak). "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth" and it is through the Light of Allah that all perception takes place. "Allah took a handful of His Light and said to it, "Be! Muhammad'". The creation, which is the outward manifestation of the Hidden Treasure, is seen and known through the Holy Prophet Muhammad. But, only the knowers know that they are seeing it through the Reality of Muhammad. Without him all is darkness. 'Light the world, too long in darkness, with Muhammad's radiant name'. The Chosen One, Al Mustapha, said, "Who has seen me, has seen Allah". Existence is the Reality of Muhammad. For perception to take place there must be light.
(Al Haqiqat al Muhammadiyya). This is 'The Reality of realities'. It is the first descent of Being from the Beyond of the Beyond. It is the Station of True Love and the stage of 'Or Nearer'. Just as man is unable to look directly into the physical sun because its brilliance would burn away his sight, so too is he unable to look at the Divine Sun because Its Pure Radiance would burn away his very existence. And just as the sun can only be viewed through a thin covering of cloud, so too the Divine Sun can only be seen through the Greatest Veil which is the Reality of Muhammad. The heart which has been infused with knowledge of The Reality of Muhammad soars to Allah Almighty. It takes the lover on the wings of overwhelming love ('Ishq) and longing (Shawq) to the Divine Presence. When Prophet Noah saw the condition of the flood and he was afraid of the sinking of the ark, he used the intercession of Allah for the safety of the Ark (al Wasila). Allah told him to write on the mast the mixing of the Name of Allah and Muhammad (Alif Mim Lam)
(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.
(Kashf). Unveiling or revelation is one of the types of direct experience through which Knowledge of Reality is unveiled to the heart of the slave and lover. In His Infinite Grace Allah gives His slave and lover a Divine Self-disclosure which not only increases his Knowledge of Allah but also increases his yearning and intense love of Allah. The great Sufis are called The People of Unveiling and Finding. Within the unveiling they find Allah. This unveiling and finding frequently occurs during the spiritual concert. In a moment, when it is perceived through unveiling that 'Allah is the singer and Allah is the hearer', the singer and the hearer become One, disappearing into Allah.

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