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

rizq
Sustenance

(Rizq). Allah is our Provider and our sustenance has been determined since pre-Eternity. The cosmos has no subsistence except through Allah and the Attributes of Divinity have no subsistence except through the cosmos, therefore each of the two is the provision of the other.

See also: Decree Destiny Food Names Nourishment

Decree ( qada' )

(Qada'). The decree or predetermination. Qada' is the universal decree of Allah concerning the entities of the existents as the entities are in themselves before their existence. It is His decree concerning the states that will occur for them from Eternity-without-beginning to Eternity-without-end. The perfect knowers and lovers of Allah always preserve perfect courtesy with Allah. Whenever they commit an act of disobedience they never flee to 'Decree and Destiny' in order to free themselves from blame and wrongdoing. Their Blaming Self which is placed over them, protects them from such acts of discourtesy.

Destiny ( qadar )

(Qadar). Destiny or Fate or the measure allotted to each entity. Qadar is the particularized deployment of the universal decree through the bestowal of existence upon the entities in accordance with the times and situations required by their individual preparedness. Destiny refers to the fact that each state of an entity is conditioned by a particular time and brought about by a specific cause.

Food ( ghidha )

(Ghidha). Allah, the Absolute, is the Source of food and nourishment for all of the creatures. All of Allah's creatures exist, subsist and are kept alive by Allah. And, the Absolute is nourished by the forms of the creatures because it is through them that the Names and Attributes become manifest.

Names ( asma' )

(Asma). Names. The Names designate permanent 'aspects' of the Essence. Every Name has a meaning and a form. The meaning of every Name is Allah. It is only through the Names, all of which are Allah's, that we have access to Knowledge of Allah. The Divine Names seek the Perfect Man (Insan al Kamil) to be their perfect locus of manifestation. Through their seeking him and their requiring his existence the knower comes to understand the nobility and grandeur of the Perfect Man.

Nourishment ( taghadhdhi )

(Taghadhdhi) is that which is provided by food and spreads its benefits throughout the entire body. The engendered things take their nourishment from the Divinity, upon Whom they depend for their existence and the Divinity takes Its nourishment from the engendered things through whom It becomes manifest.

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