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

Sayyiduna
Our Master

(Sayyiduna). The Master of the lovers and knowers of Allah is the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace). They are the slaves of Muhammad the Chosen One, whose noble title is Sayyiduna Muhammad - our Master Muhammad.


See also: Beloved of Allah Boy Noble, Sacred Sanctuary Salutations Visiting place
(Habibullah). This blessed name is proper only to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace). No one reaches Allah by being a lover, only by being the Beloved, and it is for this very reason that 'No one will meet Allah before meeting the Prophet'. The lover must be annihilated in the Beloved of Allah, (fana' fi-rasul) before attaining annihilation in Allah (fana' fillah).
(Salawat). Blessings and benedictions and salutations. Salawat refer most particularly to the blessings which the Muslim calls down upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace). "Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation." (The Qur'an 33:56). The forms of the salawat are numerous, varying from short and concise prayers through to the profoundly mystical litanies of the great Masters of the higher teaching. And, just as the forms are many, so too are the levels of meaning contained within each salawat. These start from merely saying the salawat on the lips, without any awareness of the Holy Prophet, through to the visualizations of his blessed presence, his light, his essence and ultimately his Reality. Through the Grace of Allah the lover-slave-knower will then understand the words of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, 'I am Ahmad without the 'M''. This is a stage of utter bewilderment. The lover knows that Muhammad al Mustapha is the very ecstasy within his breast. He knows that Muhammad al Mustapha is Absolute Beauty and Absolute Perfection. In perceiving this Reality of Muhammad the lover becomes silent. How does he now approach the Beloved of Allah?
(Ziyarat). Because the sacred tombs of the Sufi saints are sites abounding in barakah, they become visiting places for both devotees and the pious believers who seek to benefit from the spiritual power and grace of these exalted lovers of Allah. After completing his pilgrimage to the House of Allah, the Sacred Sanctuary, the slave visits Medina, the City of Light, the resting-place of Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace). The slave has prostrated before the Haram as Sharif, has been annihilated at this 'place'. His body rises from this prostration yet his heart never rises again. Then he visits Medina. The Noble, Sacred Sanctuary is the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustapha. Medina is the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustapha. He prostrates before the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa and then he turns away and visits the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa. The Holy Prophet said, "I am Ahmad without the 'M'". Having seen the Pure Radiance of the Reality of Muhammad the slave-lover-knower visits the Beloved of Allah. Mecca-Medina. Allah-Muhammad. Lord-slave.

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