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

sitr
Covering

(Sitr). Curtain or veil or covering or concealment. That which veils you from that which will make 'you' disappear. Also known as the 'wrapping of the universe'. In reality, Allah does not place anything behind a curtain. That which covers the Truth is either 'your ignorance' or 'your self' or your attachment to things. The removal of these covers reveals the Truth which was never veiled in the first place.

See also: Being The Concealer Finding People of unveiling and finding Veil

Being ( wujud )

(Wujud). Being, existence or finding. When considered as 'being', wujud designates Allah's Own Reality and Essence. When considered as 'existence', wujud designates the things found in the cosmos. When considered as 'finding' wujud designates the subjective experience of finding Allah or having awareness of Allah. The Verifiers and the People of Unveiling and Finding continually and everlastingly find Allah both in the cosmos and within themselves.

Finding ( wijdan )

(Wijdan) comes from the same root as wujud (finding). It could be said that wujud is finding the Real in ecstasy.

People of unveiling and finding ( ahl al-kashf wa'l-wujud )

(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.

Veil ( hijab )

(Hijab). A veil or curtain. Everything that hides the object of your search from your eye. Hijab hides Allah from man, the outer form of a thing veils its inner meaning. In the initial stages of the Journey of Return to the Source the traveller is veiled by the outward aspect of existence from its inward aspect. In the middle stages, which are dominated by spiritual intoxication, he is veiled by its inward aspect from its outward aspect. In the later stage, where spiritual sobriety dominates, neither inward nor outward aspects veil him from Allah, Who he sees everywhere. Allah has precious friends Whom He does veil from the rest of His creation through His jealousy for them. And He has 'veiled ones' who must be concealed because the Light which emanates from them is so dazzling that it would burn away the sight of the viewer. "If the reality of the Sufi was to be unveiled he would be worshipped".

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