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

wus'
Capacity

(Wus') indicates the tremendous capacity of the human heart. Allah says, "The heavens and the earth contain Me not, but the heart of My believing slave does contain Me". This is its tremendous capacity. There is nothing else in creation which can contain Allah Almighty, the Truth, the King, the Most Holy. But, Allah is Limitless. Therefore He cannot be contained. And because Knowledge of Allah is Limitless it also cannot be contained. So, wus' is an infinite capacity which has no boundaries, no end, no limits. Knowledge of Allah is Light. His Radiant Light pours into the human heart in accordance with each individual heart's preparedness and receptivity to receive It.


See also: Emptiness Heart Light Light of Muhammad Overflow Perfect Man Preparedness Receiving knowledge Receptivity The Trust
(Takhliyah). Before the purification of the heart and the secret are achieved there must be an emptiness (takhliyah). Such an emptiness is attained ultimately through the Grace of Allah but also through the sincere observance of the spiritual work. And one must be in a state of inward emptiness before the heart can be filled with the Lights of Knowledge which are contained within The Qur'an. The slave is bereft and poor, destitute and in need of Allah. He is empty of everything save Love of Allah.
(Qalb). The human heart is the place of constant change and fluctuation. It is the supra-rational organ of intuition where the Transcendent Realities enter into contact with man. The heart is the isthmus between this world and the next. The battlefield of the Greater Holy War is the heart. This is where the downward-pulling lower self is confronted by the yearning spirit. The battle is fought between these two adversaries in order for one to take possession of the precious heart of man. Under the misguidance of the Misguider, the lower self wants the heart to plummet to the depths of ignorance. However, the spirit, which is from Allah, exerts a powerful attraction upon the heart, as it endeavours to guide it towards Knowledge of Allah. The greater the purification of the heart the more receptive it is to this irresistible attraction of the celestial spirit. The heart is the sanctified centre of man because it is the place which contains Allah. Keeping watch over the heart is part of the spiritual struggle of the Journey of Return. Those well-advanced along the Path never allow any intruders to enter their sanctified hearts. The heart of the Perfect Man is the Divine Throne around which circle the spiritual realities.
(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.
(Nur Muhammadiyya). "Allah took a handful of His Light and said 'Be! Muhammad'". From this pre-existent Light of Muhammad (nur Muhammadiyya) all of the spheres were created. It is the Light of Muhammad that enables the traveller to advance towards the Reality of Muhammad (al haqiqa al Muhammadiyyah). Without the cooling nature of this light the salik would not advance, or if he did advance he would be burned-up. The differentiation between the Light of Muhammad (nur Muhammadiyya) and the Reality of Muhammad (al haqiqat al Muhammadiyyah) is within the degrees of the descent of Being, from the Inward Non-manifestation of the Hidden Treasure to the outward manifestation of the cosmos.
(Afada) To overflow or emanate. Creation is an overflow or an emanation from the the Breath of the All Merciful. Allah is 'the Giver' and His Beloved Prophet Muhammad (who is the Greatest Teacher) is 'the Distributor'. The Inheritors of the Prophet (the Spiritual Masters, the Perfect Men) receive their knowledge as a direct overflow or emanation from the vast and immense heart of the Prophet himself. This endless overflow then passes to the murids.
(Al Insan al Kamil). He is the viceregent of Allah, through whom Allah contemplates His Own Name-derived Perfection. The Perfect Man has actualized the divine form and in carrying the Trust has fulfilled his reason for being. It is through the Perfect Man that Allah enters the world. Al Insan al Kamil is also one of the names given to the Supreme Isthmus. Man consists of a body and a spirit which governs it. The cosmos also consists of a body and a spirit which governs it. Its spirit is the Perfect Man. Without him the cosmos is likened to a discarded body.
(Isti'dad) is closely connected to receptivity (infi'al). It is the readiness to receive what Allah Wills to send. This 'preparedness' was established in Pre-eternity through the Most Holy Emanation (Al Fayd al Aqdas) which gave the preparedness to the archetype itself.
(Talaqqa). Receiving the knowledge which descends upon the slave from Allah. Such a receiving is not a taking. The hands of the slave are upturned and opened in readiness to receive whatever Allah Wills to send. The hands should never reach forward in expectancy to take these gifts from Allah. The Divine Mercy pours down like rain. The drops fall into the opened hand. Grasping fingers cannot catch them.
(Infi'al). Receptivity or passivity or readiness to be acted upon. The receptivity of the existent entity is closely related to its preparedness. Such a receptivity or passivity is necessary if the murid is to 'travel' along the Spiritual Path, under the direction of his Murshid. And this condition of receptivity was established in Pre-Eternity, at the Covenant.

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