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

zahir
External One

(Thahir) is the one who regards the exterior of things without seeking knowledge of the interior reality. For example, the Thahir performs his ritual prayer in a mechanical manner, without seeking knowledge of the symbolism of the bodily postures or the dynamic and infinite meanings contained within the Sacred Words which are spoken; and the Thahir observes the fast of the Holy Month of Ramadan, but due to his ignorance of the deen of Islam and his lack of spiritual resolve the fasting results mainly in hunger and thirst. The same applies for all aspects of Islam. The 'external one' always looks at the outer forms of such things and never considers to seek their inner meanings.

See also: Form Inward Reality Islam (B) Life transaction Meanings Prayer

Form ( sura )

(Sura). The outer form of an entity or thing is what conceals its inner meaning. Revelation is the outer form whose meaning is Allah's Knowledge of Himself and His creation. Tearing away the veil of form to reveal the meaning within is the work of the higher teaching. The Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustapha (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) prayed, 'Oh, Allah, show me things as they are in their reality'.

Islam (A) ( al-islam )

The Surrender. The Journey of Return to Allah is from the first Islam which is merely verbal submission, through the levels of ascent to the second and Real Islam, which is total and unconditional surrender with knowledge and love to the Will of Allah. The seven levels of knowledge through which the traveller must pass are Surrender; Faith; Perfection; Knowledge of Certainty; Eye of Certainty; Truth of Certainty and Surrender.

Life transaction ( deen (din) )

(Deen). The word deen indicates the 'life transaction' between Allah and Man. It is not merely religion in the constricted and limited sense which the word has assumed in these times. This 'life transaction' is between Allah and man, between the Creator and the created, the Limitless and the limited, the One and the many. 'Life transaction' means every facet, every aspect of life - from the smallest detail to the greatest action. Every moment of a man's life should be impregnated with the awareness of Allah - life is meaningless and futile without such an awareness. Islam, the Perfect and Final Revelation, is the Straight Path to this awareness of the Source. And the higher teaching is the Living Heart of Islam - the Heart from which flows the life-giving nourishment to every soul in the manifested world.

Meanings ( ma'ani )

(Ma'ana). Everything in creation has an outward form. These forms are the manifestations of their essential inner meanings. The meaning of everything is Allah. Within imagination all meanings become clothed in substratum and take on form. No meaning is able to hold itself back from imagination.

Prayer ( salat )

(Salat) refers particularly to the ritual prayer. It is a connection between the slave and his Lord. The ritual ablution which precedes the salat symbolizes the separation from the self. The salat itself symbolizes the joining to Allah. The seven bodily postures of the ritual prayer are symbols of the stages on the Spiritual Journey of Return to the Source and also the seven levels of knowledge through which the traveller (salik) passes on his ascent. As 'the one who performs the prayer' (musalli) approaches closer to Allah, the more profound and intense is his salat. The Holy Prophet Muhammad said, "The prayer without you is better than seventy". As his heart is purified through spiritual struggle and the Remembrance of Allah, and as he journeys along the Path of Return, the traveller leaves his lower-self behind. Initially the Divine Light radiates into the heart of the musalli-salik. Gradually this Light increases and spreads, and eventually, through the Infinite Grace of Allah, it infuses and permeates every atom of his being. Then does he pray a prayer which is without himself, because 'None worships Allah but Allah'.

Islam (B) ( islam )

Islam means peace and the person who follows this peace is called the Muslim. From another root meaning of the word, Islam means complete submission and surrender, and the person who submits and surrenders himself to the will of his Lord is the person who has accepted Allah as his Creator, Sustainer, Lord and the Master of the Day of Judgement.

So from both the definitions Islam means a way of life for people who have opted to follow peace as opposed to chaos, order as opposed to disorder, discipline as opposed to indiscipline, submission as opposed to refusal, surrender as opposed to insolence, obedience as opposed to disobedience etc. All these things combined together to define Islam as away of life by which a person becomes a follower of peace and not a follower of chaos. And the followers of peace are the Muslims whose duty it is: "to establish peace and what is good, and to prevent chaos and what is evil, and they are the best people." (Al-Qur'an 3:110)



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