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

iftiqar
Poverty

(Iftiqar). Poverty or essential need. All of creation is in a state of poverty and essential need towards Allah, the Creator, for it is only through Allah that the existent things have existence. The one who is totally aware of his essential need and poverty, is the faqir, the Sufi. This poverty is reciprocal because Allah also needs His creation in order that the Hidden Treasure may become manifest.


See also: Bereft Correlations Divine things Needy Poor Servitude Slave Spiritual courtesy Spiritual Poverty
(Miskin). Poor and utterly and totally bereft. This miskin is the slave who is at the absolute extremity of need of Allah. He has been stripped of everything and exists purely to manifest the All-Comprehensive Name 'Allah'.
(Idafa). Correlations or relationships. The Divine Names demand relationships because the Divine Names are what make the cosmos manifest. The Powerful (Al Qadir) demands the object of power (Maqdur). The Merciful (Ar Rahman) demands an object of mercy (Marhum). The Lord (Rabb) demands a vassal (Marbub).
(Al Ilahiyyat). The root and origin of every existent thing is Allah. Each entity comes from within Allah's Knowledge. The cosmos itself is nothing but the manifestation of the Hidden Treasure. It is the manifestation of Allah's Names. Even though the existent things reflect the Names the Divine Face or Aspect is not clearly reflected in all the existents. Every existent thing is a face of the Absolute, but only the Pure and Perfect Men reflect the Divine Face. The one whose inner-eye has been opened, the knower, can easily discern the Face of the Divine from the Face of the Absolute.
(Miskin). Needy, poor and utterly and totally bereft. The 'miskin' is the slave who is at the absolute extremity of need of Allah. He has been stripped of everything and exists purely to manifest the All-Comprehensive Name 'Allah'.
(Al Fuqara). The indigents or the poor. This term refers to the spiritual poverty of travellers on the Sufi Path. These travelling murids who are in need of their Spiritual Guide or Murshid, display their poverty towards him, and in so doing, they make firm his poverty towards Allah.
('Ubada). Servitude and bondage. This is the fulfilment and consummation of slavehood ('ubudiyya) when the slave loses himself in the Will of his Lord. 'Ubada is 'the Nearness of obligatory works' which is one of the four stations of Perfection. To realize 'ubuda is to be gifted with a very high degree of Knowledge of Allah. To know that 'the slave is the slave and the Lord is the Lord' is the supreme form of spiritual courtesy towards Allah. The Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustapha (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace) is the Beloved of Allah and His Chosen One. No one is more perfect than him. No one can attain to his Knowledge. Yet Allah says in The Qur'an, "Glory be to Him Who carried His slave by night" (17:1). The slave is in bondage ('ubuda). Bondage is Perfection. Bondage is Knowledge.
('Abd). The slave (and worshipper) is the one who is in a state of total and utter submission to the Will of Allah. After having been annihilated in Allah where all duality vanished and distinctions were erased, he returns to creation with perfect courtesy and with the Truth of Certainty that 'the Lord is the Lord and the slave is the slave'. When 'abd is translated as 'servant' it carries the implication that the servant can leave the service of his Master, if he so desires. However, the 'slave' is in total bondage, being utterly dependent upon his Master. All buying and selling transactions have been terminated. The slave belongs to Allah, completely, perfectly and unconditionally.
(Adab) is spiritual courtesy and gracious behaviour of the Path and perfect refinement of words and deeds. Adab is giving each thing and each moment its proper due. The science of the higher teaching is based upon adab, which encompasses all of human life. It extends from right behaviour with regard to the Sacred Law (Shari'a), right behaviour with one's fellow travellers, proper conduct towards the teaching and one's teacher, and reaches to unceasing spiritual courtesy to Allah Himself. The proper courtesy towards the Law is to stay within its boundaries, the proper conduct with regards to good actions is to complete the action and disconnect from it. Adab with regard to the Real is knowing what belongs to oneself and what belongs to Allah. Each moment and each situation has it's own adab. It has been said that the higher teaching is all adab and the greater your understanding and implementation of proper conduct is, the higher you are in the teaching.
(Faqr). Indigence and spiritual poverty and destitution and neediness. True poverty is to own nothing, not even one's own self. Spiritual Poverty is to 'know' that Allah is the Independent One Who is in need of nothing. Spiritual Poverty is to belong totally and unconditionally to Allah Almighty. This is the station of Union with Allah. Need is an innate condition of human beings - they are always in need of something and as creations of Allah, they are always in need of Him as it says in the Holy Qur'an "O mankind! It is you that have need of Allah. but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise". (35:15). Shaykh Ibn al Husayn al Sulami says that 'true poverty is a secret between Allah and His slave and the truly poor must strive to conceal his condition: therefore, he should be tranquil when in adversity and always refrain from asking people for anything lest he make his state known'.

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