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

kashf basari
Unveiling, visual

(Kashf basari). A visual unveiling which takes place through Allah's creation. An incident, a place, a human action or word, a sanctified person may be the place for this visual unveiling. Allah is the Absolute. He is Beauty and He is Majesty. By means of His creation Allah may unveil Himself to His slave through one of His Names of Beauty, which will produce sweetness and pleasure, or through one of His Names of Majesty, which will produce awe and fear.

See also: Awe Names of Beauty Names of Majesty Spiritual Concert Sweetness

Awe ( haybah )

(Haybah). The awe or reverential fear experienced by the slave when faced by the Incomparability of Allah, His Majesty and Transcendence, His Inaccessibility, Magnificence and Power. Such a state of godfearingness ensures that the slave will keep himself within the bounds of perfect spiritual courtesy towards his Lord, clinging to his own slavehood/servitude. With regards to haybah and uns (intimacy), Hujwiri says in his Kashful Mahjub, "Allah annihilates the selves of those who love Him by revealing His Majesty and endows their hearts with everlasting life by revealing His Beauty".

Names of Beauty ( asma' jamaliyyah )

(Asma Jamaliyyah). The Names of Beauty. These Names relate to Allah's similarity) and are demanded by the fact that Mercy precedes Wrath and Light erases darkness. The Names of Beauty include such Names as The Friend (al Wali), The Subtle (al Latif), The All Merciful (ar-Rahman). When a traveller is under the influence of a spiritual state in which a Name of Beauty dominates he is filled with ineffable sweetness and joy.

Names of Majesty ( asma' jalaliyyah )

(Asma Jalaliyyah). These Names relate to Allah's Incomparability and are demanded by the very fact of Allah's Being and our nonexistence. The Names of Majesty include such Names as The Tremendous (al 'Azim), The Overpowering (al Qahhar). When the traveller is under the influence of a spiritual state in which a Name of Majesty dominates he is utterly overwhelmed.

Spiritual Concert ( sama' )

(Sama'). The spiritual concert or 'audition' or 'listening'. This term refers specifically to the Sufi gatherings where music and song are employed as a means of opening the heart to inrushes of knowledge and awareness. During the spritual concert, the listener may experience ecstasy and find Allah, The Real within that ecstasy. However, before true ecstasy can be experienced the listener must be spiritually mature, having been prepared through discipline and perpetual Remembrance of Allah. Without this initial contraction of spiritual endeavour the expansion of ecstasy will not be real. The Spiritual Concert is not suitable for the novice. True Sama' is a bird which flies from Allah to Allah. Allah is the singer and Allah is the hearer. At this Divine Feast the singer and the hearer become One.

Sweetness ( halawa )

(Halawa). When Allah opens the doors of His Loving-Kindness to the heart of His lover that heart becomes infused with joy and is overwhelmed by inexpressible sweetness. This is the opening of sweetness (Futuh al Halawa).

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