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

maftur
Innate

(Maftur). All created things, with the exception of mankind and jinn, know Allah with an inborn, innate knowledge. Mankind and jinn have an innate knowledge of their outward forms but they have to acquire knowledge of Allah and of their own spirits. The acquisition of such knowledge is encumbent upon all of mankind but is only fully realized by the people who turn to Allah through the Remembrance of His Most Holy Name 'Allah'.

See also: Divine knowledge Knowledge Knowers of Allah Remembrance

Divine knowledge ( ma'rifa )

(Ma'rifa) is a light which Allah casts into the heart of whomsoever He Wills. This is the true knowledge which comes through unveiling, witnessing and tasting. This knowledge is from Allah, it is not Allah Himself, because He Is Unknowable in His Essence. The triad on the Sufi Path of Return is comprised of Fear, Knowledge and Love. Fear leads to Knowledge which leads to Unconditional Love of Allah. It is said that spiritual struggle is child's play while ma'rifa is men's work.

Knowers of Allah ( 'arifin )

(Al 'Arifin/'Urufa). They see and recognize Allah wherever they look. The knowers are bewildered. But this is not the bewilderment of being lost, rather it is the bewilderment of having found Allah. They know that He cannot be known. The knowers are nothing because they are everything.

Remembrance ( dhikr )

(Dhikr). Remembrance, invocation or glorification of Allah, through the repetition of one of His Names or a phrase to His Glory. True dhikr is a spiritual state in which the one who remembers (dhakir) concentrates all of his physical and spiritual powers upon Allah so that his entire being may be united with the Absolute. It is the fundamental practice of the Sufi Path and may be undertaken in solitude or in gatherings. Specific breathing patterns are central to the effectiveness of the dhikr.

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