(Maskan). Whereas a waystation (manzil) indicates a place in which the traveller alights for a short time, a dwelling (maskan) indicates a place in which the traveller feels comfortable and therefore settles, not having the desire to move any furthe...
(Mithaq or 'Ahd). The Covenant refers to that 'event' or 'day' in pre-existence when all of the children of Adam bore witness to Allah's Lordship over them; Allah asked his non-existent creation, "Am I not your Lord?". They answered, "Yes, we bear w...
(Muhdath). Knowledges come to man through Allah's Speech. Man did not have such knowledges before he entered the sphere of Space and Time, therefore these knowledges are said to be temporally originated. He did not know and then he knew. His knowing...
(Munafiq). The hypocrite manifests the form of a man of faith in his outward practice, but his inner dimension is devoid of belief and faith. Hypocrisy is making the form manifest without the meaning. It is the work of the lower self. The Murshid di...
(Murshid/Shaykh/Pir). The Murshid is a True Inheritor of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace). After having been taken to the Divine Presence during his ascension the slave has been returned, by Allah, to the...
(Musamarat). The address of the Real to the knowers from the realm of secrets and the unknowable. This address is delivered to your heart by way of the Archangel Gabriel. This is when the most secret thoughts are concealed and the tongue becomes dum...
(Musharik). Partnership or sharing. Although man must strive to assume the character traits of Allah he can never leave his own attributes because 'The slave is the slave and the Lord is the Lord'. However, during his ecstasy the ecstatic will experi...
(Mushrik). The one who believes that the 'other' (ghayr) exists. This condition may occur in the earlier stages of the Journey when the lover is kept at a distance from Allah. At such a time, when his yearning is not satisfied and his desire remains ...
(Mutawassitun). Those travellers who are in the middle of the Path. They are the ones who experience exile, though it is not yet the exile of the advanced ones. al mutawassitun are struggling and striving, sometimes seeing only Allah, sometimes seein...
(Nafs). The ego or the self or the soul. The nafs is that dimension of man which stands between the spirit which is light, and the physical body which is darkness. The spiritual struggle or combat is waged against the downward-pulling tendencies of t...
(Naskh). Abrogation or repeal. Certain Qur'anic verses were abrogated during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace). The People of the higher teaching regard these as postponed rather than abrog...
(Nawm). The hadith says, "Man is asleep and when he dies he wakes". The Sufi is the one who has died to self and is awake in the Supreme Self. Once man has awoken there is no more sleep. Within mystical poetry and Sufi songs the lover often complains...
(Qadar). Destiny or Fate or the measure allotted to each entity. Qadar is the particularized deployment of the universal decree through the bestowal of existence upon the entities in accordance with the times and situations required by their individu...
(Qiyamah) indicates the time when the realities will dawn on each entity. This is the time when every entity will meet with the deeds which he sent before him.
(Qurban). The Day of the Great Festival, the Festival of the Sacrifice (Eid al adha), is that timeless moment when the slave stands in the Presence of Oneness having naughted, annihilated, slaughtered and sacrificed his own self. If only an atom of ...
