(Imam). The imam is 'the one who is followed'. When the heart has been purified through spiritual endeavour and love of Allah it becomes worthy of being the place which will contain Allah. Such a heart is the real imam, the truthful leader, who is t...
(Imkan). Allah is All-Possibilty and Allah is Infinite and Eternal and Absolute. Possibility (imkan) is contained within Allah, the Necessary Being, Who recreates the cosmos in a new form in every instant. Unlimited possibilities come into being wit...
(Infi'al). Receptivity or passivity or readiness to be acted upon. The receptivity of the existent entity is closely related to its preparedness. Such a receptivity or passivity is necessary if the murid is to 'travel' along the Spiritual Path, unde...
(Inshirah). This expansion is due to the Light contained within the breast. The Light is from Allah and it is Knowledge of Allah. Without this Light the breast remains in darkness and ignorance. This expansion is continuous, from the initial expansio...
(Iqamat as-Salat). Standing for the obligatory prayer. At such a time all Supererogatory acts of worship are forbidden.
(Isti'dad) is closely connected to receptivity (infi'al). It is the readiness to receive what Allah Wills to send. This 'preparedness' was established in Pre-eternity through the Most Holy Emanation (Al Fayd al Aqdas) which gave the preparedness to ...
(Istidlal) is the lower of the two ways leading to knowledge of Allah. The higher way is that of the friends of Allah; i.e. unveiling, tasting, opening, insight and witnessing.
(Istilah). Each science has its own unique terminology through which the people of that science communicate with each other. The newcomer to that science must be taught the terminology which is relevant to his field of study. Tasawwuf, the Science o...
(Jifr). Divination, code or cipher. This science deals with speculation about events, past and future, according to combinations of words and letters.
(Jar). This term comes from the Sufi expression 'the Neighbour first, then His House' (Al jar, thumma 'd-dar), which implies that all spiritual aspirations must be exclusively concentrated upon Allah Himself. He is the Goal. The bewilderment of the ...
(Kalam-i-tafsili). To attain to the Great Silence one must travel the Path laid down by the Prophets of Allah. In the early stages of the Spiritual Journey the traveller's tongue is in lively motion, full of words and questions and opinions. As he tr...
(Karamat). Charismatic gifts or super-natural actions or miracles which Allah, the Generous (al Karim) bestows upon His friends. 'Whoever belongs totally to al Karim, all his acts are karamat'. These are distinguished from the miracles (mu'jizat) of ...
(Kashf). Unveiling or revelation is one of the types of direct experience through which Knowledge of Reality is unveiled to the heart of the slave and lover. In His Infinite Grace Allah gives His slave and lover a Divine Self-disclosure which not onl...
(Kashf 'aqli). This is the lowest grade of intuitive knowledge. Allah cannot be known and loved through reason (al 'Aql) because it acts as a fetter, holding man back from the final stages of his ascent. Allah is embraced in the heart, not in the mi...
(Kathif). In the pairings which relate to the existent things in the cosmos, kathif stands opposite latif (subtle). During the process of descent things increase in density. The further away they are from the Source Itself, the greater their density...
