The Language of the Future

Sufi Terminology by Murshid F.A. Ali ElSenossi

Haram
Holy and Sacred

(Haram). This word is specific to the two sanctuaries in Mecca or Medina. Mecca is the place of the House of Allah, where the slave stands alone before his Lord. Mecca is total inwardness and bewilderment. Mecca is Reality. Medina is the home of the Messenger of Allah, a place overflowing with human love and compassion. Medina is the Outward Manifestation of the Inner Reality. The slave cannot reside permanently in Mecca because he would be burned-up in the all-consuming Fire of the Reality of the Truth. He must live in the world, in Medina, amongst men, sharing and loving and following the Sacred Law. The slave makes the Journey to Mecca, but he returns to Medina. All is balanced. The Inward and the Outward. Mecca and Medina. Haram also refers to the Sacred Centre of man, his heart, which contains Allah.

See also: 'At your service' House of Allah Ka'aba Perfect Man Pilgrimage Throne Visiting place

(Al Bayt Allah). The House of Allah. The heart of man has the potential of becoming the most noble house of Allah. It can contain Allah, but only when it is prepared for His arrival. This preparation is the heart's purification and transformation through the Remembrance of His Most Holy Name 'Allah'. And this is the alchemical work of the Spiritual Path.
House of Allah

The Sacred Centre in Mecca towards which Muslims face for the ritual prayer, bowing and prostrating before Allah. The Ka'aba is the earthly symbol of the Divine Throne (Al 'Arsh), around which the angels circle and it is a symbol of the sanctified heart of the Perfect Man. The Essence itself.
Ka'aba

(Al Insan al Kamil). He is the viceregent of Allah, through whom Allah contemplates His Own Name-derived Perfection. The Perfect Man has actualized the divine form and in carrying the Trust has fulfilled his reason for being. It is through the Perfect Man that Allah enters the world. Al Insan al Kamil is also one of the names given to the Supreme Isthmus. Man consists of a body and a spirit which governs it. The cosmos also consists of a body and a spirit which governs it. Its spirit is the Perfect Man. Without him the cosmos is likened to a discarded body.
Perfect Man

(Hajj). Pilgrimage to the Sacred Mosque, the House of Allah, at the Centre of Mecca. Hajj is the Ultimate Journey to Knowledge of Allah Who dwells in the secret centre of the human heart. Here the treasury of spiritual realities is to be discovered. The pilgrim travels to the Sacred Centre mounted on his spiritual resolve, his overwhelming love and his yearning for the Beloved. Mecca is the place of the House of Allah, where the slave stands alone before his Lord. Mecca is total inwardness and bewilderment. Mecca is Reality. After performing the hajj go to the grave of the Chosen One (Mustapha). After realising The Unity of Allah, after being annihilated in Oneness, return to the Muhammadan Presence, because, once you know Allah, then you will know who Rasulullah is! Visit Holy Mecca and then visit Holy Medina. The Islamic pilgrimage is one of the ethics of the Sufis. It is the goal that they try to achieve. The pilgrimage of the Sufi is in a whole other category from that of the ordinary Muslim. As far as the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, most perform it once in a lifetime, following the method of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Of those who perform the pilgrimage numerous times, many choose to live in the neighbourhood of Mecca and maintain the highest adab and spiritual practices in order to remain there. The real pilgrimage in Sufi terminology is the continuation of seeking nearness to Allah.
Pilgrimage

(Ziyarat). Because the sacred tombs of the Sufi saints are sites abounding in barakah, they become visiting places for both devotees and the pious believers who seek to benefit from the spiritual power and grace of these exalted lovers of Allah. After completing his pilgrimage to the House of Allah, the Sacred Sanctuary, the slave visits Medina, the City of Light, the resting-place of Holy Prophet Muhammad (May the Salutations of Allah be upon him and Peace). The slave has prostrated before the Haram as Sharif, has been annihilated at this 'place'. His body rises from this prostration yet his heart never rises again. Then he visits Medina. The Noble, Sacred Sanctuary is the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustapha. Medina is the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustapha. He prostrates before the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa and then he turns away and visits the Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa. The Holy Prophet said, "I am Ahmad without the 'M'". Having seen the Pure Radiance of the Reality of Muhammad the slave-lover-knower visits the Beloved of Allah. Mecca-Medina. Allah-Muhammad. Lord-slave.
Visiting place
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