The Language of the Future

Sufi Terminology by Murshid F.A. Ali ElSenossi

huruf
Letters

(Huruf). The letters (of the alphabet). The term 'Ilm al Huruf (Science of the letters) is given to a complex science and symbolism which is based on the letters of the Arabic alphabet. 'The science of letters plays an important role in many of the litanies of the various Islamic Spiritual Paths. The repetition of certain combinations of the letters may be used as vehicles to take the murid to higher levels of awareness. Just as the vocalised letters of the alphabet issue from the breath of the human breather so the existent things within the cosmos issue from the Breath of the All Merciful (Nafas ar Rahman). Through the Breath of the All Merciful, Allah emerged from His Essence and the cosmos was made visible through the letters spoken upon this Divine Breath. The place of articulation of the letters within the human breather corresponds to the preparedness of the immutable or fixed entities.

See also: Breath Breath of the All Merciful Fixed Entities Pledge of Initiation Preparedness Speech

(Nafas). Breath or instant. Nafas is the indivisible moment in which every existent in the cosmos undergoes a new creation. The spiritual energy (barakah) of the Sufi Path is transmitted on the breath of the Murshid. It is only through receiving the bay'ah, the Pledge of Initiation, face-to-face from the Murshid that the full power of this Divine Breath can start working within the murid. The Murshid, who himself has received this transmission of the breath from his own Murshid, then passes the breath to his murids. Contemplation upon his own breath can bring the murid to knowledge of 'the renewal of creation in each instant'.
Breath

(Nafas ar-Rahman). The Breath of the All Merciful. This exceedingly beautiful term indicates the evanescent nature of existence in its state of constant change and renewal. It is the Supreme Isthmus and the very substance of the universe is the Breath of the All Merciful. In their state of non-existence the entities are contracted and distressed). This Divine Breath brings relief to them by giving them their existence. Allah breathes out, and through His All Merciful Breath He speaks. We, the creation, are His Words. We are the forms and He is the meaning.
Breath of the All Merciful

(Ayan al Thabita). The immutable entities or fixed prototypes or established essences or potentialities. These are the infinite and immutable Possibilities which are fixed in the Ipseity. The fixed entities are the images of the Divine Names and Qualities and 'things' of the Ipseity in the Presence of Knowledge, with specific individuation. The term signifies the essential character of every individual existing from eternity in the Divine Knowledge. They are established according to non-existence and they are not qualified by existence.
Fixed Entities

(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 the archetype itself.
Preparedness

(Kalam) is speech or words. The Source, Allah, is the Great Silence. In the process of descent, the Supreme Silence is firstly qualified with letters which then appear as words. The words become a sentence or sign which then appears as a form or book. The world is a book and the human is a book. In these two books we can read the signs of Allah, "on the horizons and within ourselves", which will enable us to ascend, and dwell once again, in the Great Silence.
Speech
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