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

(Bu'd). Distance from Allah. There can be two aspects to bu'd. One is the distance which comes about through forgetfulness of, or even disbelief in, Allah. Such a distance is Hell in this life and in the Hereafter. The other distance is in fact a profoundly sweet distance. It occurs when the slave truly knows, through unveiling, that 'the slave remains the slave and the Lord remains the Lord'. Such a distance as this is one of the means by which the slave attains nearness to Allah. And nearness to Allah is Paradise here and now.

(Huda). It is Allah Who guides whoever He wants to Himself. The journey from the circumference to the Centre is under Divine Guidance and is specific to the people of yearning who travel the Spiritual Path. When He wants to join someone to Himself He guides them to His saints.

(Jahannam) is distance (bu'd) from, and forgetfulness of, Allah. Man finds himself in Hell when he imagines that there actually is a real chasm between Allah and himself.

(Nar). The nar is a reality in this life and a reality in the Hereafter. It is experienced in this life when one is in a state of forgetfulness of, and separation from, Allah.

(Uns) is a spiritual state in which the heart becomes permeated by Love and contemplates the Beauty of Allah and His Gentleness, Mercy and Forgiveness. The state of intimacy is ineffably sweet and indescribable. It may descend upon the listener at the 'spiritual concert' causing him to fall into an ecstasy in which he finds Allah. The People of hearing experience this intimacy because they hear only Allah, at all times and in all sounds. During the Journey the traveller may initially experience brief periods of such intimacy. But through the Grace of Allah, after much journeying and purification and after many unveilings and tastings, the lover will always feel close to Allah, even when Allah keeps him at a distance!

(Idlal). Man has been given the choice as to which path he takes on the return journey to his Origin. In this life he can make the Journey of Return to his Sacred Centre under Divine Guidance which is manifested in the Prophets of Allah and His friends. But, he can be prevented from making the journey in this life due to Misguidance (Idlal) which is manifested in Satan and his friends.

(Qurb). Proximity or nearness to Allah. Qurb is the reality of the Station of Perfection, 'Two Bows' Length'. It is the limit of the slave's ascent before annihilation in Allah. One of the bewilderments of the Journey is that through having knowledge of his distance from Allah the slave is actually brought near. Slavehood indicates this distance which brings nearness. The slave must cling to perfect courtesy by honouring and respecting the Truth that, 'the slave remains the slave and the Lord remains the Lord'.

(Al Jannah) is nearness to Allah. There are times in this life when Paradise may be experienced to a very high degree such as when the hearer is overwhelmed by ecstasy during the Spiritual Concert or when the intensity of the spiritual affinity existing between two lovers of Allah actually transports them to the celestial realm. The dhakir who is engaged in the perpetual Remembrance of Allah actually sits in Paradise (Al Jannah) because 'I am sitting with the one who remembers Me'. Paradise is the Divine Presence Itself.

(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.

(Iblis). This is the personal name of Satan (shaytan). Symbolically Iblis is the fancy of 'otherness' from Allah.

(Mizan). The scale or the balance. The Sacred Law is the scale in which must be weighed everything pertaining to Allah, to knowledge, to spiritual realization, to love and to the human state. The traveller on the Path of Return is required to purify himself, through spiritual endeavour, in order to achieve this balance which Allah has established.

(Suluk) is travelling or Wayfaring. Suluk is journeying along the Spiritual Path of Return to the Source. It is the methodical travelling, through the states and stations, under the direction of a Spiritual Master (Shaykh, Murshid). The one who travels is the salik. The advance of the slave towards Allah is really the advance of Allah towards His slave. "Verily, I desire them more than they desire Me" says the beautiful Hadith Qudsi.

('Alam). World or universe.