Sufi Terminology
Links to articles on this website explaining sufi-terminology and explanations of Muslim terminology. Most of the terminology is from the glossary to The Seals of Wisdom: The Essence of Islamic Mysticism, By Ibn Al-`Arabi.
http://www.concordgrovepress.org/
al'Abd
Servant; symbolically, a mystic devotee of the Divine
Adab (article by Robert Frager)
'Adam
Immutably unmanifest; the Void
Adh-dhat
The essence or quiddity; that to which all qualities of a thing are referred
Adh-dhawq
Men of spiritual inclination; the faculty of intuition
al-'Adl
The Just, a Divine Name
al-'Afuw
Approving; the Pardoner, a Divine Name
al-Ahad
The One, a Divine Name; in Sufi thought, al-ahadiyah is Supreme Unity and the state of uttermost absorption in the Divine
Ahl-al-haqaïq
The Divine Realities
al-Akhir
The Last, a Divine Name
'Alem al-khayal
Realm of the creative imagination
'Alem al-mithal
World of analogies, which corresponds to 'alem al-khayal
al-Ali
The Elevated, the Most High, a Divine Name
Allah
Literally, God; the primary of the Divine Names
Amr
Divine Order; the Divine Command, symbolized by the word of creation, kun, 'Be!'
al-Asma al-husna
Infinite in number; the Names of Beauty or the Divine Names
al-Awwal
The First, a Divine Name
al-A'yan
Eternal essences; the unchanging archetypes
al-'Ayn
Latent essence; the source
al-Azal
The One without Beginning; eternity
Baqa
Immortality in Deity
Barzakh
Bridge; symbolically, the link between two degrees of existence
Bashar
Mortal man
al-Batin
Inner, unmanifest, hidden, a Divine Name
Fana
The passing of the individual self into universal Being; renunciation of all desires
al-Fayd
Inexhaustible afflatus; the overflowing of Infinite Being
Fikr (Fikar) (article by Hazrat Inayat Khan)
al-Furqan
Discrimination; revelation in general as shari'a, law
Fusus
Seals; settings for gems; bezels
al-Ghaffar
The Forgiver, a Divine Name
al-Ghafur
All-Forgiving, a Divine Name
Hadarat al-ghayb al-mudafi
The Divine Presence in the Unmanifest
Hadarat al-ghayb al-mutlaq
The Divine Presence in the Absolute and Unknowable
al-Hadarat al-jam'iyah
Divine Presence in its impartite integrity; see hadarat
Hadarat al-khayal
The Divine Presence in the realm of imagination
Hadarat ash-shabadat al-mutlaqah
The Divine Presence in the manifest
Hadith
Traditional saying of Muhammad handed down outside the Qur'an through known intermediaries
al-Hakam
The Judge, a Divine Name
al-Hamid
The Adored, the Praiseworthy, a Divine Name
Haqiqat al-baqaïq
The Reality of Realities; the highest Logos; the intangible barzakh between Divinity and manifestation
al-Haqq
The One Reality; the Truth; the Real, a Divine Name
al-Haybah
Reverent awe; the contrary of al-uns
al-Hikam
Wisdom
al-Himmah
Conscious power of impressing ideas on the cosmos; spiritual will; the ardent turning of the soul towards the Divine
al-Huwiyah
The Supreme Self
al-Ihsan
Spiritual vision; spiritual virtue
Ijtihad
Individual judgement
Ilah
Divinity; hence Allah ( al-Ilah )
Imam
Leader, especially in prayer
Insan
Man
al-Insan al-kabir
The Great Man, the macrocosm;
al-lnsan al-kamil
The Universal Man; the archetypal human being and the perfected man who has realized all degrees of being
al-lradah
Wish
Islam
Surrender; submission
Isti'dad
Predisposition, receptivity
al-Jabbar
Establisher of Order; the Omnipotent, a Divine Name
al-Jam 'iyat al-ilahiyah
Divine synthesis
Jasad
Subtle form
al-Jawhar al-hayulani
Primordial substance
Jihad
Holy war ; Jihad (article by Robert Frager)
al-Kamal
The infinitude in which all realities are immersed; Divine plenitude
Kashf
Vision; instinctual intuition; the withdrawing of a veil
Kathif
Gross; corporeal; cf., latif
al-Kawmu khayal
'The world is Imagination'
Khalifah
The Representative of the Divine
Khalil Allah
Intimate Friend of Allah
al'Khaliq
The Creator, a Divine Name
Khatim al-awliya
Seal of the saints
Khatim ar-rasul
Seal of the messengers
al-Khayal
Creative imagination
al-Lahut
The Divine Nature inherent in humanity
Latif
Subtle; fine; cf,, kathif
Majmu
The Totality
al-Makan
Cosmic locus
Maqamat
Divine Stations or Names through which the Divine Essence is manifest
al-Mashi'ah
Will
al-Mishkat
Niche, tabernacle
Mubasbarah
Direct connection; that which makes one happy
Mumkinat
Possibilities, distinguished from necessities and contingencies
al-Muntaqim
Wrathful; the Avenger, a Divine Name
Nabi
Prophet
an-Nabi
The Prophet
an-Nafas ar-rahmani
Compassionate Breath; the manifesting principle of the Divine
an-Nafs
The individual soul; in contrast to ruh, spirit, it is the separative self
Nafs (article by Shaikh Sharfuddin Maneri)
an-Nafs al wahidah
Single spiritual essence, the source of individual souls
al-Nasut
The corporeal form in which Spirit inheres; human nature
an-Nur
The Light, a Divine Name
al-Qabid
The Restrictor, a Divine Name
Qabil
Pure receptacle; passive substance
Qada'
Decree
Qadar
Destiny
Qadasa
Holiness
al-Qahhar
The Victorious, a Divine Name
al-Qalb
The Heart; the faculty of pure intuition
Qiblah
Appropriate direction; ritual orientation
al-Qidam
The Ancient of Days; eternity
al-Qur'an
Literally, recitation; in Sufi symbolism, immediate illumination, revelation as knowledge; the Self as a united totality; the name of the sacred scripture of Islam
Quth al-arifin
The axis of true knowledge
Rabb
Lord; Deity in respect to man
Rahbur ul-'alam
Guide of the world
Rahmah
Compassion; pure mercy
al-Rahman
The Compassionate, the Beneficent, a Divine Name
Ramadan
Ninth month of the lunar year, requiring total abstinence from food and drink during the daylight and only light refreshment after dark
ar-Ruh al-amin
Trustworthy spirit; a name of the archangel Gabriel
al-Ruh al-ma'nawi
The Intellectual Spirit
Ru'ya
Vision
Shahada
The word of witness, the Muslim profession of faith; 'There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is his prophet'
Shari'a
Traditional law
Sijjin
Prison; in the Qur'an, sijjin refers to the inferior worlds
Sirr
Mystery, secret; in Sufi symbolism, the centre of consciousness
Suluk (article by Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir as-Sufi ad-Darqawi)
at-Tabi'ah
Universal Nature
at-Tajalli
Self-unveiling; Divine irradiation
Tanfis
To give relief
al-Tanzih
Transcendental understanding; withdrawal
Taqlih
Turning
Tasha'ub
Innumerable ramifications
al-Tashbih
Understanding mediated by analogy; affirmation
'Ubudiyah
Unwavering servitude; quality of the perfect servant
Uluhiyah
Divinity; the Divine Nature as a quality of Deity
al-Umar al-kulliyah
Universal ideas; archetypal realities
Umma
Community
al-Uns
Confiding intimacy; the contrary of al-haybah
Wahdat al-wujud
The Oneness of Being
al-Wahhab
The Bestower, the Giver, a Divine Name
al-Wahi
Divine inspiration
al-Wahid
The Unique, a Divine Name
al-Wahm
Illusion; conjecture; opinion
Wali
Saint
al-Wali
The Friend; the Ruler, a Divine Name
al-Wasi'
The All-Encompassing, the Vast, a Divine Name
al-Wujud
Beyond the aroma of manifest existence; the One
al-Zahir
The Manifest, the Apparent, a Divine Name; contrasted with al-batin, the Hidden