Topics
Adab: Protocol. Etiquette,
Respect.
Ahlul
Bayt: The Quranic (Koranic) term
for the immediate family of
Prophet
Muhammad. Usually meant for Prophet Muhammad, His
daughter Fatima Zehra, her husband Imam
Ali and their two sons
Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba and Imam Husayn
Shaheed Kerbala.
AI-Lah:
Arabic term for God.
Alam
akbar: Macrocasm. Cosmos.
Universe.
Alam
asghar: Microcasm. Man.
Alam
al-ghayb: the Unseen realm.
Arsh: Divine Throne.
Baqa: Survival. This stage come after fana, when the
Gnostic return to his or her improved
Self after being absorbed in God.
Batin:
Esoteric or mystical meaning of
the Qur'an. Inward religion or tradition.
Dargah:
Sufi Shrine.
Dervish: Sufi, Sufi student, Sufi-like, monk. The term
generally used in Turkish influenced
areas like Balkans, Turkey, Central Asia and Iran. For example the whirling dervish of the Mawlawiyyah Sufi Order.
Dhikr: Remembrance of God prescribed in the Qur'an. In
Sufism, dhikr is done by reciting a
selected Divine Name by tongue or by heart as a mantra. For example in the Sufi
Order of Azeemia, Ya-Hayiu Ya-Qayumu
is given for dhikr.
Fana:
Annihilation. Complete surrender
of the Self to the Divine. Self-negation.
Faqir:
also fakir. lit., Destitute, poor.
A wandering Sufi monk.
Farsi:
Persian.
Fatah:
Revelation. In Sufism, a state in
which the student is able to see the unseen.
Fiqh:
Islamic jurisprudence.
Ghauth-Pak:
Title of Shaykh Abdul Qadir
Jilani, founder of Quadiriya Order.
Hadith:
sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Iblis: Satan. According to Qur'an, when God ordered
angels to prostrate before Adam, all did except Iblis, who insisted on his
superiority over Adam. Thus, he was condemned and thrown out of the Divine
Court. When confronted by God, Iblis refused to take any responsibility and
accused God of straying him. Also, persuaded Eve to taste the forbidden tree.
Ihsan: A state of awareness in which a person feels as if
they are watching God or God is watching them constantly. Also known as
martaba-e-ihsan.
Ilm, ilm ladani: According to Sufism, Primordial
Knowledge given to Adam and after him given to all the prophets and apostles of
God. After the closure of prophethood, the
knowledge was transferred through Imam
Ali and his descendents to other Sufi Saints. The ultimate reward for any Sufi.
Imam: lit. leader. In Sunni Islam term applies to anyone
who leads prayers. However, in Shi'i
Islam and in Sufism, the term used for the descendents of Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Imam Ali.
Injeel:
Gospel. The first four books of
the New Testament.
Ishq: Spiritual,
selfless love (verses hu'b= love that longs for physical contact, ageedat=devotional love that relies on
imitation).
Jalal:
Divine Majesty.
Jamal: Beauty.
Jinn:
According to Qur'an, an unseen
creature other than angels or humans.
Jadhab:
Absorbtion. Permanet surrender of
the conscious to the Divine.
Jazb:
see jadhab.
Jesus:
Prophet Isa ibn Maryam.
John
the Baptist: Prophet Yahya.
Joseph: Prophet Yusuf.
Kaaba: the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Said to have been first
built by Abraham with Ishmael at his
side.
Karamat:
Miracles performed by Sufi saints.
Kashaf: Spiritual vision.
Kashaf
ul Qaboor: Revelation of the life
after death.
Khalifa: In Sufism. A person who has received the
ilm from his Shavkh. Also used to denote
successor of a Shavkh.
Khanqah: Sufi convent.
Khilafat: In Sunni and Shi'i Islam simply a secular or
theocratic leadership. However, in
Sufism the term is used for that ilm or knowledge that once God bestowed it to
Adam, He ordered all angels to prostrate
before Adam. Also known as ilm ladani, ilm al-alma.
Lungar: Free meal offered at Sufi
shrines.
Majdhoub: one who has surrendered his copscious to the,
Divine, permanently. Holy mad-man.
Majzoob:
see majdhoub.
Moses:
Prophet Musa.
Murad:
Shaykh, Sufi Master.
Muraqaba:
Meditation. Contemplation.
Muraqib:
One who is in the state of
Muraqaba.
Murid: Disciple, student. One who is initiated into a
Sufi Order.
Murshid:
Sufi Master.
Nafs: Soul.
Nafs
al-ammarah: see ruh-e-hevani.
Nafs
al-lawwama: see ruh-e-insani.
Nafs
al-mutmain'na: see ruh-e-azam.
Nur: Invisible pure light.
Pak-Punjtain: lit.,The
Holy Five. See Ahlul Bayt.
Pir:
Sufi Master.
Qalandar:
A high-ranking Sufi, who has
overcome the restriction of Time and
Space.
Qawwali:
Spiritual music performed
primarily in Sufi shrines. Also known
as sa'ma.
Qutb: A high-ranking Sufi.
Ruh:
Spirit. Soul.
Ruh-a-azam: Higher Self, Contented Soul.
According to Sufism, this soul carries
the primordial knowledge.
Ruh-e-insani: Ego. Intellect.
Ruh-e-hevani:
Lower Self.
Sa'ma:
Spiritual music.
Shahood: a level of Sufi learning, where the student is
able to observe beyond the limits of
Time and Space.
Shaykh: Sufi Master.
Shia:
One of the two major outward
legalistic traditions of Islam. See Sunni.
Silsila:
lit., chain. Sufi Order. Tariqa.
Sufi,
Sufism: the esoteric and mystical
version of Islam. Islamic Gnosis.
Sunni:
One of the two major outward
legalistic tradition of Islam. See Shia.
Tariqa:
Sufi Order.
Tassawuf:
original term for Sufism.
Tekke:
Sufi convent primarily in Turkish
areas.
Torah: the first five books of the Old Testament given
to Moses.
Urdu: Indo-European language of
Turkish origin. Lingua franca of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Dubai. Widely used in
Mauritius and Suriname. Written in Arabic script.
Urs: lit. Wedding. Passing away of the Sufi Saint,
thus a union with God, the Beloved. Also used for the death anniversary of the
saint, which is usually a time of celebration for the devotees.
Va'da-e-Alust: When God created souls out of
non-existence, they were initially in a state of bewilderment. Then God
addressed them, Am I not (alust) your Lord, the beings collectively replied
bala (Yea) we testify. This event is mentioned in Qur'an and is known in the
Sufi literature as the Vada-e-Alust (Covenant of Alust). By testifying
together, creatures gained collective conscious.
Wahabi: a militant, intolerant, extremist sect of
Saudi origin. Denies existence of Spirituality in Islam. Also known as Salafi
(North Africa), Ahl-e-Hadith (Pakistan).
Zaboor:
Psalms. Book of David.
Zikr: see dhikr.
KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DEEN AZEEMI
In the current information age, the very question of what Man
is, and to what extent his abilities
go, has gained prominence. Metaphysical knowledge tells us
that Man is not just a mass of muscles and bones but in fact is a living
universe or microcosm (a'lam asghar) itself. His life is primarily relying on
information. As a matter of fact his life is nothing but a collection of
thoughts and imagination. His every movement is influenced by information and
thoughts. Every human achievement is circled around the unseen world of
cognition, imagination and creative thoughts. By giving new meaning to this
idea, Man creates and invents new things out of nothing.