Some Terminology - Part Two
capacity: The spiritual potential which Allah has
given to an individual and which marks the extent to which, and manner in which, the
individual is capable, if realized, of uniquely knowing, reflecting and drawing close to
Divine Reality.
dhat: [(z)thaat] - Divine Essence.
dhawk: [(z)thawk] - The experiential taste
which all states and stations have, spiritual as well as non-spiritual, each as a function
of the character of that state or station. Until one has this taste, one cannot even begin
to understand what is being alluded to when an individual talks about the states and/or
stations of different kinds of experience.
Although
many of us are familiar with the dhawk or taste of many everyday experiences, few of us
have any acquaintance with the dhawk of many spiritual experiences. The mystical path
entails the possibility of a wide variety of experiential tastes which are alien to most
of the people of the world.
One learns
to discriminate spiritual dhawk under the guidance of a Sufi master. Indeed, in part, it
is, by the Grace of God, the shaykh's ability to discriminate among spiritual tastes which
enables the teacher to help guide the individual along a path in which there is a great
potential for error unless one is given proper discrimination in matters of spiritual
taste.
dunya: [dou(h)n- e- a(h)] - The network of
desires and actions which are functions of the inclinations of our bodies and nafs,
together with the emotional, conceptual and intentional entanglements which these
inclinations engender within us.
fana: [fa(h)- na(h)] - The spiritual
condition in which the false self has been dissolved through the awareness of the presence
of Divine beauty and majesty. The person in this condition loses sight of, and
consciousness of, one's individual existence and is focused entirely on the presence of
Divinity which has been unveiled.
faqr: [fa(h)- q(h)r] - One who observes a life
of material poverty and humility of being as a result of recognizing, being aware of, and
submitting to, the incomparable beauty and majesty of the Beloved.
fiqh: [fi(h)qh) - The form of spiritual
jurisprudence which deals with applying the principles of the Qur'an and the Hadith to
situations which may not be directly addressed by either the Qur'an or Hadith
fo'ad: [fo(h)'- aa(h)d] - A dimension of
the heart which has the spiritual capacity to see, or have vision of, what the qalb knows
to be true.
hadith: [ha(h)- deeth] - The sayings of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). These have been assembled into various collections
in accordance with a methodology which applies a variety of rigorous tests before a given
saying which is attributed to the Prophet is accepted as authentic and sound.
One of the
tests to which a given, alleged saying of the Prophet is subjected, concerns the notion
of: isnad [i(h)s- na(h)d]. This refers to the
identity and strength of spiritual character of the series of people who have been
responsible for transmitting the alleged saying or tradition from the time of the Prophet
until the time of the one who is collecting the hadiths. There are a variety of questions
which must be answered satisfactorily in such an examination in order for an isnad to be
considered capable of verifying the authenticity of a given hadith.
hajj: [ha(h)jj] - The obligatory
Pilgrimage during the twelfth month of the lunar calendar at the appointed time within
that month. Hajj consists of, among other things:
(a) seven
circuits of the Ka'ba {this process of circumambulation is called tawaf [ta(h)- waaf]} upon arrival in
Mecca;
(b) the
observance of Sa`i [sa(h)- `ee] or the making of seven trips
between the two hillocks - Safa and Marwa, near the Ka'ba;
(c) to
seek Allah's forgiveness for one's sins on the plain of Arafat;
(d) to
stop at Muzdalifah, near Mina, and spend the night in remembrance of Allah;
(e) to
perform rami [ra(h)- mee] or the throwing of pebbles
at the pillars, or jamrahs, in the town of Mina, not too distant
from Mecca;
(f) the
offering of a blood sacrifice, and, in the case of men, shaving of the head;
(g) the
farewell tawaf of the Ka'ba;
and,
finally,
(h)
visiting the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina.
hal: [ha(h)l] - a spiritual state in which,
through Allah's Grace, the ruh or spirit overpowers (in accordance with the nature of such
a state) the nafs (the carnal soul), as well as the aspect
of the heart which is known as the qalb. Such states are usually considered to be temporary and do not
necessarily leave a permanent change in the character of either nafs or qalb.
When the
nafs and qalb become infused with a given state such that they are permanently dyed with
the colours of that state, the term maqam (spiritual station) is often used, and is considered to be relatively
permanent
Whereas a
hal may come without effort on the part of the individual, a person usually has to
struggle and make efforts in order for, if God wishes, a maqam to be realized.
halal: [ha(h)- la(h)l] - That which is
permissible for a Sufi to eat. This usually has to do with, for example, whether or not
the intention with which an animal has been slaughtered has been done for the sake of
Allah, as well as with whether or not the procedure by which an animal is slaughtered
meets certain conditions.
In
addition, the term halal also is used to refer to the acceptability of the means of
livelihood through which food is purchased. If one's means of earning a living is illegal
or immoral, then the food which is purchased with such money becomes impermissible, and,
therefore, not halal.
Whatever
has received the designation of "kosher" by a Rabbinical Council is also
considered to be halal. Indeed, many, if not most, of the dietary restrictions which are
observed by the faithful in the Jewish community are also observed within the Muslim
community.
In general
terms, a Sufi is not permitted to drink alcoholic beverages or eat any foods which
contain, or have been marinated in, alcohol. Moreover, no intoxicating drugs are
permitted.
A Sufi
should not consume anything which contains pig. This includes those products which are
made with ingredients, such as the enzymes pepsin and rennet, when these come from pigs.
The term
which is used to refer to such impermissible food and drink products is: haram [ha(h)- ra(h)m]. This term
encompasses both those kinds of consumables which, through either ingredients or the
nature of the production process, are impermissible, as well as those consumables which,
although otherwise halal, have been made impermissible through one's immoral or illegal
means of earning a living.
hidaya: [hi(h)- daa- ya(h)] - Guidance
from Allah. Although the Source of Guidance is always the same, the locus of manifestation
through which the Guidance comes into a person's life may assume an indeterminately large
number of forms and guises. Normally speaking, Guidance comes from a Book of Revelation or
one of the Prophets of God or from a spiritual teacher of some kin, and, indeed, these are
the best forms through which Guidance can come.
However,
Guidance also can arrive as `kernels' of meaning which are embedded in forms such as:
illness; "chance" remarks; television programs; movies; novels; classrooms;
relationships; dreams; `random' thoughts in the mind; articles in a newspaper; problems;
`accidents'; incidents at work, or encounters with nature. Whenever Allah brings us
together with the events of life and, then, uses those events as a medium through which to
communicate truth and understanding to us concerning our relationship to God, or
concerning our spiritual responsibilities and possibilities, then these constitute
instances of hidaya or Guidance.
This does
not mean, of course, that Guidance is a matter of whatever meanings we wish to impose
upon, or take out of, such forms or mediums. In order for us to understand what is being
communicated or demonstrated, we have to be receptive to that which Allah is trying to
tell us.
Guidance
occurs when we understand what God means by a given event, and not what we interpret that
event to mean on the basis of our own ignorance and veils. In fact, the reason we need
Guidance is because our ignorance and veils are in the way, and we need something -
namely, Guidance - to bring light into the darkness of our ignorance and help tear away
the veils of our biases, prejudices and presuppositions.
As is the
case with Guidance which comes to us through a Revealed Message or a Prophet, the
individual who is brought into contact with these other venues of Guidance may refuse to
listen or take heed. Nevertheless, on the Day of Judgement, there will be no one who will
be able to legitimately say that she or he did not receive Guidance from God.
Guidance,
like many other blessings of God, is descending on us all the time, like a heavy, constant
rainfall. We are the ones who have chosen to be oblivious to what God is bringing into our
lives and trying to draw our attention.
himma: [him- ma(h)] - Spiritual aspiration;
gives active expression to the condition of an individual's nisbath or degree of loving receptivity to the
guidance, teaching and assistance of the shaykh. In a sense, himma is nisbath in action.
God
responds to His servants in accordance with their opinion of Him. Consequently, himma and
nisbath are fundamental factors in shaping, colouring and orienting an individual's
opinions and intentions concerning Allah, thereby, playing a very important role on the
Sufi path. More specifically, as the purity and sincerity of an individual's himma and
nisbath become enhanced through spiritual struggle, then God responds to this by helping
the individual to perfect the character of her or his himma and nisbath through
association with the shaykh.
ilham: [i(h)l- ha(h)m] - Spiritual intuition
which often come in flashes of insight. The depth, intensity and character of such flashes
of insight are quite variable.
`ilm
-i- ladonni:
[`i(h)lm- e- la(h)- do(h)n nee] - Knowledge which is given directly by God.
al-insan
al-kamil: [a(h)l-
in- sa(h)n a(h)l ka(h)- mi(h)l] - The perfect human being. The one whose fitra or primordial, spiritual nature has, by
the Grace of God, been fully realized. This is one who reflects all the Names of Allah in
harmonious fashion according to the spiritual capacity of the individual.
`irfan: [`i(h)r- fa(h)n] - The condition of
gnosis in which the individual has direct, certain, experiential access to certain
dimensions of spiritual knowledge. This knowledge cannot be grasped by, or arrived at by
means of, the exercise of rational, discursive thought.
Islam: Allah gave this name to the completed
system of Deen which had been revealed to the Prophet
over a period of 23 years. The term: Deen, does not refer to religion; rather, this term
encompasses a process for learning about, and implementing, spiritual service to Allah, as
well as entailing a potential means for helping the individual to gradually come to a
realization of the character of the primordial, spiritual nature, or fitra, of
human beings.
Islam
consists of three streams of realization. A muslim is one who shows a willingness to submit, within certain limits, to the
general principles and practices of Deen. A mu'min is one into whose heart faith has arisen and whose commitment to the
principles and practices of Deen run deeper than those of a muslim. Finally, a mohsin [moh- sin] is one whose spiritual
condition is that of ihsan or the realization of spiritual excellence in which the
individual worships God as if one could see Him.
jazb: [ja(h)zb] - A condition or state of
attraction to Allah that is often accompanied by some degree of ecstasy due to the nature
of the experience which characterizes this state. This experience can vary in depth and
intensity, and involves an unveiling in relation to a Divine nearness which is being given
expression through such a state or condition.
Ka'ba: [ka(h)'- ba(h)] - The house of worship
in Mecca which is built on the site where Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) constructed the
first house of worship, and where Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) re-built another
house of worship on the foundations of the original house of worship constructed by
Prophet Adam (peace be upon him).
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