Steve Watson

Tasawwuf

‘Sufism.’ Said to be derived from suf = wool, which the mystics wore, or from safa’ = purity.

Shaykh, Pir (P)

‘Old man.’ Each Sufi is bound to a mentor who is required to guide him on a path. Real Sufis have a connection through a chain of such shaykhs to Mohammed.

See Murshid

Murshid

‘Guide.’ Eq. Shaykh (q.v.)

Murid

‘Desirous (One.)’ A Sufi novice, subordinate to a shaykh.

Silsilah

‘Chain.’ The series of shaykh-novice links that connects a Sufi to Mohammed

(c.f. the isnad of a hadith.)

Bay’at ar-ridwan

‘Oath-taking of God’s good pleasure’

Binds a novice Sufi to his shaykh. Constitutes a chain in the silsilah. Transmits barakah from the shaykh to the novice.

Baraka

‘Spiritual Force.’

Malak

‘Angelic Force.’

Salik

‘Traveller.’ The Sufi on his progress.

Talib

‘Seeker.’ Disciple, student, novice.

Faqir, Darwish(P)

‘Poor Man.’ A term for the Sufi to indicate rejection of the veil of the world.

See faqr, station 4 in al-Sarraj’s scheme.

For darwish see also sama’.

Khirqah

‘Cloak.’ The patched garment of a Sufi

Tariqat

‘Path.’ The road that the Sufi travels to achieve his goal.

Also the term for a Sufi ‘Order.’ Each Order is devoted to a certain path. Any Sufi or shaykh may be a member of several orders.

Ribat, Zawiyah, Khanaqah (P), Tekke (T)

Lodge or hospice. A place of retreat and training.

Hubb, Ishq

‘Love.’

Al-Haqq

‘The Real.’ Common designation of God.

Wahdat al-Wujud

‘The Unity of Being.’ Term particularly used by Jami’ and ibn Arabi.

Fana’ ul-haqq

‘Absorption in the Real.’ To become one with the One: the Sufi goal.

See fana’

Uns

Intimacy.

Fana’ al-fana’

‘The passing away of the passing away.’ When even awareness of having achieved unification is left behind.

See fana’

Wajd, Bast

‘Ecstasy.’

Dhawq

‘Taste.’ Personal mystical experience.

Shatahat

Ecstatic utterances.

Alast

‘Am I not?’ Ref. Koran (7:172) “Am I not your Lord?” The agreement of Adam and his children is the Covenant of Alast.

These words are the original music the souls heard and inspired ecstatic dance.

Maqamat

‘Stations’ (s. maqam.) Points reached in the progress of the Sufi along the tariqat.

Distinguished from ahwal by their persistence as qualities of the Sufi traveller.

Various systems of stations are found. The following common scheme is from Abu Nasr al-Sarraj, Kitab al luma’ (ed. R.A. Nicholson, Leyden, 1914, p. 42:)

  1. Tawbah – ‘Repentance’

  2. Wara’ – ‘Abstention’

  3. Zuhd – ‘Ascetism’

  4. Faqr – ‘Poverty’ (hence Faqir – ‘Poor man/Fakir.’)

  5. Sabr – ‘Patience’

  6. Tawakkul – ‘Confidence’ (Trust in God)

  7. Rida’ – ‘Contentment’

Ahwal

‘States’ (s. hal.) Conditions associated with the stages of the Sufi’s progress.

Distinguished from maqamat by their transitoriness.

See e.g. sukr–sahw.

No set number or content became normative in the tradition. Sarraj (See entry for maqamat, ibid.) gives this list:

  1. Muraqabah – ‘Constant attention’

  2. Qurb – ‘Nearness’

  3. Mahabbah – ‘Love’

  4. Khawf – ‘Fear’

  5. Raja’ – ‘Hope’

  6. Shawq – ‘Spiritual Yearning’

  7. Uns – ‘Familiarity’

  8. Itmi’nan – ‘Tranquillity’

  9. Mushahadah – ‘Contemplation’

  10. Yaqin – ‘Certainty’

Khuluq

‘Character.’ That the Sufi is concerned to improve.

Adab

‘Courtesy.’

Ikhlas

‘Sincerity.’

Nafs

‘Self’/’Soul.’ Term operates as a reflexive particle in Arabic. Only attributable as a substantive to humans. Related to nafas = breath, so c.f ‘spirit.’

Tazkiyat an-nafs

‘Purification/augmentation of the Soul.’ A name for the Sufi path.

Nafs ammara

‘Self that commands (to evil.)’ 1^st of 3 stages on the path to enlightenment

Nafs lawwama

‘Self that blames (itself.)’ 2^nd of 3 stages on the path to enlightenment

Nafs mutma’inna

‘Self at peace (with God.)’ 3^rd of 3 stages on the path to enlightenment

Ghafla

‘Heedlessness.’ The normal failure to attend to the care of the soul/self (nafs.)

Dhikr

‘Remembrance.’ The Sufi techniques to keep God in mind – e.g. constant repetition of the Divine Names.

Du’a’

‘Supplication.’ Prayer. Over and above the salat required 5 times a day.

A companion to dhikr (q.v.)

Awrad, Ahzab

‘Litanies.’ Divine names, formulae, Koranic verses. Used as tools of dhikr (q.v.)

Different names etc. have different effects on the remembrancer.

Taqlid

‘Inculcation.’ A formula needs to be approved and introduced to a novice by the shaykh before use in dhikr.

Al-ism al-jami’

‘The Comprehensive Name.’ i.e. ‘Allah.’ Repetition has all desirable effects on the remembrancer.

Al-dhikr al-mufrad

‘The Single Remembrance.’ Use of the name ‘Allah’.

See al-ism al-jami’.

Sama’

‘Hearing.’ A method of inducing ecstasy by music, singing, and dancing. (‘Whirling Dervishes’ use this. They are members of the Mawlawiyya Order founded by Rumi.)

Very controversial.

Fitra

‘Disposition.’ The innate character of Man that makes it possible to see God’s unity.

Amana

‘Trust.’ Free choice of man for God.

Tawakkul

Trust in God.

Sukr

‘Intoxication.’ The ecstatic state reached in knowing God. A state where proper discretion is not observed and distinctions (such as not God-God) are not made.

A successor state to sahw; and also a precursor state.

See fana’.

Sahw

‘Sobriety.’ The rational state in which proper distinctions can be made. One begins in sahw, but it is a false state. One returns to sahw after one recovers balance from sukr.

See baqa’.

Tanzih

‘Incomparable.’ The view of God dominating the fuquha’ and mutakallimum, emphasizing His distance from us.

Contrast tashbih.

Tashbih

‘Similar.’ The view of God dominating the Sufi, emphasizing His closeness to us.

Contrast tanzih.

Fana’

‘Annihilation.’ Associated with 2^nd stage intoxication (sukr.) Refers to the annihilation of the self in the Sufi.

Ref. to Koran 55:26-7 “Everything upon the Earth is undergoing annihilation, but there persists the face of your Lord.”

Contrast baqa’.

Baqa’

‘Subsistence.’ Associated with 3rd stage return to sobriety (sahw.) Refers to the union with the Divine.

Contrast fana’.

Hulul

‘Incarnation.’ The idea that the Sufi’s achievement in purifying his self (tazkiyat an-nafs) gives him the properties of God. Strongly deprecated.

Ittihad

‘Identification.’ The idea that the Sufi’s achievement in purifying his self (tazkiyat an-nafs) makes identical the divine and human properties. Strongly deprecated.

Ma’rifa/Irfan

‘Knowledge.’ Gnosis. A Sufi goal.

Ilm

‘Knowledge.’ Episteme. The goal of the fuquha’ and mutakallimun.

Khayal

‘Imagination.’ The source of knowledge (irfan.)

Aql

‘Reason.’ The source of knowledge (ilm.)

Ayat

‘Signs.’ Indicators of God. The World is such, so is the Koran.

Hijab

‘Veil.’ What blocks our vision of God. The world is such a thing.

Kashf

‘Unveiling.’ Revelation of the Real.

Tajalli

‘(Self-)disclosure.’ God makes Himself known.

Ref. to Koran 7:143) “And when his Lord disclosed Himself to the mountains, He made it crumble to dust, and Moses fell down thunderstruck.”

Qalb

‘Heart.’ The organ by which we know God.

Ruh

‘Spirit.’ The organ by which we love God.

Sirr

‘Secret heart.’ The ground of the soul. The organ by which we contemplate God.

Awliya

‘Saints.’ (s.m. wali, s.f. waliyyat.) those who have achieved the rapture (majdhub) that is the evidence of Sufi success.

There is a hierarchy of saints. Hujwiri (in his Kashf al-Mahjub) gives it as:

  1. Qutb – ‘Axis,’ the supreme leader of the saints

  2. Nuqaba – (3) ‘Overseers’

  3. Awtad – (4) ‘Supports’

  4. Abrar – (7) ‘Pious’

  5. Abdal – (40) ‘Substitutes’

  6. Akhyar – (300) ‘Good’

Al-insánu ’l-kámil

‘The Perfect Man.’ One “who has fully realised his essential oneness with the Divine Being[.]” The term is due to ibn Arabi. Famously analysed by Nicholson (1921) ‘Studies in Islamic Mysticism’ ch. 2.

Karamat

‘Grace.’ That, and miracles of saints.

Mahfuz

‘Protection of saints from serious sin.

Firasat

‘Discernment.’ Illuminated Sufis have supernatural powers here.

Istinbat

‘Intuition.’ The Sufi has divinely revealed knowledge not to be gained otherwise.