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• ‘abd, abid devotee; dependent; servant; one who is conscious of his/her dependence on Allah
• abdal substitute; one who has traded his own self for Allah
• abraar best of believers; goodness; righteous; virtuous
• Abu Bakr As-Siddiq first Khalifa after the Prophet (peace be upon him)
• Abul Alemeyin Father of Two Banners, a title of Hz. Ahmed er Rifai
• Abul Arca (or Beynennas) Father of the Lame, a title of Hz. Ahmed er Rifai
• adab etiquette; manners
• adhan (azan) call to prayer
• afidah plural of fuad
• Ahl al Kitab, Ahle Kitab People of the Book or Scripture
• Ahl al Tariqa, Ahle Tariqa People of the path; Sufis
• Ahlullah People of Allah
• Ahl al Suffa, Ahle Suffa Sufis during the time of Muhammad (pbuh)
• ahwal lit. "states," pl. of hal, a transitory mystical state.
• Akbar Greatest or Greater than great (Allah)
• akhfa very deeply hidden; the deepest part of the heart; sirr ‘ul-asrar
• akhir last; latter
• ‘alam-i jabbarut the world or realm of the archangels
• ‘alam-i kasrat the world or realm of multiplicity (kinetic energy)
• ‘alam-i lahut the world or realm of the essence of Allah
• ‘alam-i mulk the world or realm of creation
• ‘alamin worlds; realms
• ‘alam-i ruh the world or realm of the spirit
• ‘alam-i wahdat the world or realm of oneness (potential energy)
• Alayhi salaam "Peace be upon him" (abbr., pbuh)
• Alayhis-salat was-salaam "Upon Him be blessing and peace"
• Alhamdulillah "All praise and gratitude be to Allah"
• Ali Ibn Abu Talib fourth and last of the righteous Khalifas after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
• Allahu Akbar "Allah is Greater than great"
• alim knower, in a scholarly sense
• amaana object given for safekeeping; trust
• anfus plural of nafs
• ansar helpers
• Aqim al salat "Establish a system of connection and devotion to Allah" (command)
• 'aql the rational mind; intellect
• aqtab plural of qutb
• aqtab-i erbaa qutbs of all time, a very high spiritual station reached by only four human beings, among whom are Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani and Hz. Ahmed er Rifai
• arhul plural of ruh
• arif spiritual knower; gnostic
• arsh throne; the place of origin; stage from which Allah makes decisions; command post
• Asma ul Husna The 99 Names (Attributes) of Allah, which are used individually or together in zikr
• asr passing time; declining day; isha in the afternoon
• As-salaamu alaykum (var. salaam alaykum, salaamun alaykum) "Peace be upon you"
• As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu “Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings”
• Astaghfirullah, tubtu illallah, we na’aytu qalbi an masiwa’llah “Allah forgive me, please cleanse my heart of everything but You.”
• A’uzu billahi minashaitan al rajim, bismillah Al Rahman Al Rahim "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, who is cast out. In the name of Allah, The Source of Mercy, The One Who Acts with Mercy."
• awliya protecting friends of Allah; saints; guardians (pl. of wali)
• awwal first; former
• ‘awwam common people; the masses
• ayat sign; portent; lesson; message; proof; revelation; verse; evidence
• ‘ayn al yaqin sure knowledge gained through observation and experience
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• bala adversity in the form of a trial or test
• baqa the state of "subsistence"; continuing awareness through Allah.
• baraka blessing; grace
• bast expansion
• batin inner
• bayat, biat pledge; promise; initiation into a Sufi order
• bayt house; sanctuary
• Baz al-Ashab, Al, Bazul Eshep The White Falcon; title of Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani (Arabic, Turkish)
• biat see bayat
• bid’a harmful religious innovation
• Bismillah Al Rahman Al Rahim "In the name of Allah, The One Who Acts with Mercy, The Source of Mercy"
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• dede lit., grandfather; an elder dervish with spiritual standing within the order
• dergah Sufi center
• dervish lit., poor one; formal member of an order; murid who has attained a certain level of maturity
• dhawq lit., taste; perceptivity gained through divine grace.
• din way of doing righteous deeds; way of life; religion; path of righteousness to Allah
• dua prayer; supplication; invocation of Allah’s favors
• dunya material world
• dzan assumption; good dzan is to assume the best or to give the benefit of the doubt
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• fajr dawn; salat just before dawn
• fana annihilation; spiritual cessation of ego-awareness
• fanafullah dissolving in Allah
• fardz compulsory religious rule
• Fatiha, Al Opening sura of the Qur'an
• Fi'il-i Muhammad the example Muhammad (pbuh) projected in living according to Allah's wishes; Muhammad’s (pbuh) implementation of sharia
• firdaws paradise
• fitna corruption; dissension between parties; trouble; disharmony; mischief-making; disorder; rebellion; planting the seeds of trouble
• fuad spiritual heart as perception point within a human being
• Furqan Criterion of Right and Wrong
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• Gavsul Azam, Ghawth-i Azam lit., The Greatest Help(er), a title of Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani
• ghafla heedlessness; mindlessness; ignorance
• ghaib unseen
• ghayba backbiting
• Ghawth Helper; very high station in spiritual hierarchy
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• Habibullah Beloved of Allah; Muhammad (pbuh)
• hadith tradition; saying attributed to, or anecdote regarding Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), according to traditional eyewitness accounts
• hadith qudsi holy hadith
• hadrah lit., presence; a gathering for the practice of zikr often accompanied with movement
• haidar The ornamental vest worn by a dervish
• Haj Pilgrimage to Mecca
• haji pilgrim
• halal permissible by Islamic law
• Hal-i Muhammad the spiritual state of Muhammad (pbuh); Muhammad’s direct knowledge of Allah
• halka lit., circle; a group which gathers to practice or study Sufism, usually a shaykh and murids.
• halvet spiritual retreat
• haqiqa the state of knowing absolute truth
• haqq truth
• haqq al yaqin truth received directly from Allah; sure knowledge
• haram unlawful
• hawa lust; desire; whim
• Hazrat, Hazreti (abbr., Hz.) honorific title
• hidaya guidance
• hikma wisdom
• himmah force of heart; decisiveness
• Hu third-person pronoun (without gender) used in reference to Allah and in invocation to Allah during zikr
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• ‘ibad plural of ‘abd
• ibada act of worship; devotion
• ijaza permission; license to teach tasawwuf (Sufism)
• ijtihad deduction; the process of reasoning through which one draws conclusions about a subject
• ilah god; deity; a revered higher power to whom one adheres and appeals for help
• ilm knowledge
• ilm al ladun divine knowledge received directly from Allah
• ilm al yaqin knowledge through research, written or verbal communication
• iman faith; belief; that which you accept to be the truth
• indallah nearness to or being in the presence of Allah
• insan human being
• insan-i kamil mature human being
• Insha Allah, inshallah God willing
• iqam al salat the establishment of prayer and connection to Allah
• irada the quality of spiritual aspiration
• irfan gnosis; direct perception of Reality
• irshad guidance; direction
• isha evening; salat in the evening
• ishq love; passion; ardent desire
• Islam surrender; submission
• istidraj to lead on; a test of sincerity by forestalling the consequences of wrong action
• ittiqa watching for Allah’s good pleasure with one’s deeds; guarding oneself from evil or harm; not offending Allah in one’s actions
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• jalal wrath; power
• jamal mercy; beauty
• jahri in a hearable voice; loud
• jihad struggle; effort; holy war
• jihadul-akbar the greater struggle, i.e., the fight against one’s nafs
• jinn unseen being with consciousness and abilities similar to humans
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• Ka'aba The Sanctuary; Inviolable Place of Worship; Mosque in Mecca
• kalima word; speech; saying; command; science
• Kalima Tawhid Utterance of Oneness (“La ilaha illa Hu” [“There is no god but Him”])
• kamil mature
• Kanz-i Makhfi Secret Treasure (Allah)
• kashf observation; spiritual understanding
• khafi hidden; subtle
• khalifa representative; deputy; murid licensed by his/her shaykh to teach tasawwuf; designated successor of a particular shaykh
• khas special; designated; destined
• khawas people of rare distinction
• Kitab Book; Scripture; established and applied knowledge; laws and regulations
• Kitabin Mubin, Kitabi al Mubin Clear Book (of references); Book that Makes Everything Clear; established knowledge; scientific fact
• kursi throne
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• La ilaha illallah "There is no god but God"
• La maqsudu illallah "There is no goal other than Allah."
• lataif spiritual perception point within a human being
• Laylat Al Qadr Night of Power, a holy night of special prayer during the month of Ramadan
• Laylatul Mi’raj Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) mystical Night Journey
• liqa joining
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• maasiwa other than Allah
• Ma’bud Object of devotion (Allah)
• maghfira pardon
• maghrib west; sunset; salat just after sunset
• mahabba love; attraction
• maqam station; place; position; state of spiritual development
• maqam mahmud praised station
• ma'rifa direct knowledge of Allah
• mashallah what Allah wants (and happens)
• masjid lit., place of prostration; mosque; place of worship
• Masjid Al Aqsa, Al The Farthest Mosque; mosque in Jerusalem
• mawla protector; guardian; master; lord
• mawlana, mevlana spiritual teacher; our lord
• meydan lit., "field" or "meeting place"; place where zikr is held
• meydan-ji elder dervish who helps other students learn the proper customs and procedures in a meydan
• Mi'raj Night Journey of the Prophet (pbuh); the type of "ascension" that may be experienced by advanced Sufis
• M’iraj ul Ma’nawiy Spiritual Journey
• mihdi one who is guided
• mihrab niche in the wall which shows the direction of prayer
• mu'adh dhin, muezzin one who calls people to prayer
• muhabbest lit., attracted one; someone attracted to an order
• muhib one who loves
• muhasibi lit., rendering account; taking stock of one's actions
• Muhyiddin Reviver of the Way of Doing Righteous Deeds (Religion); a title of Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani
• mukhlas sincere and dedicated one who chooses Allah as his/her goal
• mulk sovereignty; domain; realm
• mu’min accepter of the truth; believer; acknowledger
• muraqaba meditation practiced in solitude; watching over carefully
• murid lit., directed one; a person who has accepted a spiritual teacher; Sufi student
• murshid teacher of the Sufi path, a title usually reserved for the head of an order
• musbaha string of prayer beads; rosary; also known as tasbih
• Muslim one who surrenders; submitter; one who is willing to accept and make peace with Allah’s laws and regulations
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• naas humanity
• nabi prophet
• nafs lit., breath; self; person; egoistic or animalistic nature
• Nafs-i Ammara Dominant Nafs; the first of seven main levels of nafs attained in the process of Sufi purification
• Nafs-i Lawwama Blaming Nafs; the second of seven main levels of nafs attained in the process of Sufi purification
• Nafs-i Mardziyya Satisfying Nafs; the sixth of seven main levels of nafs attained in the process of Sufi purification
• Nafs-i Mulhama Inspired Nafs; the third of seven main levels of nafs attained in the process of Sufi purification
• Nafs-i Mutmaina Tranquil Nafs; the fourth of seven main levels of nafs attained in the process of Sufi purification
• Nafs-i Radziyya Satisfied Nafs; the fifth of seven main levels of nafs attained in the process of Sufi purification
• Nafs-i Safiyya Purified Nafs; the seventh of seven main levels of nafs attained in the process of Sufi purification
• na’im bliss; delight
• namaz formal Islamic worship that is observed five times daily
• ni'ma favor; blessing; grace; kindness; benefit; comfort; pleasure; delight
• niyyah intention
• nur light
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• pir spiritual ancestor; founder of a Sufi tariqa; living principal of a Sufi tariqa
• Pir-i Dastgir lit., "Who Takes by the Hand," a title of Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani
• postaki, post sheepskin used as the seat of the shaykh in the traditional Sufi zikr ceremony
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• qabd, qabz contraction; deflation
• Qaddasa Allahu sirrahu "May Allah sanctify his secret"
• qahr wrath
• qalb heart
• Qalu Balaa covenant at the beginning of creation between the souls and Allah
• qana’at contentment
• Qawl-i Muhammad what Allah said through Prophet Muhammad (pbuh); sharia
• qiblah direction turned to during prayer, which is geographically towards the Ka’aba in Mecca
• Qur'an, Koran lit., lecture or recitation; revelation from Allah to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) over a period of 23 years and compiled into a volume of 114 suras, or chapters
• Qur’an-i Karim, Qur’an al Karim Generous Qur'an
• qurb nearness; closeness
• qutb lit., pole; a person of extremely high spiritual level who acts as administrator in the spiritual hierarchy of the world; human conduit of spiritual power from Allah, through whom it is distributed in the world.
• Qutbul Azam Greatest Qutb, a title of Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani
• Qutbul Rabbani Divine or Devout Qutb, a title of Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani
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• Rab Lord; Master; Allah
• Rabbi My Lord
• rabita purposeful spiritual connection; heartfelt connection
• Rabbil ‘alamin Lord of the worlds, realms, generations
• rahbar lit., conductor; spiritual guide
• rahma mercy; grace
• rakat A unit of ritual prayer including standing, bowing, sitting, and prostrating
• raqsh dancing
• rashid maturity; wisdom
• rasul messenger
• rida contentment; good pleasure; satisfaction; approval
• rijal person who is faithful to his or her vows under all circumstances
• rijal al ghaib saint who can see remotely or travel through time and space in the service of Allah
• rizq sustenance
• ruh soul; spirit
• ruhsat concession or permission given by a shaykh to perform a certain practice or organizational function
• ruhul aminu trusted spirit
• ruhul jismani: corporeal soul
• ruhul quds holy spirit
• ruhul seyrani moving soul
• ruhul sultani kingly soul
• ru'yah lit., vision, esp. of a spiritual nature
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• sabr patience
• sadaqa charity; alms
• sadr chest; heart; innermost self
• sadr latifa place in chest area equivalent to the heart chakra of Indian tradition
• sahaba companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
• sahv lit., sobriety; the condition of the mature practitioner who has returned to normative consciousness after sukr
• sajda prostration
• sajjada prayer rug
• salaam peace
• Salaam alaykum "Peace be upon you"
• salat worship; prayer; formal Islamic worship that is observed five times daily; making connection to Allah; namaz
• salat al asr afternoon prayer
• salat al fajr morning prayer
• salat al isha night prayer
• salat al maghrib sunset prayer
• salat al zuhr noontime prayer
• salawat invocation of peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
• salik lit., traveler; spiritual seeker
• Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa salaam "May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him," spoken or written after Muhammad's name
• sama, sema turning; revolving; a spiritual concert or zikr accompanied by music and sometimes turning (whirling)
• samawat heavens
• shafi intercessor
• sharia the body of Islamic religious canons; injunctions attributed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) regarding proper behavior for Muslims
• shaykh lit., elder; appointed master in a Sufi order or tariqa
• shirk attributing partners to Allah
• shirk-e khafi hidden shirk
• siddiq truthful and loyal one
• sifat attribute
• silm peace; submission
• silsila lit., chain; the lineage of a Sufi tariqa descending from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), through Ali Ibn Abu Talib or Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them). The chain of transmission includes all murshids of the order up to the present.
• Silsiletil Zehep Golden Chain (Turkish), the spiritual lineage of Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani
• sirr secret; mystery
• Sirr-i Muhammad Secret of Muhammad; haqiqa
• sirr ‘ul-asrar secret of secrets; akhfa
• soffreh cloth spread on the floor used for meals
• Subhan Allah "Exalted is Allah" (Free from all defects)
• Subhana Rabbi Al A’la "Glory to my Lord The Most High"
• subhat lit., association; spiritual affiliation
• Sufi lit., wearer of wool or person of the bench; member of a tariqa
• Sufism process of attaining closeness to the Creator through love, which is attained by purification of the nafs; tasawwuf
• sultan king
• Sultanul Awliya King of the Saints, a title of Hz. Abdul Qadir Geylani
• suluk journey; the life-path of a spiritual seeker
• sukr mystical intoxication, often accompanying wajd or fana
• sunna the observed behavior of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
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• tafakkur reflection; contemplation
• tafakkarun those who contemplate
• tafsir scholarly interpretation; explanation
• tahajjud special prayer during the night
• taj lit., crown; hat worn by a dervish
• tajalli The state of irridation, epiphany, or theophany
• takbir great word (Allahu Akbar [God is Greater than great])
• taqwa self-vigilance; following the guidelines of Allah; devotion
• talib candidate or aspirant to formal membership in a Sufi order
• talqin inculcation; the practice of deliberate mental self-conditioning
• tariqa lit., way to; path; order of Sufism founded by a recognized member of a silsila
• tasarruf Allah’s executive power
• tasawwuf system of spiritual cleansing known in the West as Sufism
• tasbih glorification; repeating the Names of Allah with the help of prayer beads; prayer beads
• taslim surrender
• tawba repentance
• tawhid unity and oneness of God, the direct perception of central tenet of Islam, Allah's absolute singularity
• ta’wil deep, authoritative interpretation
• tawakkul complete trust in and reliance upon God alone
• tekke (Turk.) lit., corner; dervish gathering place, synonymous with khaniqah (Pers.) and zawiyya (Ar.)
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• Ummul Kitab The Mother or Totality of Knowledge of our universe
• urs anniversary of the death of a Sufi saint, which is celebrated as their day of union with Allah
• Uzkurullah "Remember (make zikr of) Allah"
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• verd litany of praises; incantation prior to zikr
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• wahdat unity
• Wahdat al Wujud Oneness of Being; the absolute non-duality of existence
• wahy divine revelation; inspiration; suggestion; indication; saying something in a whisper
• wajd state of ecstasy
• wajh countenance; face; essence; attention
• wakil trustee; representative; guardian; advocate; keeper; representative of a shaykh, lower in rank than a khalifa
• wali protecting friend of Allah; guardian; saint; also wali ul Allah; Sufi of a high spiritual level
• waliyyan-murshid teacher who guides and protects
• Watan Asli lit., Our Motherland; the face of Muhammad (pbuh)
• wazifa repetition of names or attributes of Allah given as a practice prescribed to the murid; personal zikr
• wudu ritual ablution, or washing, performed before salat
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• yaqin certainty
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• Zabur Psalms
• zakir one who chants in the liturgy, also known as qawwal
• zahir outer
• zakat poor due; alms
• zat essence; person
• zikr lit., remembrance; reminder; the Sufi practice of repeating the Names of Allah
• zuhr noon; salat around noontime