Glossary of Sufi Terms
Al-Adl: The One who provides each of His manifestations their due right in consonance with their creation program. The One who is absolutely free from unjustness or tyranny.
Al-Afuw: The One who forgives all offences except for ‘duality’ (shirq); the failure to recognize the reality of non-duality prevents the activation of the name al-Afuw.
Ahadiyyah: The absolute oneness of existence.
Ahlul Haqiqah: The intimates of the reality.
Ahlul Tahqiq: The people of authenticity.
Al-Akhir: The infinitely subsequent One, to all creation.
Al-Aleem: The One who, with the quality of His knowledge, infinitely knows everything in every dimension with all its facets.
Al-Aliy: The Highest (or the Sublime). The sublime One who observes existence from the point of reality (essence).
Allah: Such a name... It points to Uluhiyyah! Uluhiyyah encompasses two realities. HU which denotes Absolute Essence (dhat) and the realm of infinite points in which every single point is formed by the act of observing knowledge through knowledge. This act of observing is such that each point signifies an individual composition of Names.
Aql al-Awwal: The First Intellect; the first disclosure of universal consciousness.
Aql al-Qull: The Universal Intellect; universal consciousness.
Arsh: Throne. Denotes universal prolificacy, though not in terms of the perceived material world.
Ashraf al-Mahluq: The most honored of all creation.
Al-Awwal: The first and initial state of existence, the essential Name.
Al-Aziz: The One who, with His unchallengeable might, disposes as He wishes. The One whose will to do as He likes, nothing can oppose. This name works in parallel with the name Rabb. The Rabb attribute carries out the demands of the Aziz attribute!
Al-Azim: The magnificent glory beyond any manifestation’s capacity of comprehension.
Al-Badee: The incomparable beauty and the originator of beautiful manifestation! The One who originates innumerable manifestations, all with unique and exclusive qualities, and without any example, pattern, specimen etc.
Al-Baith: The One who constantly transforms new dimensions of existence.