Shawq and Ishtiyaq (Joyful Zeal and Yearning)
Zeal means turning to the Beloved with all inner and outer feelings, and locking out all appetites other…
Islamic Sufism
99 articles
Ashq (Ecstatic Love)
‘Ashq means intense love of and fondness for perfection, beauty, or physical charm. Sufis usually call this sort…
Mahabba (Love)
Mahabba means fondness, tender and kind feelings, preference, and love. Love that affects and invades one’s feelings is…
Ma’rifa (Spiritual Knowledge of God)
Ma‘rifa literally denotes skill or talent, a special ability that belongs to certain people, and knowing by certain…
Qurb and Bu’d (Nearness and Remoteness)
Nearness (qurb) means that one transcends corporeality in order to acquire perfect spirituality and proximity to God. Some…
Sakina – Itmi’nan (Serenity and Peacefulness)
Literally meaning calmness, silence, steadiness, solemnity, familiarity, the subsidence of the waves and tranquility, sakina (serenity) is the…
Basira and Firasa
Literally meaning perception, intelligence, discretion, evidence, and witness, insight (basira) is defined as having an eye of the…
Dhikr (Recitation of God’s Names)
Literally meaning mentioning, remembrance, and recollection, in the terminology of the Sufis dhikr denotes regular recitation of one…
Yaqin (Certainty)
Yaqin (certainty) means having no doubt about the truth of a matter and arriving at accurate, doubt-free knowledge…
Irada, Murid, and Murad (Will, the Willing One, and the Willed One)
Irada (will) is the mental power by which a person can direct his or her thoughts and actions…
Qast and Azm (Decision And Resolution)
Qast means confidence, determination, choosing, and advancing straight toward a destination, thinking and reasoning moderately and deliberately, and…
Inbisat (Expansion)
Literally meaning growing larger and deeper, spreading and expanding, Sufis use inbisat to signify the relaxing of one’s…
Rida (Resignation)-2
For ordinary people, resignation means not objecting to what God has willed for them. For those with a…
Rida (Resignation)
Resignation means showing no rancor or rebellion against misfortune, and accepting all manifestations of destiny without complaint and…
Sabr (Patience)
Sabr literally means enduring, bearing, and resisting pain; suffering and difficulty; and dealing calmly with problems. In more…