Entries related to tasawwuf can be learned best from
Hadrat Ahmad al-Fârûqî as-Sirhindî’s Maktûbât.
-adillat
ash-Shar’iyya: the four sources of Islam: al-Qur’ân al-kerîm, al-Hadîth ash-sherîf, ijmâ’ al-Umma and qiyâs al-fuqahâ’.
ahl: people; Ahl al-Bait, immediate relatives of
the Prophet: (according to most ’ulamâ’) ’Alî (first cousin and son-in-law), Fâtima
(daughter), Hasan and Husain (grandsons); ahl al-bid’a, ahl as-Sunna(t)wa
’l-Jamâ’a.
a’immat
al-madhâhib: pl. of imâm al-madhhab.
Allah: Allâhu
akbar, Allâhu ta’âlâ, Allah to whom all kinds of superiority belong.
Âmin: (to Allâhu ta’âlâ)
“accept
my prayer.”
-amru bi
’l-ma’rûf (wa ’n-nahyu ’ani ’l-munkar): duty to teach Allâhu ta’âlâ’s commands (and to prevent
or to disapprove others’ commiting His prohibitions).
-Ansâr: those Medinans who
embraced Islam before the conquest of Mekka.
’aqâ’id: faith, beliefs.
’Arafât: the open space located
’ârif: an ’âlim who knows what is
possible to know of ma’rifa.
-’Arsh: the end of matter
bordering the seven skies and the Kursî which is outside the seventh sky and inside the
’Arsh.
As’hâb
al-kahf: the
seven Believers (in a cave in Tarsus) who attained high status because of
emigrating to another place in order not to lose their faith, when disbelievers
invaded their land.
-Basmala: the Arabic phrase
“Bismi’llâhi ’r-Rahmâni ’r-Rahîm” (In the Name of Allah the Compassionate, the
Merciful).
Bâtinî: a follower of the
Bâtiniyya heresy.
-Fadîla,
-Wasîla: the
two highest grades in Paradise.
faqîh: (pl. fuqahâ’) profound scholar of fiqh, fuqahâ’
as-
fard: (act, thing) that is
commanded by Allâhu ta’âlâ in al-Qur’ân al-kerîm,
fatwâ: i) ijtihâd (of a mujtahid): ii) conclusion (of a muftî) from books of fiqh whether something not
shown in them is permitted or not; answer given to religious questions by
Islamic scholars.
fiqh: knowledge dealing with
what Muslims should do and should not do; ’ibâdât, a’mâl.
fitna: the widespreading of
statements and actions that harm Muslims and Islam.
ghusl: ablution of the whole
body as defined in fiqh.
hadîth
(sherîf): i)
a saying of the Prophet; al-Hadîth ash-sherîf, all the hadîths as a
whole; ii) science or books of the Hadîth; hadîth sahîh, a hadîth soundly
transmitted, authentic according to the conditions laid by the scholars of
hadîth.
Hadrat: title of respect used
before the names of Islamic scholars.
halâl: (act, thing) permitted in
Islam.
Hanafî: (a member) of the madhhhab founded by Abû Hanîfa.
Hanbalî: (a member) of the madhhab founded by Imâm Ahmad ibn
Hanbal.
harâm: (act, thing) forbidden in
Islam.
-Hijâz: the region on the Arabian
Peninsula on the Red Sea coast where Mekka and Medina are situated.
ijâza: diploma testifying to the
holder’s authority on Islamic knowledge.
ijmâ’
(al-Umma, al-Muslimîn): the Sahâbat al-kirâm’s and the Tâbi’ûn’s common act or unanimous
comment on an affair; such unanimity or consensus.
ijtihâd: (meaning or conclusion
drawn by a mujtahid through) endeavouring to understand the hidden meaning in
an âyat or a hadîth.
Ibâhatîs: those, e.g. the Wahhâbîs,
who say ‘halâl’ for killing or confiscating Muslims unjustly, which is harâm.
ikhlâs: (quality, intention or
state of) doing everything only for Allâhu ta’âlâ’s sake.
’ilm: (branch of) knowledge; ’Ilm; ’ilm
al-hâl: (books
of) Islamic teachings (of one madhhab) ordered to be learned by every Muslim; ’ilm al-kalâm;
the
knowledge of îmân; al-’ilm al-ladunnî, knowledge inspired by Allâhu ta’âlâ to the hearts of Awliyâ’.
imâm: i) profound ’âlim; founder of a madhhab (imâm
al-madhhab, mujtahid imâm), al-Imâm al-a’zam, ii) leader in
congregational salât; iii) caliph.
inshâ-Allah: “if Allâhu ta’âlâ wills”.
istighfâr: begging Allâhu ta’âlâ for
forgiveness.
jalâla: greatness.
jamâ’a: community; body of
Muslims (except the imâm) in a mosque; companions; union.
junub: state of a Muslim needing
a ghusl.
-Ka’ba: the big structure in the
great mosque in Mekka.
kalimat: word or statement;
karâma: (pl. -ât) miracle worked by Allâhu ta’âlâ through a Walî.
Karîm: Gracious.
khutba: the homily delivered at
the pulpit by the imâm at the prayers of Friday and of Islamic festivals, which
must be read in Arabic all over the world (sinful if read in another language).
-Kursî: see the ’Arsh.
-Madînat
al-munawwara: the illuminated city of Medina.
-Mahshar: the Last Judgement.
-Makkat
al-Mukarrama: the honoured city of Mekka.
makrûh: (act, thing) improper,
disliked and abstained by the Prophet.
Mâlikî: (a member) of the madhhab founded by Imâm Mâlik.
mandub: (act, thing) that brings thawâb if done, but neither sin
if omitted nor kufr if disliked; adab, mustahab.
ma’rifa: knowledge, inspired to
the hearts of Awliyâ’, about the Dhât and Sifât of Allâhu ta’âlâ.
Mîlâdî: of the Christian Era; of
the Gregorian calendar.
minbar: high pulpit in a mosque
climbed with stairs, where the khutba is read.
mu’âmalât: a division of fiqh.
mubâh: (act, thing) neither
ordered nor prohibited; permitted.
mudarris: professor at madrasa
(Islamic school or university).
mufassir: expert ’âlim of tafsîr.
muftî: great ’âlim authorized to issue fatwâ.
-Muhâjirûn: those Meccan people who
embraced Islam before the conquest of Mekka.
mu’jiza: miracle worked by Allâhu ta’âlâ through a prophet.
mujtahid: great ’âlim capable of employing ijtihâd;
mujtahid imâm, mujtahid muftî.
munâfiq: one in the disguise of a
Muslim but disbelieves Islam; a hypocrite.
murshid: guide, director.
mutashâbih: (of an âyat or hadîth) with unintelligible,
hidden meaning; mutashâbihât.
-Mushabbiha: those who believe Allâhu ta’âlâ to be a material being.
najs: religiously impure thing.
nafs: a force in man which
wants him to harm himself religiously.
nass: (general term for) an âyat or a hadîth; the Nass.
qadâ’: performance, after its
due time is over, of an ’ibâda which has not been performed at its due time.
qibla: the direction turned
towards during worshipping (in Islam, toward the Ka’ba).
qiyâs
(al-fuqahâ’): (conclusion drawn by a mujtahid through) likening or comparing a matter not clearly
stated in
the Nass and ijmâ’ to a similar one stated
clearly; ijtihâd.
qutb
al-’ârifîn: a
Walî of the highest degree.
Rabb: Allâhu
ta’âlâ, the
Creator and “Trainer.”
Ramadân: the sacred month in the
Muslim calendar.
rasûl: (pl. rusul,), Messenger, Prophet; (Rasûl-Allâh),
Muhammad,
the Prophet of Allâhu ta’âlâ.
riyâda: not to do what the nafs likes; austerity.
Sahâba: the community of those
who believed and saw a prophet; as-Sahâbat al-kirâm, the Companions of Rasûlullah.
salâm: i) greeting, peace, good
wish; ii) the phrase “Assalâmu ’alaikum wa rahmatullah” said at the end of salât.
sâlih: (pl. sulahâ’) one who is pious and
abstains from sins.
Shâfi’î: (a member) of the madhhab founded by al-Imâm
ash-Shâfi’î.
Shaikh
al-Islâm: Head
of the Islamic Affairs Office.
Siddîq: one faithfully loyal to
the Prophet; a Walî of highest status.
sûfî: muttasawwif, one who was
trained and has become perfect on the way of tasawwuf.
suhba: companionship; company of
a prophet or a Walî.
sulahâ’: pl. of sâlih.
sunna: (act, thing) that, though
not commanded by Allâhu ta’âlâ, done and liked by the Prophet as an ’ibâda (there is thawâb if done, but not sinful
if omitted, yet it causes sin if continually omited and disbelief if disliked);
the Sunna: i) (with fard) all the sunnas as a whole; ii) (with the Book or
the Qur’ân al-kerîm) the Hadîth ash-sherîf; iii) fiqh, Islam.
sûra(t): a chapter of al-Qur’ân al-kerîm.
taqwâ: fearing Allâhu ta’âlâ;
abstention
from harâms.
tasawwuf: knowledge and (after
adapting oneself to fiqh) practice of the manners of the Prophet which
strengthens îmân, makes the practice of fiqh easy and provides one to attain ma’rifa.
tawâf: the ’ibâda of going round the Ka’bâ in Mekka during hajj.
thawâb: (unit of) reward promised
and will be given in the next world by Allâhu ta’âlâ as a recompence for the
doing and saying of what He likes.
’ulamâ’: pl. of ’âlim.
umma: the Umma, the Muslim umma.
wahî: the knowledge revealed to
the Prophet from Allâhu ta’âlâ.
wâjib: (act, thing) never
omitted by the Prophet, so almost as compulsory as fard and not to be omitted; al-Wâjib,
Wâjib al-wujûd: Being whose existence is indispensable and nonexistence is
impossible.
Walî: (pl. Awliyâ’) one who is loved and
protected by Allâhu ta’âlâ.
Wilâya: the state of being a
Walî.
zuhd: not setting one’s heart
on worldly things; abstention from (even) mubâhs.
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HÜSEYN HiLMi IÞIK
'Rahmat-allahi alaih’
Hüseyn
Hilmi Iþýk, 'Rahmat-allahi alaih’, publisher of the Waqf Ikhlas Publications,
was born in Eyyub Sultan, Istanbul in 1329 (A.D. 1911).
Of the one hundred and forty-four books he published, sixty are
Arabic, twenty-five Persian, fourteen Turkish, and the remaining translated
books consist of French, German, English, Russian and other languages.
Hüseyn Hilmi Iþýk, 'Rahmat-allahi alaih' (guided by Sayyid
Abdulhakim Arvasi, ‘Rahmat-allahi alaih’, a profound scholar of the religion
and was perfect in virtues of tasawwuf and capable to direct disciples in a
fully mature manner; possessor of glories and wisdom), was a competent, great
Islamic scholar able to pave the way for attaining happiness, passed away
during the night between October 25, 2001 (8 Shaban 1422) and October 26, 2001
(9 Shaban 1422). He was buried at Eyyub Sultan, where he was born.
1 - Our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' stated: "A person whom Allâhu ta'âlâ loves very much is one who learns his religion and teaches it to others. Learn your religion from the mouths of Islamic scholars!"
A person who cannot find a true
scholar must learn by reading books written by the scholars of Ahl as-sunna, and try hard to spread these books. A Müslim who has
'ilm (knowledge), 'amal (practising what one knows; obeying Islam's commandments and prohibitions), and ikhlâs (doing everything only to please Allâhu ta'âlâ)
is called an Islamic scholar.
A person who represents himself as an Islamic scholar though he lacks any one of these qualifications is
called an 'evil religious scholar', or an 'impostor'. The Islamic scholar will guide you to causes which in turn will open the gates to happiness; he is the
protector of faith. The impostor will mislead you into such causes as will make you end up in perdition; he is the Satan's accomplice.[1]
2 - The Nejât-ul-musallî was written in Turkish in the year 1217 (A.H.) by Ahmed Þevki Efendi, and was printed in Ýstanbul in 1305. Ýt consists of a hundred and ninety-seven (197) pages. Ýt is stated as follows on its final page: Ibni Jezerî, (751 [1350 A.D.], Damascus - 833 [1429], Shîrâz,) states as follows in his book Hisn ul-hasîn: A hadîth-i-sherîf reads as follows: "If an invalid person says Lâ ilâha illâ anta subhânaka innî kuntu min-az-zâlimîn,' forty times, he will die as a martyr (if his predetermined life-span is over). If he recovers, all his sins will be pardoned." This prayer is the eighty-seventh âyat-i- kerîma of Anbiyâ sûra. Please see the final parts of the thirteenth and the fifteenth chapters of the current book!
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[1] Knowledge that is acquired not for the purpose of practising it with ikhlâs, will not be beneficial. Please see the 366 th and 367 th pages of the first volume of Hadîqa, and also the 36th and the 40 th and the 59 th letters in the first volume of Maktûbât. (The English versions of these letters exist in the 16th and the 25 th and the 28 th chapters, respectively, of the second fascicle of Endless Bliss).