GLOSSARY
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’scommands (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 24 kilometers north of Mekka.
’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-sab’a.
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 fiqhwhether 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 onemadhhab) ordered to be learned by every Muslim; ’ilm al-kalâm; the knowledge ofîmân; 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 kufrif disliked; adab, mustahab.
ma’rifa: knowledge, inspired to the hearts of Awliyâ’, about the Dhât and Sifât ofAllâhu 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 oftasawwuf.
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.
tawba: repentance.
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 fardand 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.
HÜSEYN HiLMi IŞIK
'Rahmat-allahi alaih’
Hüseyn Hilmi Işık, '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 Işık, '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.
A’ûdhu
billah-imin-esh-shaytân-ir-rajîm
Bi-s-mi-llâh-ir-Rahmân-ir-Rahîm
Resûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated: “When fasâd (mischief, instigation, disunion, tumult) runs rife among my Ummat (Muslims), a person who abides by my Sunnat will acquire blessings equal to the amount deserved by a hundred martyrs.” Scholars affiliated with any one of the four Madhhabs, (which are, namely, Hanafî, Mâlikî, Shâfi’î and Hanbalî,) are called Scholars of Ahl as-Sunna. The leader of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna is al-Imâm al-a’zam Abû Hanîfa. These scholars recorded what they had heard from the Sahâba-i-kirâm, who, in their turn, had told them what they had heard from the Messenger of Allah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’.
The earth is populated by three groups of people today:
1– Disbelievers. These people say that they are not Muslims. Jews and Christians are in this group.
2– The Sunnî Muslims. These people exist with an ever-increasing population in every country.
3– (Hypocrites called) Munâfiqs. They say that they are Muslims. With respect to îmân and some acts of worship, they are not comparable to the Ahl as-Sunnat. They are not true Muslims.
Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated, “A person whom Allâhu ta’âlâloves 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 Muslim 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’. An Islamic scholar is a guard who protects Islam. An impostor is Satan’s accomplice.[77]