God.These include: witnessing the truth or pronouncing the
shahada
, prayer,
fasting, etc.
Fiqh
: Jurisprudence, Islamic Law.The science of
fiqh
deals with the
laws regulating the ritual and the religious observances (
ibadat
). There are
four Sunni schools of
fiqh
: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, Hambali. Of the Shiite
schools of
fiqh
the most famous is the Jafari school of jurisprudence founded
by Jafar as Sadiq (699-765)
Futuh:
Voluntary contributions given to the Sufis.
Hal:
Sing.
hal
, pl.
ahwal
. The ecstasy, a rapturous state.
Haqiqa:
Literally, ‘the truth’, ‘the reality’; it is the ultimate truth,
which transcends human limitations. The
haqiqa
is also called ‘the kernel’
or the quintessence. The Sufis believe that to get at the kernel one has to
break the shell, or, one has to break the barriers erected by the form and
reach the inner spirit to discover God.
Ihsan:
Literally: ‘to do well’ or ‘to do everything as beautifully as
possible.’ In Sufism it refers to the level at which the devotee is completely
absorbed in prayer to God. It is defined by the Sufis as the attainment of
that degree of devotion at which one begins to experience the presence of
God.
Ilm-i-safina:
The knowledge obtained from the books, meaning the
revealed books.
Ilm-i-sina
: The knowledge of the heart, or the knowledge obtained
from the spiritual masters.
Iman:
Literally, ‘to know’, ‘to belive’, to put one’s trust in something
or someone.’ Usually translated as ‘belief’. In Islam, it means putting one’s
trust in and having complete faith in God, His Prophets, His angels, His
books, and the Day of Judgement.
Ishq-e-majazi:
Love of a human being, as opposed to
ishq-i-haqiqi
or
the true love.
G l o s s a r y 224
