discipline practiced during meditation. The Sufis believed that when
breathing was controlled, thoughts were not diffused, and time was properly
utilized.
Pir:
A spiritual master, a teacher, a mentor, also called
murshid
(guide),
shaykh
(leader). The term ‘
pir
’ is used in India in preference to the Arabic
word ‘
shaykh
’.
Ribat:
Literally,‘a strong-point’,‘a post’; used to describe a Sufi center,
a hospice. Synonymous with
zawiyyah
and
khanqah.
Qabz:
Literally, ‘a contraction’. In Sufism this term denotes contraction
or depression of the soul; the state when the soul experiences its limitations
and subsequently, the heart is depressed.
Qurb:
Literally, “nearness”. It refers to the state of ‘the nearness to
God’. According to the Qur’an the most exalted of God’s servants are
those who are “brought near” God. They are called
al-muqarrabun
.
Qutb:
Literally, ‘an axis’, ‘a pole’; it is believed that the function of the
spiritual center resides in a human being called
qutb
who is the highest of
the saints.
Salik:
Literally, ‘a traveller’, ‘a wayfarer’; a Sufi disciple who has
undertaken the
suluk
or the journey towards God. The
salik
, besides being
on a spiritual journey, often undertakes actual travel and wanders from
place to place in search of spiritual masters and spiritual knowledge.
According to a tradition of the Prophet, “be in the world like a traveler, or
like a passerby, and recon yourself as of the dead.”
Sama’:
Literally, ‘a hearing’, ‘an audition’. In Sufism it is a musical
assembly regarded as a means of inducing a mystical state of ecstasy. Of all
the Sufi orders established in India, it was most widely practiced by the
Chishtis. The Sufis in general and the Chishtis in particular were criticized
by the
ulama
for this practice but they were not prepared to abandon it.
Shahadah:
Literally, ‘to observe’, ‘to witness’, ‘to testify’. It is the
first and the foremost of the five pillars of Islam. It is made up of two parts
