The Symbol of the Name Allah As known, the  Basmalah , ‘In the Name of Allah…’ denotes that ‘Allah’ is a name. A ‘name’ is a sign that points to the one who is ‘named’. When I say ‘the One denoted by the name Allah’ I try to introduce a different perspective to the topic. This time, I want to take yet another perspective and focus on the original Arabic symbol of the word ‘Allah’. Anyone familiar with the Sufi way will know that existence comprises four worlds: the World of the Absolute Essence, the World of Attributes, the World of Names, and the World of Acts. The return to one’s essence and the acquisition of self-knowledge requires experiencing these worlds. As known, the word ‘Allah’ is written in Arabic with the letter  aleph  (ا), which stands alone and independent from the other letters, followed by two  lām s (ل) and a  he  (ه) in the shape of a circle (or a square in the case of Kufi calligraphy) attached to the second  lām ...

Ilmu tasawuf itu adalah ilmu rohani atau dikatakan juga sebagai ilmu hakikat atau ilmu batin. Mengapa ilmu ini dikatakan ilmu rohani? Karena ilmu tasawuf membahas mengenai roh. Kata tasawuf itu diambil daripada bermacam-macam kata. Salah satunya adalah kata sofa yang berarti bersih atau murni. Tegasnya, ilmu tasawuf itu adalah ilmu bagaimana hendak membersihkan atau memurnikan roh (hati) atau nafsu. Agar dari dorongan hati yang bersih itu dapat membersihkan pula anggota lahir daripada melakukan kemungkaran dan kesalahan. Jadi, ilmu tasawuf itu adalah ilmu mengenai cara-cara membersihkan lahir dan batin daripada dosa dan kesalahan. Bahkan kesalahan lahir ini berasal dari kesalahan batin. Dosa lahir ini berlaku setelah berlakunya dosa batin. Kenapa ilmu tasawuf juga dikatakan ilmu batin? karena roh atau hati memang tidak dapat dilihat oleh mata kepala. Ia adalah makhluk yang tersembunyi. ilmu ini dinamakan ilmu batin karena ia membahaskan tentang hati dan sifat-sifatnya yang meman...

The spiritually tasked men known as the “The Men of the Unknown” are of two groups: The administrators The executers The administrators are also known as The Council (Diwan) or The High Council (Diwan al-Kabir). They conduct two types of meetings: Monthly meetings, which occur on the 14 th  night adjoining the 15 th  of every lunar month, at various places. Annual meetings, conducted at the Mount Hira, where the Rasul of Allah (saw) retreated before he was assigned as a Rasul. Most of the members of the High Council are the great saints who have already made their transition to the life after death, while a third of them comprise the high degreed saints who are presently on duty on Earth. The High Council consists of 66 members. Amongst these are the Ghawth, his two assistants, Qutb al-Irshad, and Qutb al-Aqtab, and 4 other Qutbs, who administer 4 elements, all of the 7’s, and 11 others besides the administrative chamber of the Ghawth known as the ‘Mufarridoo...