Qabd and Bast (Contraction and Openness)
Qabd (contraction) and bast (openness), emotions felt by almost everyone during their lives, relate especially to those who…
Belief
259 articles
Interfaith Dialogue: Necessity and Principles
History has unfortunately witnessed many violent acts conducted in the name of faith. However, many have begun to…
Dahsha and Hayra (Utter Astonishment and Amazement)
Every traveler journeying in the valleys of love and zeal sometimes burns with the fire of love, and…
Jadhba and Injidhab (Attraction and the Feeling of Being Attracted toward God)
In the language of Sufism, jadhba (attraction) means that a servant is attracted toward God by God Himself,…
Missing Pieces
Once I could see God in one thing – even though it was the vastest, most mysterious, and…
Editorial: The Joyous Past and the Beautiful Future
The past year was a busy one for The Fountain. Having completed two decades in publishing, we tried…
Shawq and Ishtiyaq (Joyful Zeal and Yearning)
Zeal means turning to the Beloved with all inner and outer feelings, and locking out all appetites other…
Ashq (Ecstatic Love)
‘Ashq means intense love of and fondness for perfection, beauty, or physical charm. Sufis usually call this sort…
Dispersing Hopelessness from the Depressive Thoughts: Is There Any Way?
Depression is a major medical illness that causes feelings of dispassion and lessens productivity in individuals. It is…
Mahabba (Love)
Mahabba means fondness, tender and kind feelings, preference, and love. Love that affects and invades one’s feelings is…
A Conversation Starter
The question of dialogues between different faiths and cultures is one of the most important questions of our…
Ma’rifa (Spiritual Knowledge of God)
Ma‘rifa literally denotes skill or talent, a special ability that belongs to certain people, and knowing by certain…
Qurb and Bu’d (Nearness and Remoteness)
Nearness (qurb) means that one transcends corporeality in order to acquire perfect spirituality and proximity to God. Some…
Sakina – Itmi’nan (Serenity and Peacefulness)
Literally meaning calmness, silence, steadiness, solemnity, familiarity, the subsidence of the waves and tranquility, sakina (serenity) is the…
Basira and Firasa
Literally meaning perception, intelligence, discretion, evidence, and witness, insight (basira) is defined as having an eye of the…