Sufi Terms and Their Unconventional Expressions in Najmiddin Kubro's Work "Favoihu-L-Jamol Va Favotihu-L-Jalol"

Abstract

This article studies how Najmiddin Kubro uses Sufi terms in his work Favoihu-l-jamol va favotihu-l-jalol. It argues that Kubro gives many terms two layers of meaning. The first layer is traditional and rests on the Quran and Hadith. The second layer is new, and it grows out of the author's own visionary experience. The article looks at Kubro's hierarchy of colored lights and at the three faces of the soul: nafs-i ammora, nafs-i lavvoma, and nafs-i mutmainna. It also examines his symbols of mountains, wells, seas, fire, air, and rain, and it shows how each element and color marks a stage of spiritual growth. Special attention goes to zikr, which Kubro describes as a rope, a fire, and a light that carries the soul back to its source. The article also discusses the heart as a well and the "hidden sheikh" (shaykh al-ghayb) as an inner guide. Comparisons with Suhrawardi, Ahmad Yasawi, and Rumi place these images in a wider mystical tradition. The study concludes that Kubro moved Sufi terminology from literal definitions to experiential meaning, and in doing so he added epistemological, phenomenological, ontological, and psychospiritual layers to the mystical lexicon.