GLOSSARY

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Allâh o Akbar—“God is Great”

biryāni—A dish with saffron rice together with lamb or chicken

darvish—Sufi mystic

Eblīs—The devil

Eid—Muslim festival

fanâ—Nothingness

fâni—Ephemeral; lost to nothingness

hâfez—A person who knows the Koran by heart

harâm—Unacceptable, forbidden

jabrī—Fatalist

Kaaba—House of God

khalvat—Seclusion

khâneghâh—Sufi house

lâobâli—Carefree

lateif—Delicate

madrasa—Islamic school

Maghâlât—Discourses

majzoub—Entranced in the love of God

morīd—Devotee, disciple

morshed—Spiritual guide

Mowlânâ—Master teacher

ommi—Uneducated

pīr—Spiritual guide

samâ—Whirling, spinning

samâzan—One who whirls

shaykh—Spiritual guide

solÛk—Sufi training

sura—A chapter of the Koran

valī—God's representative on earth

velâyat—Kingdom

zekr—Repetition of the ninety-nine names of God in prayer

zonnâr—Belt worn by Christians as a sign of their faith