“Windows To Spirituality”
Khulla (Sincere Friendship) Khulla means sincere friendship. It can also denote brother/sisterhood, or loyal friendship. Some have interpreted khulla as penetrating into the depth of something to change its nature, or enveloping it from all sides so that it gains a second nature. The Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace,...
Waridat And Mawhiba (Gifts And Favor) This article explains the meaning of Waridat and Mawhiba (Gifts and Favor) in Sufism. Mawhiba (favor) literally means benevolence, kindness, and extra Divine bounties, while waridat (gifts) denotes what occurs to or emerges in one’s heart as a Divine gift. The Sufis use them...
What Is Forced Pregnancy? Forced pregnancy is the practice of forcing a woman to become pregnant, often as part of a forced marriage, or as part of a programme of breeding slaves, or as part of a programme of genocide. Forced pregnancy is a form of reproductive coercion. Imperial Japan Female prisoners of Unit 731 were...
Subuhat-i Wajh (The Flood Of God’s Facial Light) This article explains the meaning of Subuhat-i Wajh (The Flood Of God’s Facial Light) in Sufism. The subuhat-i Wajh (the flood of God’s Facial Light) is the flood of light that God Almighty causes to pour out so that He may eliminate...
Compulsory Sterilization Compulsory sterilization, also known as forced or coerced sterilization, programs are government policies which force people to undergo surgical or other sterilization. The reasons governments implement sterilization programs vary in purpose and intent. In the first half of the 20th century, several such programs were instituted in countries around the world, usually...
Marriage Law Marriage law refers to the legal requirements that determine the validity of a marriage, and which vary considerably among countries. Summary table Country/territory Civil marriages Religious marriages Customary marriages Divorce Same-sex marriages Polygamous marriages Afghanistan Foreigners only Recognized N/A Legal Unrecognized Legal [a] Albania Performed Not recognized Not recognized Legal Unrecognized...
What Is Childlessness? Childlessness is the state of not having children. Childlessness may have personal, social or political significance. Childlessness, which may be by choice or circumstance, is distinguished from voluntary childlessness and being “childfree”, which is voluntarily having no children, and from antinatalism, wherein childlessness is promoted. Types Types of childlessness can be classified...
What Is Family Honor? Family honor (or honour) is an abstract concept involving the perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects the social standing and the self-evaluation of a group of related people, both corporately and individually. The family is viewed as the main source of honor and the community highly values the relationship...
Nazar And Tawajjuh (Attention And Regard) This article explains the meaning of Nazar and Tawajjuh (Attention and Regard) in Sufism. Even though they appear to have the same meaning and, in fact, suggest certain common feelings and ideas, the concepts of nazar (attention)—which means looking (at), taking into consideration, and...
Karama (Wonder) Before explaining karama (Wonder), since there is a close resemblance between it and miracles (mu‘jiza) in respect to their occurrence, we will first briefly examine miracles. Derived from the root verb A-Ja-Za, meaning “that which people cannot imitate,” a mu’jiza (miracle) is the extraordinary state, event, word or...
‘Aql (Reason) ‘Aql (Reason) means understanding, perception, sober-mindedness and prudence, as a term, ‘aql is a Divine light with which a person can perceive the things that cannot be comprehended with external senses. There have been some who view ‘aql as a faculty abstract of matter but which acts in collaboration...
What Is Dharma? Dharma (धम्म, dhamma, dhamma) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and others. There is no single-word translation for dharma in Western languages. In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with Ṛta, the order that makes life...
Wijdan (Conscience) This article covers Wijdan (Conscience) in Sufi terminology. Literally meaning the essence of human existence and a person’s perception of themselves, wijdan (conscience) is a spiritual mechanism composed of the willpower, which chooses between good and evil, the spiritual intellect (fuad), which is the inner, most essential dimension...
Honor Killing An honor killing or shame killing is the murder of a member of a family, due to the perpetrators’ belief that the victim has brought shame or dishonor upon the family, or has violated the principles of a community or a religion, usually for reasons such as divorcing or separating from...
Violence Against Women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are violent acts the victims of which are primarily or exclusively women or girls. Such violence is often considered a form of hate crime, committed against women or girls specifically because they are female. VAW...
Women In Christianity The roles of women in Christianity can vary considerably today as they have varied historically since the third century New Testament church. This is especially true in marriage and in formal ministry positions within certain Christian denominations, churches, and parachurch organizations. Many leadership roles in the organized church have been...
Child Marriage Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, entered into by a youth under a certain age, typically age eighteen. Child marriage violates the rights of children and has widespread and long term consequences for child brides and grooms. It affects both boys and girls,...
Female Genital Mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and within communities from countries in which FGM is common. UNICEF estimated in...
Waliyy And Awliyaullah (God’s Friend [Saint] And God’s Friends [Saints]) This article explains the meaning of Waliyy and Awliyaullah (God’s Friend [Saint] And God’s Friends [Saints]) in Sufism. Literally meaning a friend, a helper, a loyal one, or a guardian, a waliyy is one who is devoted to God with...
Fayd And Tajalli (Effusion and Manifestation) This article covers Fayd and Tajalli (Effusion and Manifestation). Fayd literally means the effusion of blessings, profusion, abundance, and increase. Giving existence to something and equipping it with all the particularities and necessities of being existent, and favoring a person with inspirations and spiritual...
