Sufi Classics · July 8, 2026

tebettül (Sufism Glossary)

Tebettül means inqiṭāʿ (to be cut off, to sever). Its first subtlety is to become completely stripped of desires and pleasures in order to witness the ḥaqīqa (inner reality). The second is to avoid inclining toward the …

Tebettül means inqiṭāʿ (to be cut off, to sever). Its first subtlety is to become completely stripped of desires and pleasures in order to witness the ḥaqīqa (inner reality). The second is to avoid inclining toward the nafs (the lower self) by shunning caprice, to not be swept away by the wind of familiarity (with people), and to merely sense the fragrance of unveiling. The third is that one's initial state is one of tajrīd (isolation, i.e., only the initial state of servitude remains) and to gaze toward the beginning of jamʿ (union). (Ravza, 480)

tebzir Tebzīr means to spend wastefully at unnecessary times and in unnecessary places; it denotes prodigality. (Mizān, 77)