What does Al-ṣuwraa mean?

Islam > Glossary > Al-ṣuwraa

Discover the meaning of the term Al-ṣuwraa (صُّورَة) in Islamic vocabulary.

Definition Al-ṣuwraa

Al-ṣuwraa according to Dustur al-'Ulama (Al-Ahmadnagari)

That by which a thing is distinguished. It is said that the form of a thing is that by which the thing is actualized in act. If it is objected that it is also a thing and therefore necessarily requires another form to be distinguished from another, leading either to an infinite regress or to the absence of distinction, I say : the form of the form is identical to the form, just as the existence of existence is identical to existence. Moreover, the form is a conceptual and abstract notion, and the infinite regress in conceptual matters is not absurd, as was mentioned regarding the infinite regress. Know that the essence, when considered from the perspective of mental presence, is called form, and from the perspective of concrete existence, i.e., external existence, it is called reality.

Al-ṣuwraa according to Maqalid al-'Ulum (As-Suyuti)

That by which a thing exists, through itself and through something else.

Al-ṣuwraa according to At-Ta'rifat al-Fiqhiyya (Al-Barkati)

The shape and everything that is depicted in the likeness of Allah's creation, whether of sentient beings or others.

Related terms: Al-ṣuwraa