What does Al-wrqaʾ mean?

Islam > Glossary > Al-wrqaʾ

Discover the meaning of the term Al-wrqaʾ (ورقاء) in Islamic vocabulary.

Definition Al-wrqaʾ

Al-wrqaʾ according to Kitab at-Ta'rifat (Al-Jurjani)

The universal soul, which is the Preserved Tablet, the tablet of decree, and the spirit breathed into the leveled forms after the completion of their leveling. It is the first existing entity brought into being by a cause, and this cause is the first intellect which came into existence without any cause other than divine providence and grace. Thus, it has a special orientation toward the Real by which it accepted existence from the Real. The soul has two orientations: a special orientation toward the Real, and an orientation toward the intellect which is the cause of its existence. Every existing thing has an orientation specific to it prior to existence, whether its existence has a cause or not. And since the soul possesses the subtlety of descending from the precincts of its holiness to the leveled phantoms, it was named the dove due to the beauty of its descent from the Real and the subtlety of its outreach to the earth. Some sages have called it: the partial souls.

Al-wrqaʾ according to At-Tawqif (Al-Munawi)

The universal soul, which is the Preserved Tablet, the tablet of decree, and the spirit breathed into the leveled forms after the completion of their leveling, as well as the first existing entity brought into being by a cause. This cause is the first intellect which came into existence without any cause other than divine providence and grace, and it has a special orientation toward the Real by which it accepted the existing things from the Real.

Related terms: Al-wrqaʾ