Sufi Parables | Children of the Spirit (Abnā’ur Rūḥ)
The Children of the Spirit are those who live within the language of the soul. They are people who understand subtle indications, who seek meaning—not those who rush to judgment. The words of the Sufis do not move in a straightforward way according to the thinking of ordinary people, because they emerge from the station of the spirit (maqām al-rūḥ), or from states of ḥāl and zawq (spiritual taste). That is why they use parables (examples) and symbolic expressions (ishārāt), to convey realities that cannot be directly captured in plain language. I call the people of understanding Abnā’ur Rūḥ—the Children of the Spirit—those who grasp meaning before words, and who carry expressions from the outward (ẓāhir) to the inward (bāṭin). To them, speech is a tajallī—a manifestation of Reality that requires a purified heart to receive it. This is why not everyone can understand the words of the Sufis. Shehu (RTA) said: "وهذا لا يخرج إلا من مدد جسدنا ولا يفهمه إلا جسد مددنا" “This knowled...