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110.
Textual Notes
ASH-SI-IAHADAH, 'There is no god but God.
Muhammad is the Prophet of God.' This pro-
fession of faith is made by a person who embraces
Islam or a Muslim who is on the death-bed, but
it is also repeated by Muslims in public and
private prayers.
KHALAWAH, a Sufi term for retreat .i •. e. a
temporary retirement into solitude for prayer
and meditation.
Muslims believe that Islam is the last religion
of all the revealed religions and hence assumes
the name FURQAN. This Arabic term, which is
related to the root f-r-q 'to separate', conveys
the meaning: 'The one which distinguishes between
good and evil, and between lawfulness and unlaw-
fulnes·s. '
The word $IRAT occurs many times in the Quran,
but often in the phrase of $IRAT- 'L-MUSTAQIM
(The Right Path) of religioi. In Muslim
tradition, however, it is commonly used for the
bridge across Hell which is described as finer
than a hair and sharper than the edge of a
knite. In the Day of Judgement all will cross
this bridge and the righteous will pass over it
with the swiftness of lightning while the wicked
will find difficulties in crossing it and will
finally fall into the fire of Hell. In this
line the poet invokes the saints, who are