What’s In A Name

When a student makes a commitment to accept a spiritual guide as their teacher, they take bay’ah with that teacher, also called taking hand.  This is a rite where you literally hold the guides hand and promise to follow his teachings and the teachings of the prophets.  Once the promise or vow is completed, the guide will pray for God to show him the essence of your soul, or which of His Qualities you carry and can reflect back to the outside world.   The guide will then give you a Sufi name based upon that guidance.

The name I was given when I took bay’ah with Sidi al-Jamal was Jumanah.  This name is not based on any of the 99 Qualities.   Sidi told me that the inner meaning of Jumanah is,  “One who carries the essence of Purity, like polished silver”.  I’ve read that it means “Silver Pearl” in Arabic.  I once had a vision where I was engaged in a sacred ceremony, like a marriage of some kind.  I was wearing a dress covered in silver pearls.  I had this vision before I knew that my name meant silver pearl.  When I first got into energy medicine, years before meeting Sidi, I had two spirit guides.  Their names were Cecil and Pearla. Also my fraternal grandmother’s name was Pearl. The essence of my soul had been whispering  it’s essence to me for years before Sidi made it overtly clear to me who I am.

Your Sufi name can often show you what your life journey is going to be about.   The Quality given in the name is also the hub of the lessons you will experience in your life time, until you integrate that Quality into your being.   Many names for men start with the name Abdul.  Abdul is simply the word for “slave of”  in Arabic.  If a man has the name Abdul Rahim, he carries the Quality of mercy in his soul.  He needs to learn to be  Mercy.   I need to be Purity.  Regardless of whether I’ve discovered my soul’s essence and integrated it into my outside world or not,  my soul still carries the Quality of Purity.  And so does yours.