Illusion, Supposition, and Consideration

وہم و فرض و اعتبار

Wahm (illusion), Fard (supposition), and I'tibār (consideration/notional attribution) are three modes of taking something to be real that do not correspond to genuine external existence. Wahm is a mistaken belief arising from sensory deception or confusion. Fard is a hypothetical supposition — 'let us suppose that...' — which need not correspond to reality. I'tibār is a notional or conventional attribution — treating something as if it were real for the purposes of reasoning or speech, without claiming it is actually real.

Observing Contextual Requirement (Ri'āyat al-Iqtidā'): Every utterance is made in a particular context, with a particular purpose, and must be understood accordingly. The same word or phrase may mean different things in different contexts, at different levels of being, or from different perspectives. This principle is crucial for understanding the language of the mystics, who often speak from a state of inner absorption and use the vocabulary of Unity in ways that sound paradoxical to the uninitiated.