ʿAmāʾ means cloud in ordinary usage and becomes an important technical image when commentators address receptivity and the first disclosure of forms. It should not be confused with a physical atmospheric cloud.
Distinctions and context
Some exegetical traditions connect the cloud with the Rahmanic Breath or absolute imagination, but the equivalence is context-sensitive. A later commentator’s identification must remain attributed to that commentator.
Research question
How does the basic image function in the argument, and where does the analogy end?
Source trail and evidence status
- Secondary dictionary entryالمعجم الصوفي — مدخل 489 ↗
- Discovery catalogue, not a verified witnessمفاهيم ومصطلحات الفتوحات — فهرس سياقي ↗
- Discovery catalogue, not a verified witnessفهرس المخطوطات — بحث مستقل عن الشاهد ↗