As to the word istafaha...

As to the word istafaha, safwah means something pure and purged from impurity ( kudurat ) and istifa’ has the sense of taking that which is clear and pure ( safi ) and is implied in its meaning. However, Jawhari and others have considered it to mean ikhtiyar (choosing), and so they have also considered ikhtiyar to mean isitifa’ in the lexicons.

This is, however, an explanation in terms of that which is implied, as ikhtiyar also means taking that which is good ( khayr ) and meritorious, and in this respect coincides with istifa’ in external reality, though it is not synonymous with it. As to the word al-Ka’bah, it is the name of the House of the God.

Some have said that it has been called Ka’bah due to its resemblance to a cube ( muka’ab ) or due to its square shape,[^6] and muka’ab in the terminology of mathematicians is a body with six equal planes perpendicular to one another. As to the word al-ruh, in…