In Sufi thought, "waqt" (time) is defined as "the state in which a servant exists in the present moment (without regard for the past or future)," "that which holds dominion over man," or "a divine manifestation dependent upon the servant's aptitude." "Ibn al-waqt," meaning "son of the time" in Arabic, is a term used in Sufism for Sufis who have been liberated from anxieties regarding the past and future and who live entirely in the present moment. "Abu al-waqt," also from Arabic, meaning "master of the time" or "father of the time," is a term used for Sufis who are not swayed by the influence of time and states. The former belongs to the "people of fluctuation" (ahl al-talwin), while the latter belongs to the "people of steadfastness" (ahl al-tamkin).

This work consists of a translation and an analysis of the Sufi concepts found in the treatise titled Bikru’l-Vakt fî Ma’rifeti Sülûki İbni’l-Vakt ve Ebi’l-Vakt, authored by Şâh Velî Ayıntâbî, a 16th-century sheikh of the Halvetiyye order. The treatise in question was written as an allegorical commentary (tafsir) on Surah al-Inshirah to explain the stations of the heart through the terms ibn al-waqt and abu al-waqt, detailing the stations of the traveler's spiritual journey—sadr (breast), heart, spirit, secret (sirr), mystery of the secret, hidden secret, and the most hidden secret—through the concept of time.