المعنى الاصطلاحي

Perceiving something and realizing its reality through deep thinking and contemplation.

الشرح المختصر

"‘Irfān" is like knowledge, which is perceiving something the way it really is preceded by ignorance. It is made up of perceiving the individual components and the relationship between them, and includes knowledge and action, which is the belief of the heart. ""Irfān" in the Sufi literature is a way of gaining knowledge granted to the Gnostic and wise man through inspiration and metaphysical illumination, which are in turn attained by several ways such as the so-called Sufi wonders as well as imagination and prediction. "Irfān" could also refer to the inspirations descended by Allah the Almighty on the Sufi directly to his heart or to his inner self. The Gnostic according to the Sufis is the one that Allah made him witness His essence, attributes, names, and actions, or the one who is deeply engrossed in knowledge and love of Allah the Almighty. An example of the false types of "‘irfān" is what some Sufis claim after entering the stage of annihilation in the unity of Lordship. In this stage, they say that a Gnostic does not consider the good thing good or the bad thing bad. This represents the utmost level of "irfān" in which the Sufis do not see any difference between the allies of Allah and His enemies; faith and disbelief; praising and worshiping Allah and blaspheming Him; and considering Him one of three in trinity; the Messenger of Allah and Abu Jahl; or Mūsa (Moses) and Pharaoh.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر

"‘Irfān": is derived from "‘arafa" which means to know something through one of the five senses. "Ma‘rifah": perceiving something by thinking and pondering over its effect. Original meaning: calmness, reassurance.