Arif
Encyclopedia
Arif is a common male given name in various Muslim
countries, such as Afghanistan
, Bangladesh
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, India
, Indonesia
, Malaysia, Pakistan
and Turkey
.
", similar in meaning to the terms salik
, zahid or faqir.
In his work "Waystations of the Gnostics" (Maqamat al–‘arifin), Ibn Sina defines several stages along a mystical path, where the ‘arif occupies an intermediate stage. Mahmud Shabistari
remarks that the true ‘arif sees the inward light of the divine being everywhere. The Tayyibi author al–Khattab b. al–Hasan, delineating the difference between ordinary knowledge (‘ilm) and ma‘rifa, explains that every ‘arif is a knower, but not every knower is an ‘arif. Some Twelver Shi'a authors like Rajab Bursi
define an ‘arif as a believer whose love and knowledge (ma‘rifa) of the imam
s draw him nearer to spiritual perfection.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
countries, such as Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Sufi philosophy
As a term, it was used by Sufi authors like Abu Abd al–Rahman al–Sulami to mean "a gnostic, mystic; a seeker of marifaMarifa
Marifa , which literally means knowledge, is the term used by Sufi Muslims to describe mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than revealed or rationally acquired. M...
", similar in meaning to the terms salik
Salik
A salik is a person who engaged in Islamic spiritual path or sufism. The word derived from Arabic word sulook, which means to walk a path . To become a salik, one must follow both the outer path and the inner path of Islam virtuously.A salik is also called murid when one becomes a disciple to...
, zahid or faqir.
In his work "Waystations of the Gnostics" (Maqamat al–‘arifin), Ibn Sina defines several stages along a mystical path, where the ‘arif occupies an intermediate stage. Mahmud Shabistari
Mahmud Shabistari
Mahmūd Shabistarī is one of the most celebrated Persian Sufi poets of the 14th century.-Life and work:Shabistari was born in the town of Shabestar near Tabriz in 1288 , where he received his education. He became deeply versed in the symbolic terminology of Ibn Arabi...
remarks that the true ‘arif sees the inward light of the divine being everywhere. The Tayyibi author al–Khattab b. al–Hasan, delineating the difference between ordinary knowledge (‘ilm) and ma‘rifa, explains that every ‘arif is a knower, but not every knower is an ‘arif. Some Twelver Shi'a authors like Rajab Bursi
Rajab Bursi
Rajab al-Hafiz al-Bursi an Arab Shia theologian and mystic.Rajab al-Hafiz al-Bursi was born in contemporary Iraq, near Hilla, and moved to the Iranian province of Khurasan to escape accusations of heresy...
define an ‘arif as a believer whose love and knowledge (ma‘rifa) of the imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
s draw him nearer to spiritual perfection.
Given name
- Aref al-ArefAref al-ArefAref al-Aref was a Palestinian journalist, historian and politician who served as mayor of East Jerusalem in the 1950s.-Biography:...
, Palestinian journalist and politician - Aref Arefkia, Iranian pop singer
- Aref al-DajaniAref al-DajaniAref Basha al-Dajani was an Arab Palestinian politician who served as mayor of Jerusalem during World War I.Aref al-Dajani was born in Jerusalem in 1856. During World War I, he served as mayor of Jerusalem...
, Palestinian politician - Arif DirlikArif DirlikArif Dirlik is a historian most known for his works about 20th century Chinese history. Dirlik received a BSc in Electrical Engineering at Robert College, Istanbul in 1964 and a PhD in History at the University of Rochester in 1973.From 1971 until 2001 he stayed as a member of the History faculty...
, Turkish historian - Aref DurveshAref Durvesh-Aref Durvesh Introduction:Aref Durvesh is a celebrated and prolific tabla artist who has recorded and performed with Badmarsh & Shri, Sting, Susheela Raman, Cheb Mami, Jeff Beck, Visionary Underground, and is also one of the longest-serving members of Nitin Sawhneys band, having performed on all...
, Indian musician - Arif ErdemArif ErdemArif Erdem is a retired Turkish international footballer and the current manager of İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor. He played in the forward position. Starting out with local club Zeytinburnuspor in 1990, Erdem had a decorated 15-year professional career...
, Turkish footballer - Arif HeralićArif HeralicArif Heralić was a metal worker on a blast furnace in Zenica. His picture was taken by N. Bibić, a Borba news photographer, in 1954 and from the papers he came to feature on a 1000 Yugoslav "1945 dinar" and a 10 Yugoslav "1965 dinar" banknote. As a disabled worker, Heralić died in extreme poverty...
, Bosnian metal worker - Arif KaraoğlanArif KaraoglanArif Karaoğlan is a Turkish-German footballer who plays for SVN Zweibrücken. Karoglan spent a few years in the youth setup at Nottingham Forest, before returning to Germany in 2005.-External links:**...
, Turkish-German footballer - Arif MirabdolbaghiProtest the HeroProtest the Hero is a Canadian progressive metal band from Whitby, Ontario. Originally named Happy Go Lucky, the band line-up has remained the same since their formation in 1999. The band changed their name to Protest the Hero shortly before releasing their debut EP, Search for the Truth, in 2002...
, Canadian musician - Arif PašalićArif PašalicArif Pašalić was a Bosnian military officer who commanded the 4th Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian war.-Life:...
, Bosnian military officer - Aref QazviniAref QazviniAbolqassem Aref Qazvini was an Iranian poet, lyricist, and musician.-Biography:He was born in Qazvin.He composed many poems about Iran and was called a national poet. Along with his powerful poetry, he also wrote lyrics for numerous songs and played music. He was a revolutionary during the Iranian...
, Iranian poet - Aarif RahmanAarif LeeAarif Lee is an actor and Cantopop singer from Hong Kong. After singing "普通朋友" at a gathering, he was signed by Alvin Wang and Leon Lai of East Asia Record Production and became one of the new artists in 2009...
, Hong Kong actor - Arif SağArif SagArif Sağ is a singer, bağlama virtuoso and leading figure in modern Turkish folk music, as well as a former MP in the Turkish parliament, and an academic....
, Turkish singer - Arif ŞentürkArif ŞentürkArif Şentürk , traditional folk singer and compiler. He is known as a singer who performs on the Balkan ethnical music.- Life :...
, Turkish singer - Arif SusamArif SusamArif Susam is a new wave/synthpop artist. His style combines traditional Turkish tunes with synthesized instruments...
, Turkish singer - Aref TayfourAref TayfourAref Tayfour is the Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly. A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, he was elected to the post by the Assembly on 22 April 2006 and after new legislative elections in 2010 he was re-elected to the post in November 2010...
, Iraqi politician - Aarif M. Iftekhar, Bangladeshi Businessman
Surname
- Ahmed ArifAhmed ArifAhmed Arif was a Kurdish poet of Turkey.Ahmed Arif has studied philosophy at Ankara University. He has been arrested on political grounds in 1950 and spent time in prison till 1952. Published in various literary journals, his poems were widely read due to their original lyricism and imagery...
(1927–1991), Turkish poet - Hassan ArefHassan ArefDr. Hassan Aref was the Reynolds Metals Professor in the Department of at Virginia Tech, and the Niels Bohr Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Denmark. Prior to joining Virginia Tech as Dean of Engineering in 2003-2005 Aref was Head of the Department of Theoretical and Applied...
, Egyptian physicist - Naved ArifNaved ArifNaved Arif Gondal is a Pakistani cricketer. Arif is a left-handed batsman who bowls left-arm medium-fast. He currently plays for Sussex in English county cricket.-Gujranwala Cricket Association:...
, Professional cricketer - Yassin M. ArefYassin M. ArefYassin M. Aref is a resident of Albany, New York, who was arrested by Federal authorities in August 2004 as part of a counter-terrorism sting operation, convicted in October 2006 of conspiring to aid a terrorist group and provide support for a weapon of mass destruction, as well as money-laundering...
, American terror suspect