Arif

Infobox Given Name Revised
name = Arif


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origin = Arabic
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Arif ( _ar. عارف) is a popular and common given name in various Muslim countries of Asia, such as Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia (in Malaysia, the spelling may also appear as Ariff or Arief). It means 'smart', 'knowledgeable' and 'wise' (Literally, "one who knows") in Arabic.

As a term, it was used by Sufi authors like Abu Abd al–Rahman al–Sulami (d. 1021) to mean "a gnostic, mystic; a seeker of "marifa" (spiritual knowledge)", similar in meaning to the terms "salik", "zahid", "faqir", etc.

In his work "Waystations of the Gnostics" ("Maqamat al–‘arifin"), Ibn Sina (d. 1037) defines several stages along a mystical path, where the "‘arif" occupies an intermediate stage. Mahmud Shabistari (d. 1339) remarks that the true "‘arif" sees the inward light of the divine being everywhere. The Tayyibi author al–Khattab b. al–Hasan (d. 1138), 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 (d. 1411) define an "‘arif" as a believer whose love and knowledge ("ma‘rifa") of the imams draw him nearer to spiritual perfection.

The Arabic word "‘arif" has also been borrowed into the "street language" (vernacular) of Amharic and other Ethiopian languages, but with a change of meaning: it is used as a slang term corresponding to English "cool", "neat-o", etc.