{{Short description|Islamic term for gnosis}} {{other uses}} {{italic title}} {{Sufism|Ideas}} {{Sunni Islam|collapsed=yes}} {{Twelvers|collapsed=yes}} In Islam, '''irfan''' (Arabic/Persian/Urdu: {{lang|ar|عرفان}}; {{langx|tr|İrfan}}), literally 'knowledge, awareness, wisdom', is a concept in Islamic mysticism akin to gnosis, or spiritual knowledge.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mutahhari |first1=Murtaza |last2=Tabataba'i |first2=Muhammad Husayn |last3=Khomeini |first3=Ruhollah |title=Light Within Me |year=2000 |publisher= Ansariyan Publications}}</ref>
== Sunni mysticism == According to the founder of the Qadiriyya Sufi order, Abdul Qadir Gilani, ''irfan'' is the acknowledgement of God's unity. This acceptance is achieved by studying under Islamic scholars who give insight on the internal meanings of Islamic rituals, such as the salah. Reflection upon the practice of Islam with the guidance of respected Islamic scholars is a form of "nearness to God".<ref>{{cite book |last1=al-Jīlānī |first1=ʻAbd al-Qādir |title=The Book of the Secret of Secrets and the Manifestation of Lights |date=2000 |publisher=Al-Baz Publishing, Incorporated |isbn=978-1-882216-23-9 |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=St98AAAACAAJ |language=en}}</ref>
== Shi'ite mysticism == Ali al-Sistani defines true ''irfan'' as the practice of reciting prescribed duas (prayers) taught by the Twelve Imams, praying the night prayer, and seeking God's pleasure through mustahabb (recommended) actions.
Among the best-known modern Shia proponents of ''irfan'' were Usuli theologians Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, Ruhollah Khomeini, Mohammad-Taqi Bahjat Foumani, Hassan Hassanzadeh Amoli, and Ali Tabatabaei.
==See also== *Hikmah *Irfan (name) *Ma'rifa *Hikmat al-Muta’aliyah
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://sufism.ir/ "Sufism of Iran" - A Reference website for Sufi books] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212803/http://al-islam.org/alpha.php?sid=587397273&cat=68&alpha_id=147 Articles related to Irfan on Al-Islam.org]
{{Sufism terminology}} {{Islamic philosophy}} {{Portal bar|Religion|Islam|Education|Psychology}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Islamic mysticism Category:Shia Islam Category:Islamic terminology