Ma’rifa

In Sufism, ma’rifa (Arabic: معرفة‎, romanized: ma‘rifah, lit. ‘knowledge’) describes the mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than revealed or rationally acquired.

A seeker of ma’rifa is called ‘arif, “the one who knows”.

In one of the earliest accounts of the Maqamat-l arba’in (“forty stations”) in Sufism, Sufi master Abu Said ibn Abi’l-Khayr lists ma’rifa as the 25th station: “Through all the creatures of the two worlds, and through all the people, they perceive Allah, and there is no accusation to be made of their perception.”^{[citation needed]}

Marifat is one of the “Four Doors” of Sufism:

• Sharia (Arabic: شريعة‎) : legal path.
• Tariqa (Arabic: طريقة‎) : methodico‑esoteric path.
• Haqiqa (Arabic: حقيقة‎) : mystical truth / verity.
• Ma’rifa (Arabic: معرفة‎) : mystical knowledge & awareness, mysticism.

A metaphor to explain the meaning of ma’rifa involves pearl gathering. Shari’a is the boat; tariqa is represented by the pearl gatherer’s rowing and diving; haqiqa is the pearl; and ma’rifa is the gift to see the true pearl perpetually.^[2