(( Arif (Arabic: عارف) is a popular and common given name in various Muslim countries of Asia, such as Indonesia, Turkey, Afghanistan, India,Pakistan, 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 ‘arifoccupies an intermediate stage. Mahmud Shabistari (d. 1339) remarks that the true ‘arif sees the inward light of the divine being everywhere. TheTayyibi 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. pretty much means knowledgeable))
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