Wikipedia's first sentence called it “term in sufism”. Today it says “sufi concept dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2010
Kashf is a term in Sufism . The literal meaning of the word is "unveiling", but in Sufi terminology it means to expose the heart to metaphysical illumination or " revelation " and the experience of visions unattainable by reason. There is supposed to be a stage beyond kashf which is called al-tajalli , or Divine manifestation: the appearance of God's light to man. Later mystics, relying upon the traditional terminology, classified the revelations as follows: Kashf kaunī , revelation on the plane of the created things, is a result of pious actions and purifications of the lower soul; it becomes manifest in dreams and clairvoyance. Kashf ilāhī , divine revelation, is a fruit of constant worship and polishing of the heart; it results in the knowledge of the world of spirits and in cardiognosy ["soul-reading"] so that the mystic sees hidden things and reads hidden thoughts. Kashf aqlī , revelation by reason, is essentially the lowest grade of intuitive knowledge; it can be attained by polishing the moral faculties, and can be experienced by the philosophers as well. Kashf īmānī , revelation through faith, is the fruit of perfect faith after man has acquired proximity to the perfections of prophethood. He will be blessed by direct divine addresses — he talks with the angels, meets the spirits of the prophets, and sees the Night of Might and the blessings of the month of Ramaḍan in human form in the ālam almithāl. Annemarie Schimmel, Mystical dimensions of Islam (1975), pg1921
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 321486562.
The opening as it stood in 2015 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Kashf ( ) "unveiling" is a Sufi concept rooted in Gnostic ideals dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect.Kashf describes the state of experiencing a personal divine revelation after ascending through spiritual struggles, and uncovering the heart (a spiritual faculty) in order to allow divine truths to pour into it.Kashf is etymologically related to mukashafa “disclosure”/ “divine irradiation of the essence”, which connotes “gain[ing] familiarity with things unseen behind the veils”.In Sufism, an even further revelatory capacity exists by which the Divine mysteries become readily apparent to the seeker through the light of knowledge of God .This is called tajalli "manifestation".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 663213379.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Kashf ( ) "unveiling" is a Sufi concept dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect. Kashf describes the state of experiencing a personal divine revelation after ascending through spiritual struggles, and uncovering the heart (a spiritual faculty) in order to allow divine truths to pour into it. Kashf is etymologically related to mukashafa “disclosure”/ “divine irradiation of the essence”, which connotes “gain[ing] familiarity with things unseen behind the veils”. In Sufism, an even further revelatory capacity exists by which the Divine mysteries become readily apparent to the seeker through the light of knowledge of God . This is called tajalli "manifestation".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 947375542.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Islamic and Sufi concept Kashf ( ) "unveiling" is a Sufi concept dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect. Kashf describes the state of experiencing a personal divine revelation after ascending through spiritual struggles, and uncovering the heart (a spiritual faculty) in order to allow divine truths to pour into it. Kashf is etymologically related to mukashafa “disclosure”/ “divine irradiation of the essence”, which connotes "gain[ing] familiarity with things unseen behind the veils". In Sufism, an even further revelatory capacity exists by which the Divine mysteries become readily apparent to the seeker through the light of knowledge of God . This is called tajalli "manifestation".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1157373186.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Islamic and Sufi concept Kashf ( Arabic : كشف ) "unveiling" is a Sufi concept dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect. Kashf describes the state of experiencing a personal divine revelation after ascending through spiritual struggles, and uncovering the heart (a spiritual faculty) in order to allow divine truths to pour into it. Kashf is etymologically related to mukashafa "disclosure"/ "divine irradiation of the essence", which connotes "gain[ing] familiarity with things unseen behind the veils". In Sufism, an even further revelatory capacity exists by which the Divine mysteries become readily apparent to the seeker through the light of knowledge of God . This is called tajalli "manifestation".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1283599568. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “term in sufism”. Today it says “sufi concept dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
term in sufism
Now
sufi concept dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
