Wikipedia's first sentence called it “term used by sufi muslims to describe mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic”. Today it says “essentially god”.
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.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2010 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2010
Marifa ( ), which literally means knowledge, is the term used by Sufi Muslims to describe mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than revealed or rationally acquired.1Fethullah Gulen , in his book on Sufism , describes Marifa ("knowledge of God") as special knowledge acquired through reflection, sincere endeavor, using one's conscience and inquiring into one's inner world. In this, it is distinct from scientific knowledge, or ilm , which is based on study, investigation, analysis, and synthesis. The opposite of scientific knowledge is ignorance, while the opposite of marifa is denial. A person realizing marifa is imperceptible to others, who are without such knowledge. The following words are narrated in books concerning Sufism as a hadith qudsi , a saying inspired by and received from God: Oh humankind! One who knows his self also knows Me; one who knows Me seeks Me, and one who seeks Me certainly finds Me; one who finds Me attains all his aspirations and expectations, and prefers none over Me. Be humble that you can have knowledge of Me. In order to know Me, renounce your own self. A heart which has not flourished and been perfected is blind.2In one of the earliest accounts of the Maqamat-l arba'in ("forty stations") in Sufism, Sufi master Abu Said ibn Abi'l-Khayr lists marifa 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."3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 365684164.
The opening as it stood in 2015 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Marifa ( ), which literally means knowledge, is the term used by Sufi Muslims to describe mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than revealed or rationally acquired. 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 marifa 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."
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 662543373.
The opening as it stood in 2020
In Sufism , ma'rifa ( ) 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." Marifat is one of the " Four Doors " of Sufism: Sharia ( ) : legal path. Haqiqa ( ) : mystical truth / verity.Ma'rifa ( ) : 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.The religion of Java .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 931895368.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Sufi term for spiritual knowledge In Sufism , maʿrifa ("experiential knowledge" or " gnosis ") is the mystical understanding of God or Divine Reality.It has been described as an immediate recognition and understanding of the true nature of things as they are.Ma'rifa encompasses a deep understanding of the ultimate Truth, which is essentially God, and extends to the comprehension of all things in their connection to God.Sufi mystics attain maʿrifa by embarking on a spiritual journey , typically consisting of various stages referred to as "stations" and "states." In the state of ma'rifa, the mystic transcends the temptations of the self and is absorbed in God, experiencing a sense of alienation from their own self.The term ' arif , "gnostic" has been used to designate advanced mystics who have attained the spiritual station of ma'rifa .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1172599607. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “term used by sufi muslims to describe mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic”. Today it says “essentially god”. 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 used by sufi muslims to describe mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic
Now
essentially god
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.
