Practical Irfan
- Updated On Friday, 06 June 2014
- Written by A group of writers
- Editor Kawther Rahmani
- Supervisor Sayyed Roohullah Musavi
- Published on Monday, 23 August 2010
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- Hits: What issues and arguments are discussed in practical Irfan?
Irfan, as a scientific and academic discipline, has two different branches: the practical and the theoretical. The practical aspect of Irfan describes and explains the relationship and responsibilities the human being bears towards itself, the world and God. Here, Irfan is similar to ethics (akhlaq), both of them being practical sciences. There do exist differences, however, and later we will explain them. The practical teaching of Irfan is also called the itinerary of the spiritual path (sayr wa suluk; lit. 'traveling and journeying'). Here, the wayfarer (salik) who desires to reach the goal of the sublime peak of humanness - that is to say, tawhid - is told where to set off, the ordered stages and stations that he must traverse, the states and conditions he will undergo at these stations, and the events that will befall him. Needless to say, all these stages and stations must be passed under the guidance and supervision of a mature and perfect example of humanity who, having traveled this path is aware of the manners and ways of each station. If not, and there is no perfect human being to guide him on his path, he is in danger of going astray. The perfect man, the master, who must necessarily accompany the novice on the spiritual journey, according to the urafa, has been called in their vocabulary as Ta'ir al-Quds (the Holy Bird) and Khidr: 'Accompany my zeal on the path, O Ta'ir al-Quds, The path to the goal is long, and I am new to the journey. Leave not this stage without the company of Khidr, There is darkness ahead; be afraid of losing the way.'