'Maarifa': Arabic word for knowledge is connected to many forms of enlightenment

It is linked to the concept of learning and encyclopaedias

Several words in Arabic come from the same root word of 'maarifa', linking to self-awareness, fame and smelling nice. Photo: The National

The Arabic proverb "knowledge is light, and ignorance is darkness" is rooted in the transformative power of education and enlightening one's path with knowledge. The comparison is a universal metaphor, but this week’s Arabic Word of the Week, maarifa, which means "knowledge", is used in several ways through other words connected to the concept of knowledge.

Maarifa, whose root Arabic letters are Ain, Rah and Fah, is a noun that comes from the word arafa, a verb that describes "gaining knowledge". The official meaning of maarifa is knowing something for what it is. Maarifa is having knowledge about a topic, a person, a situation or a thing that has been gained over time through learning, observing or education.

Another definition of maarifa is having knowledge of another person’s actions or a situation unfolding. So it is not knowing intimate details of the person or situation, but having knowledge of their actions. There are various types of maarifa. For example, maarifa mubashira, which translates to "live knowledge", refers to knowing someone or something in a direct way and not through any other person or method. This is kin to first-hand research or experience, like a journalist working on the ground at an event.

Dawar al maarif refers to books, similar to encyclopaedias, with particular information about different aspects of the world. There is also natheriyat al maarifa, which in English is referred to as the "theory of knowledge".

This is a critical branch of philosophy and, in some cases, Sufism, that investigates the origin, nature and limitations of knowledge through various facets. Not only does this field of study look at how one understands knowledge and how it's acquired, but what is knowledge itself, with a particular focus on exploring concepts of belief, truth, justification and evidence.

Another form of knowledge is maarifat al that, also known as "knowledge of the self". It is either someone who is on the journey towards or has complete knowledge of himself in all aspects – understanding the good and bad aspects of their nature, and having a deep sense of their own awareness.

Several words in Arabic come from the same root word of maarifa and are connected to the concept of knowledge in various ways. There is maarouf, which refers to a topic that becomes well known, while ouurifa is when a person is famous.

There is arroufa, a verb, which means someone who makes themselves smell good with cologne or perfume. In classical Arabic, the word aarif means perfume.

Arrafaa means to introduce someone or something to another person or a group of people. In doing so, one is giving full knowledge of the attributes of this new person or thing. Arrafaa can also mean to decorate or make something look or be better. What connects these words across their various meanings is the idea that knowledge, in one way, shape or form, not only makes a person more aware but ultimately enlightens them for the better.