(Safa). The higher teaching is Purity. The word Sufi derives from safa. The Sufi is the slave of Allah whose self, heart, spirit and secret have been purified, through the Remembrance of Allah, through sincere spiritual endeavour and ultimately by Allah's Grace. His heart has become the dwelling place of Allah. He is the perfect locus of manifestation for the All-Comprehensive Name 'Allah'.
An indication to the purification of the self from the human qualities.
Purified One. The name Sufi applies to the man or woman who has purified his heart through the Remembrance of Allah, travelled the Path of Return to Allah, and arrived at True Knowledge. There are many seekers of Wisdom and Truth, but only the Realized One whose search was solely for Allah, deserves the name Sufi. Yet paradoxically, the one deserving of the name would never deem himself worthy of such an honour. Because he has attained such a high degree in his Knowledge of Allah he knows, with Certainty, that 'the slave is the slave and the Lord is the Lord'.
