Ghaflah

Ghaflah (غفلة) is the Arabic word for "heedlessness", "forgetfulness" or "carelessness". In an Islamic context, it is the sin of forgetting God and one's divine origins, or being indifferent of these.
In the Quran, ghaflah is often associated with "dalal" (going astray), kufr (disbelief), zulm (wrongdoing), and shirk (worshiping others beside God). The state of heedlessness or forgetfulness is to be remedied through dhikr or remembrance of God.
Etymology
Ghaflah is an Arabic word that means heedlessness or carelessness, and the term ghafil refers to those who are neglectful or heedless.
Concept
Toshihiko Izutsu argues that the term "ghaflah" used in the Quran has both a common and a religious connotation. The common usage of the word can be seen in the story of Jacob and his sons, as mentioned in verse 12:13 of the Quran. In this verse, Jacob tells his sons: "Verily, it grieves me that you should take him out with you; I fear lest the wolf devour him [Joseph] while you are heedless (ghafilun) of him." In its religious usage, "ghaflah" is closely related to another similar concept called "dalal". "Dalal" refers to deviating from the path of guidance, while "ghaflah" means to be completely unaware of it. In Surah 25, verse 44 of the Quran, the disbelievers thus are compared to cattle in their state of "dalal". Similarly, they are characterized by the property of "ghaflah" or heedlessness. The Quran states in 7:178-179: "Whomsoever God guides (yahdi), he is guided (muhtadi), while whomsoever He leads astray (yudlil), such are the losers. We have created for Gehenna a huge number of jinn and men who, having hearts, understand not therewith. They are like the cattle. Nay, they are further astray (adallu). They are the heedless (ghafilun, part. pl.)".
The notion of ghaflah may also refer to the pre-revelational state of humanity as is evident in Surah 36, verses 5-6, which refer to the Quran as "The Revelation of the Mighty, the Merciful, that thou [Muhammad] mayest warn a people whose fathers were never warned, and who are, consequently, heedless". The notion of ghaflah is also closely related to kufr, zulm, and shirk, as is seen in 21:97-98, which says: "When the true promise [i.e. the chastisement of Hell] draws nigh, lo, how fixedly open they are, the eyes of the Kafirs! [They say], ‘Alas for us! We were in heedlessness (ghaflah) of this. Nay, we were wrongdoers (zalimin).’ ‘Verily, you and what you used [to] worship beside God, are all fuel for Gehenna. You are now going to enter it.’"
According to The New Encyclopedia of Islam, "Ghaflah is the sin of indifference to the reality of God". The people who are identified as being negligent or heedless (ghafil) in the Quran have a limited understanding and appreciation of the true essence of life. These individuals are preoccupied with only the superficial aspects of the world and do not pay attention to the significance of the hereafter (30:7).
The Quran mentions that before receiving the revelation, even the Prophet himself was in a state of heedlessness or "ghaflah", as the Quran states in 12:3: "We narrate to thee the best of stories in that We have revealed to thee this Quran, although thou wast aforetime of the heedless".
Dhikr as remedy
According to Sachiko Murata and William Chittick, "If forgetfulness and heedlessness mark the basic fault of human beings, dhikr (remembrance) designates their saving virtue". God thus sends the prophets to remind people of the Covenant they made with Him before their birth, which they have forgotten due to heedlessness. The prophets do this by reciting God's signs and reminding people of their debt to Him. In response, people are expected to remember God by glorifying and praising Him in their prayers. The act of remembrance of God is considered crucial in fulfilling the purpose of human existence, as it restores the bond between the Creator and His creation.
See also
Sufi psychology
References
Sources
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External links
Ghaflah: The Sickness of Modern Man
Sufism
Islamic terminology
Arabic words and phrases