It has been said that they are infants... (Ta'arruf, 62)
This designation has become prevalent among the sufiyya (the community of Sufis). The singular form is sufi, and the community is also called sufiyya. The person who attains this is called a mutaṣawwif, and the group formed by such people is called mutaṣawwifa. There is no root or analogy in Arabic to show that this name is originally Arabic. It has become clear that this name is only in the status of a nickname. Some have said that this word was derived as taṣawwuf (Sufism) from the word ṣūf (wool), by analogy with the naming of putting on a shirt as taqammaṣa (he put on a shirt), meaning 'he put on wool.' This is one opinion. However, wearing wool is not unique to this community.
Some have said that the word comes from the Suffa, those affiliated with the Prophet's mosque. However, the nisba (attributive form) of the word suffa does not become sufi (but suffi).
Others have said that the word is derived from the root ṣafā (purity), but it is impossible for the word sufi to be linguistically derived from ṣafā, because the nisba of ṣafā is safevi, not sufi.
Some have said that the word is derived from the root ṣaff (row), and that this meaning is correct because the Sufis are in the first row (in proximity to Allah). However, to attribute the word sufi, mutaṣawwif, mustaṣwif, or sufiyya to the word ṣaff is linguistically incorrect, because the nisba of ṣaff is saffi, not sufi.
In conclusion, the Sufi community is so well-known that it does not require a verbal analogy or derivation from a root to help understand its characteristics. Moreover, people have put forward different opinions about Sufism and its meaning, and about the sufi and his identity. All these definitions have been made regarding the sufi.