Lataif-e-Sitta

The Laṭāʾif are special organs of psycho-physiological functioning in Sufi spirituality.
Depending on context, the Laṭāʾif are also understood to be the experiential qualities or forms of those functions. or Laṭā’if.
The Arabic word Laṭīfa means “subtlety” and the phrase Laṭā’if-e-sitta means “six subtleties”, although the number of Laṭāʾif can differ depending on the specific Sufi tradition.
The Laṭāʾif are viewed as aspects of Man's spiritual “Organ of Evolution”, known as Qalb or Qalb.
Explicit realization of the Laṭāʾif in Qalb is considered by some Sufi orders -- especially the Naqshbandi -- to be a central part of the comprehensive spiritual development that produces the Sufi ideal of a Complete Human Being.

Different understandings of the ''Laṭāʾif''

Not all Sufi orders teach about the Laṭā’if. Of those which do, descriptions and understandings can differ depending on the specific Sufi lineage and exponent representing it.
In addition, individual Sufi teachers sometimes understand aspects of Laṭā’if theory and practice according to how the Laṭāʾif have been uniquely revealed to them.
In general, there are at least three major historical understandings of the Laṭāʾif:

The Kubrāwī order, exemplified by Ala ud-Daula Simnani, views the Laṭāʾif as potential psychospiritual organs/capacities that can be realized as progressive stages in those undergoing spiritual development;
The Mujaddidīyya branch of the Naqshbandi order, exemplified by Ahmad Sirhindi, views the Laṭāʾif as psychospiritual organs/capacities that are potential receptors of Divine energy when activated in those undergoing spiritual development;
The Punjab tradition within the Naqshbandi order, exemplified by Idries Shah, views the Laṭāʾif as actual human psycho-physiological organs/capacities that are implicit in everyday life and made explicit in those undergoing spiritual development.

Kubrāwī ''Laṭā’if'' (13th century)

According to the view of the Kubrawi Order there are seven Laṭā’if. They are understood cosmologically as “descending” levels through which reality is created and structured.
In the process of spiritual development, the Sufi student is understood to “ascend” back through these levels progressively.
The attainment of each level is associated with the activation/realization of a corresponding spiritual organ/capacity, interpreted symbolically through Islamic cosmology and the prophets and messengers in Islam.
In ascending order they are:

Qalab represents the acquisition of a new organ, an embryonic subtle body. It is understood symbolically as “the Adam of one’s being”, since Adam was the first human being.
Nafs is an organ that corresponds to the animal soul and is a testing ground for struggle with desires and passions. It is understood symbolically as “the Noah of one’s being”, since Noah faced the same situation in dealing with the hostility of his people.
Qalb is the organ that will develop to become the True Ego, the real personal individuality. It is understood symbolically as “the Abraham of one’s being”, since the prophet Abraham historically represents the establishment of real religion.
Sirr is an organ of superconsciousness. It is understood symbolically as “the Moses of one’s being”, since the prophet Moses participated in spiritual communication with God through this consciousness.
Ruḥ is an organ through which an individual becomes capable of acting as vice-regent of God. It is understood symbolically as “the David of one’s being”, since the prophet David fulfilled that role.
Khafī is the subtle organ that receives spiritual inspiration. It is understood symbolically as “the Jesus of one’s being’, since the prophet Jesus was characteristic of such inspiration.
Ḥaqq is the subtle organ that is the final achievement of spiritual development: the True Ego. It is understood symbolically as “the Muḥammad of one’s being”, since Muḥammad was the final prophet.

Naqshbandi ''Laṭāʾif'' (Mujaddidīyya) (17th century)

According to the view of the Mujaddidīyya branch of the Naqshbandi order there are five Laṭāʾif. The reception of each Laṭīfa’s “spiritual energy” from its corresponding cosmic realm is interpreted symbolically through the prophets and messengers in Islam, similar to the interpretation of the Kubrawi order:

Qalb
Ruḥ
Sirr
Khafi
Ikhfa

In this understanding, the Laṭāʾif all have their physical association in the chest and so are said to be “of the Heart” or Qalb.

Naqshbandi ''Laṭāʾif'' (Punjab tradition) (20th century)

According to the Punjab tradition within the Naqshbandi order, which emphasizes modern-day psychological aspects of Sufism, there are five Laṭāʾif:

Qalb
Ruḥ
Sirr
Khafi
Ikhfa

In this tradition the Laṭāʾif are understood to be spiritual organs/capacities that also underlie ordinary forms of human psycho-physiological functioning.

Comparison of understandings of the ''Laṭāʾif''

Laṭīfa	Sufi Tradition	Color Association	Physical Association	Note
Qalb	Kubrawi	Red		Kubrawi:
Qalb	Naqshbandi	Yellow	below left breast	Mujaddidiyya:
Qalb	Naqshbandi	Red	below left breast	Awaisi:
Qalb	Naqshbandi	Yellow	left side of body	Punjab:
Qalb	Chishti	Red	left breast
Qalb	Inayati	Red	left breast	Inayati:
Qalb	Khwajagan	Red	left breast	Khwajagan:
Qalb	Burhaniyya	Yellow	below left breast	Burhaniyya:
Qalb	Azeemia		left breast	Azeemia:

Ruḥ	Kubrawi	Yellow
Ruḥ	Naqshbandi	Red	below right breast
Ruḥ	Naqshbandi	Yellow	below right breast
Ruḥ	Naqshbandi	Red	right side of body
Ruḥ	Chishti	Green	center of chest
Ruḥ	Inayati	White	right breast
Ruḥ	Khwajagan	Yellow	right breast
Ruḥ	Burhaniyya	Red	below right breast
Ruḥ	Azeemia		right breast

Sirr	Kubrawi	White
Sirr	Naqshbandi	White	above left breast
Sirr	Naqshbandi	Blue	above left breast
Sirr	Naqshbandi	White	solar plexus
Sirr	Chishti	White	right breast
Sirr	Inayati	Green	center of chest
Sirr	Khwajagan	White	left breast
Sirr	Burhaniyya	Green	center of chest
Sirr	Azeemia		center of chest

Khafi	Kubrawi	Black/Green
Khafi	Naqshbandi	Black	above right breast
Khafi	Naqshbandi	White	above right breast
Khafi	Naqshbandi	Black	forehead
Khafi	Chishti	Indigo	forehead
Khafi	Inayati	Indigo	forehead
Khafi	Khwajagan	Green	right breast
Khafi	Burhaniyya	White	forehead
Khafi	Azeemia		forehead

Ikhfa	Naqshbandi	Green	sternum	-
Ikhfa	Naqshbandi	Green	sternum
Ikhfa	Naqshbandi	Green	center of chest
Ikhfa	Chisti	Black	top of head
Ikhfa	Inayati	Black	top of head
Ikhfa	Khwajagan	White	center of chest
Ikhfa	Burhaniyya	Black	top of head
Ikhfa	Azeemia		top of head



Nafs	Kubrawi	Blue		see "Disambiguation: Nafs or Laṭīfa"
Nafs	Chishti	Yellow	below navel	"
Nafs	Inayati	Yellow	below navel	"
Nafs	Khwajagan	Blue	forehead	"
Nafs	Naqshbandi	colorless	forehead	"
Nafs	Azeemia		below navel	"

Qalab	Kubrawi	Gray		see "Disambiguation: Qalab or Sultan al-Azkar"
Qalab	Chishti	Gray	floor of pelvis	"
Qalab	Naqshbandi	colorless	entire body	"

Haqq	Kubrawi	Green
Ana		White	center of chest	also known as "Ana'iya"
Ana	Junaidiyya	colorless	forehead

Spiritual development and the ''Laṭāʾif''

For Sufi traditions that teach the Laṭāʾif, spiritual development is undertaken on two dimensions:

refinement of the egoic, psycho-physiological "self", known as "Nafs"
activation of the Laṭāʾif.

The egoic Self is said to proceed through seven stages of development, the primitive stages of which distort or "veil" full realization of the Laṭā’if. In most Sufi traditions, accordingly, a general, progressive refinement of the Nafs precedes any explicit activation of the Laṭā’if.
In the Naqshbandi tradition, however, it is the reverse: the activation of specific Laṭāʾif is used to facilitate the progressive refinement of the Nafs. This is why the Naqshbandi teaching method is known as "where others end, there marks our beginning".
See also: "Disambiguation: Nafs or Nafs ".

Activation of the ''Laṭāʾif''

Just as interpretations of the Laṭāʾif vary depending on different Sufi traditions and teachers, so do methods of their activation.
The process of activating each Laṭīfa consists of various methods, singly or in combination, such as:

Tawajjuh : intentional transmission of the Laṭīfa directly from teacher to student.
Dhikr : recitation of a Quranic phrase accompanied by postures, breathing, and movement
Muraqabah : persistent awareness directed to the part of the body associated with the ''Laṭīfa''

Kubrawi

In the Kubrawi tradition, Sufi Ala ud-Daula Simnani describes a dhikr type practice that involved certain postures, the rotation of attention and breath to different parts of the physical body, and the recitation of a Quranic credal formula.

"The ideal formula for recollection is the credal statement: 'There is no god but God'. This formula should be uttered in four beats: With all his strength, the mystic should exhale the 'la' from above the navel. He should then inhale the 'ilaha' to the right side of the breast, then exhale the 'illa' from the right side to the left, and then inhale the 'Allah' to the physical heart... which is on the left side of the breast."

Khwajagan

In the Khwajagan tradition, Rif‘at Bey describes a visualization practice at the physical location associated with a Laṭīfa:

"The seeker represents to himself the Exalted Name – that is, the noble name of Allah – written in letters of light under the nipple of his left breast. Holding his attention upon the meaning and significance of the Exalted Name, he begins to repeat it silently. He continues to do so until he sees a red light surrounding it."

Naqshbandi (Mujaddidīyya)

In the Mujaddidīyya tradition, the Laṭāʾif are opened through practice one-by-one in “ascending” order, beginning with Qalb. Viewed as a progressive activation, each Laṭīfa is considered to be a level of spiritual realization.
The method of opening each Laṭīfa typically begins with a direct transmission of Barakah by teacher to student, and can also include physical touch and the disclosure of a specific one of the Divine Names of God in Islam:

"In the Naqshbandi order typically the shaikh first bestows baraka at the time of initiation by placing his four fingers on the heart and pronouncing the name “Allah” three times."

The student then continues the practice by silent dhikr of the Name, concentrating attention on the Laṭīfa’s location; sometimes a visualization of the Name, the corresponding prophet, or the teacher is also added.

Naqshbandi (Awaisi)

In the Awaisi tradition, the Laṭāʾif are illuminated through a dhikr cycle that begins with Qalb and continues with the other six Laṭāʾif in order. The student inhales vigorously into the Qalb with a silent, attentive “Allah” and exhales out to the specific Laṭīfa with a silent, attentive “Hu”:

"Our Zikr method is very simple, every ingress takes the word Allah inside and every egress brings out Hu to strike the Latifah under Zikr, while vigorous and fast breathing generates heat in the body."

Naqshbandi (Punjab)

In the Punjab tradition, Idries Shah describes a type of muraqabah in which the student concentrates awareness on the part of the body that is associated with a Laṭīfa:

"The method, presided over by the instructor, is to concentrate the consciousness upon certain areas of the body and head, each area being linked with the Laṭīfa faculties."

Direct experiences of the ''Laṭāʾif''

With rare exceptions, direct and explicit experiences of the Laṭāʾif only arise in human beings who have undergone a spiritual evolution. These experiences can be of several different types, singly or in combination, among them:

“Visual” experiences
“Tactile” experiences

Kubrawi

In Persian Sufi Illuminationism, all creation is a successive outflow from the original Supreme Light of Lights . The cosmology of this tradition is a kind of Emanationism in which immaterial Light descends from the Light of Lights in ever-diminishing intensity. In other words, Creation at all levels of its existence—including that of the Laṭāʾif—is made up of varying degrees of Light.
Accordingly, the experiences of the Laṭāʾif are both an external “visual” experience of photisms and a tactile inner sensation, as described by Henry Corbin.

Khwajagan

The Laṭāʾif are experienced primarily as colors seen surrounding the name of Allah at the physical location associated with each Laṭīfa, as described by Rifa‘t Bey.

Naqshbandi (Punjab)

Direct and explicit realizations of the Laṭāʾif are experienced primarily as differentiated, localized forms of an overall tactile spiritual Presence in the body, as described by Naqshbandi influenced spiritual teacher Hameed Ali :

" is an embodied existence and will be experienced in the body, not somewhere else or abstractly... By awakening the body and refining its sensitivity the deeper and subtler capacities of perception are awakened and developed".

Indirect experiences of the ''Laṭāʾif''

Beyond direct and explicit experiences of the Laṭāʾif, Sufi traditions can differ in their understanding of how the Laṭāʾif affect human experience indirectly and implicitly.

Kubrawi

In traditions similar to the Kubrawi, for example, the Laṭāʾif are only activated after the Nafs has been refined by other means.
As a result, the experiences of the Laṭāʾif are viewed as higher spiritual capacities and virtues that are unrelated to the conventional experiences and capacities of the lower egoic Self.

Naqshbandi

In traditions similar to the Naqshbandi, however, the process of activating the Laṭāʾif is understood to itself contribute to the refinement of the Nafs. This refinement is experienced both as a reduction in specific vices and an increase in corresponding virtues.
Such changes in the egoic Self can therefore be understood as indirect, secondary effects of the activated Laṭāʾif.
The activation of the Ruḥ ''Laṭīfa'', for example, is often connected with overcoming personal weakness and anger and replacing it with healthy strength and assertiveness.

Naqshbandi (Punjab)

Finally, traditions similar to the Naqshbandi understand the Laṭāʾif to be spiritual organs/capacities that also underlie ordinary forms of human psycho-physiological functioning.
As such, they are thought to be activated and operating implicitly at all times and appear indirectly through the corresponding experiences that they pattern on the conventional mental/emotional/somatic level of the egoic Self.
Hameed Ali understands some of these Laṭāʾif and psycho-physiological correspondences as follows:

Qalb
Ruḥ
Sirr
Khafi
Ikhfa

Disambiguation of the ''Laṭāʾif''

Even among traditions that recognize the Laṭāʾif, Sufi teachings often include other features or terminology that have ambiguous relationships to the Laṭāʾif.
In addition, there is perennial potential for ambiguity in discussing the Laṭāʾif arising from the way that words in Arabic can have different meanings in different contexts.
Similar examples in English include "feeling" and "pain".

Arabic, Quranic, or Sufi meaning of ''Laṭāʾif''

The word Laṭāʾif is the plural of the transliterated Arabic word Laṭīfa, from the tripartite verb la-ṭa-fa, which means “to be subtle”.

It assumed a spiritual meaning in the Qur’an where Al-Laṭīf is one of the 99 names of God in Islam, reflecting His subtle nature.
And it was subsequently adopted by Sufism to refer to various aspects of reality that are not gross, material qualities of the physical world.

Transliteration or translation or interpretation of the ''Laṭāʾif''

English language authors use one or more of three methods when referring to specific Laṭā’if:

a transliteration of the Arabic word associated with the Laṭīfa
a translation of the word's general Arabic meaning
an interpretation of the corresponding experience that is the word's specific Sufi meaning.

Laleh Bahktiar uses both a transliteration and a translation:

Laṭā’if
Qalabīya
Nafsīya
Qalbīya
Sirrīya
Ruḥīya
Khafīya
Haqqīya

Idries Shah also uses both a transliteration and a translation:

Laṭā’if
Qalb
Ruḥ
Sirr
Khafi
Ikhfa

Hameed Ali uses a transliteration and an interpretation:

Laṭā’if
Qalb
Ruḥ
Sirr
Khafi
''Ikhfa''

''Laṭā’if'' (organs) or ''Laṭā’if'' (experiences)

The concept of Laṭā’if can be used in two different contexts:

as "organs", referring to psycho-spiritual faculties or centers within a human being
as "experiences", referring to the qualities or forms of experience when those organs are functioning.

The Laṭā’if are the spiritual structures or potentials and the Laṭā’if are the phenomenological realization of those potentials; the "organs" are the means through which the "experiences" arise.

Ten, five, or six ''Laṭāʾif''

In the version of Sufi cosmology proposed by Ahmad Sirhindi, God created the universe in three stages:

First came the “World of God's Command”, which emerged instantly when God said, "Be!" The five subtle qualities of God's Command were: Qalb, Ruḥ, Sirr, Khafi, and Ikhfa.
Then came the “World of God's Creation”, which emerged through a process of evolution. The five subtle qualities which patterned that Creation were: Consciousness, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.
Finally, God created human beings, which combined the “World of God’s Command” with the “World of God's Creation”.

In this usage, then, there are ten Laṭā’if in two categories:

five relating to the “World of God’s Command” and
five relating to the “World of God’s Creation”.

In contrast, in most Sufi usages outside this cosmological one, there are either:

five Laṭāʾif or
six Laṭāʾif.

Nafs (Egoic Self) or Nafs (''Laṭīfa'')

The Nafs in Sufism is considered to be a person's egoic consciousness or egoic, psycho-physiological "Self". It is the subtle quality of "God's Creation" that becomes individual and can undergo a spiritual development. This makes it unlike the five Laṭā’if of "God's Command", which are transcendent, unchanging qualities.

''Laṭāʾif'' and the number "Seven"

The number "seven" appears repeatedly in Islam and in Sufism, to reflect the relationships between entities within various categories.
In Islam, "seven" appears in the Quran, in the Hajj pilgrimage, and in the "Seven Heavens", among others. In Sufism, it appears in seven Laṭāʾif, seven stages of Nafs development, and seven Maqamat.
In some cases this use of "seven" is understood literally... while in other cases it is understood to be a metaphor for an "infinite" or "complete" number of entities.
Additionally, there is not always a consensus about correlating one category of seven things with another.
For example, Ala ud-Daula Simnani explicitly correlates the seven progressive Laṭāʾif with the seven ontological levels of Islamic cosmology, whereas other Sufi orders, which recognize only five Laṭāʾif, do not.

Inter-relationship of ''Laṭāʾif''

Most Sufi traditions arrange the individual Laṭāʾif in some specific order.
For example, the Laṭīfa Qalb is often given first priority because its activation is the student's first orientation to the related presence and importance of Qalb -- Man's spiritual "Organ of Evolution".
In the Kubrawi tradition, the Laṭāʾif are understood to reflect the hierarchy of successive historical prophets and messengers, beginning with Adam and culminating with Muhammad. The student's spiritual development is thought to unfold from an earlier, more limited revelation to a later, more complete one.
In the Naqshbanbdi tradition, the realization of the Laṭāʾif is sometimes understood to be not only progressive but also cumulative; each new Laṭīfa's realization is a comprehensive combination of that Laṭīfa and all previously realized Laṭāʾif.
Finally, in those traditions that emphasize modern day psychological aspects of Sufism, the order of activation of the Laṭāʾif is sometimes determined by the individual student's personal history. A student might, for example, have one or another Laṭīfa that is less "veiled" than another, in which case it could be the first Laṭīfa emphasized for activation.

Ruḥ (Spirit) or Ruḥ (''Laṭīfa'')

The word "Ruḥ" is used in Sufism in two different ways, on two different levels:

"Ruḥ", as one of the Laṭā’if described in the foregoing
"Ruh", as the Divine Spirit or “essence” in human beings, created by God from his own Spirit.

Qalb (Heart) or Qalb (''Laṭīfa'')

The word “Qalb”, like “Ruḥ”, is used in Sufism in two different ways, on two different levels:

“Qalb”, as one of the Laṭāʾif described in the foregoing
"Qalb", as the “Organ of Evolution” in human beings, the potential integration of Ruḥ and Nafs.

Sirr (Secret) or Sirr (''Laṭā’if'')

The word "Sirr", like "Ruḥ" and "Qalb", is also used in Sufism in two different ways, on two different levels:

“Sirr”, as one of the Laṭā’if described in the foregoing
“Sirr”, as a super-conscious state of Qalb or Ruḥ experienced as unity with God.

''Laṭāʾif'' and the Jism Laṭīf

The realization of the Laṭāʾif in Qalb is understood by Sufism to also represent the potential development of a corresponding subtle body in human beings, known in some traditions as the "Jism Laṭīf".
The Jism Laṭīf is the underlying spiritual substance and persistent spiritual Presence possible for humans.
It is said to exist in one of ten forms, corresponding to the level of spiritual development an individual has undergone in life. As such, it is also the corresponding level at which a human being survives physical death.
See also: "Disambiguation: Qalab or Sultan al-Azkar".

Qalab or Sultan al-Azkar

The Laṭīfa named “Qalab” in the Kubrawi tradition is equivalent to the Laṭīfa named “Sulṭan al-Azkar” in the Naqshbandi tradition. Traditions that recognize this Laṭīfa consider its realization to be the realization of a subtle body..
Some consider Qalab to be a preliminary realization of the subtle body and therefore the first Laṭīfa to be activated in spiritual practise. In this perspective, the realization of subsequent Laṭāʾif is considered to be a development, refinement, or differentiation of the subtle body.
Other traditions consider Sultan al-Azkar to be a comprehensive realization of the subtle body and therefore the final Laṭīfa to be activated in practise. In this perspective, the subtle body is considered to be a unification and integration of previously realized Laṭāʾif.

Ḥal (State), Maqam (Station), or ''Laṭīfa''

In addition to the Laṭāʾif, some Sufi traditions also speak about two other categories of conscious experience that can arise during spiritual practice:

“Ḥal”, is a temporary altered state of consciousness arising from psychological or spiritual influences acting upon a student. They are considered to be gifts from God that arise in experience and disappear, usually immediately.
“Maqam”, is one of seven permanent stages of a Sufi's spiritual development/embodiment/transformation achieved by his own effort.

There appears to be no consensus that the Laṭā’if are directly related to either of the categories Ḥal or Maqam.

Divine Names or ''Laṭāʾif''

The Divine Names of God in Islam are understood by Sufism to refer to the relational action, functioning, or appearance of transcendental Divine Attributes/Qualities in immanent, manifest reality.
The Laṭāʾif, in contrast, while capable of being experienced indirectly through the somatic, emotional, and mental states they pattern in conventional experience, are primarily direct transcendental experiences of Divine Attributes themselves.
There appears to be no consensus about how the Laṭā’if are related to the Divine Names.

The ''Laṭāʾif'' outside Sufism

In addition to Sufism itself, the Laṭāʾif are also found in certain spiritual teachings whose founders have been influenced by Sufism.

The Fourth Way

The Fourth Way is an approach to human self-development introduced to Europe in the early 20th century by George Gurdjieff and his student P.D. Ouspensky. Substantial parts of the teaching are thought to be derived from Naqshbandi Sufism.
For example, there are said to be seven Centers (Fourth Way) within human beings that organise specific functions:

Five “lower” centers: the "Intellectual", "Emotional", "Moving", "Instinctive", and "Sexual", which are understood to operate explicitly in humans from birth.
Two “higher” centers: the "Higher Emotional" and "Higher Intellectual", which are understood to operate implicitly in humans but which can become explicit in those who undergo a spiritual development.

In this teaching, the Higher Emotional Center is equivalent to Qalb in Sufism and its experiential qualities and functions are known as “Positive Emotions” or “sacred impulses”.
John G. Bennett, a contemporary student of both Ouspensky and Gurdjieff, researched the sources of Gurdjieff’s teaching and concluded that these Positive Emotions were in fact derived from the Laṭāʾif of Sufism.
Nevertheless, specific knowledge and realization of the Positive Emotions as Laṭā’if are rarely emphasized in schools of the Fourth Way teaching today.

The Diamond Approach

The Diamond Approach is a spiritual teaching developed by Hameed Ali and Faisal Muqaddam beginning in the 1970s. The history of the teaching was influenced both by Idries Shah and by Gurdjieff's Fourth Way.
It confirms the Naqshbandi understanding of five fundamental Laṭāʾif and then expands it to include dozens of similar human capacities for which the more general term “Essential Aspects” is adopted.
Unlike the Gurdjieff/Ouspensky Fourth Way, the Diamond Approach uses various mental, emotive, and somatic methods for realizing the Laṭāʾif, as a central part of its overall teaching and practice.
.

The ''Laṭāʾif'' in animals

Most Sufi traditions are silent about whether or not the Laṭāʾif are also present in animals.
Nevertheless, Islamic theology definitely considers animals to possess divine Ruḥ. Mulla Sadra considers animals to also have an imaginal Soul, though they lack the additional intellect that defines the human Soul.
Accordingly, some Sufi orders do teach that certain of the Laṭāʾif function in animals.
In addition, the presence of Laṭāʾif in animals is consistent with those Sufi traditions that view the Laṭāʾif as implicit in certain psycho-physiological functions, many of which are common to both humans and animals.

Buddhist analogue of the ''Laṭāʾif''

The Vajrayana tradition in Tibetan Buddhism includes a teaching about Five Wisdom Energies. The teaching parallels that of the five Sufi Laṭāʾif -- especially in the psychologically oriented Naqshbandi tradition -- in the following ways:

five spiritual Energies or qualities of Being
associated colors
associated locations in the physical body
associated exemplars
underlie conventional psycho-physiological functions
have both "awakened/ideal/pure" spiritual forms... and "confused/neurotic/distorted" personality forms

History of the ''Laṭāʾif''

The spiritual experiences identified by Sufism as the Laṭāʾif have their immediate historical antecedents in the Emanationism of Neoplatonism, which is known to have influenced the subsequent development of Sufism. The Emanations of Neoplatonism, in turn, arose from the Theory of forms of Plato.
The general concept of spiritual “subtle centers” originated within Persian Sufism: Junayd of Baghdad, al-Hallaj, and Shahab al-Din [Abu Hafs Umar Suhrawardi].
Kubrawi Sufi Najm al-Din Razi proposed five “inner means of perception” that parallel the five physical senses. It's unclear to commentators whether these inner senses were already systematized as Laṭāʾif at that time.
The earliest systematic formulation of the Laṭāʾif is thought to be that of Kubrawi Ala ud-Daula Simnani, who proposed seven Laṭāʾif, relating them to the seven ontological levels of Sufi cosmology.
From the 17th to 19th centuries, the Indian Mujaddidis, beginning with Ahmad Sirhindi, returned to a standardized interpretation of five experiential Laṭāʾif and associated their locations with parts of the physical body.
The Punjab tradition within the Naqshbandi in the late 19th and 20th centuries continued with five Laṭā’if but identified the experience of their physical locations differently and viewed them as spiritual organs/capacities that also underlie ordinary forms of human consciousness.
It is thought by some that, just as with the nominal 99 Names of God in Islam and their underlying Divine Attributes, the number of Laṭāʾif and their potential realization by humanity might actually be unlimited.