The Principles of Sufism. 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

التي عليها مدار القوم الرجوع من كلّ شيء إليه عزّ وجلّ ولا تصحّ التوبة إلّا بثلاثة أشياء: ندم على الذنب وإقلاع عنه وعزم أن لا يعود إليه و متى ما أخلّت بشرط من هذه الشروط لا تصحّ أبدًا. هذا حكم التوبة من ذنب بين العبد وربّه.

      According to the lexicons, tawbah means “to return.” Tāba, āba, and anāba all have one meaning, which is “return.” Thāba is similar; people say, “The milk returned (thāba) to the udder.” Outward repentance is the return from blameworthy actions to praiseworthy ones and from foul words to righteous ones. Inner repentance, with which the Sufi folk are concerned, is to turn away from all things and toward God, mighty and glorious. Repentance is not valid without three things: remorse for sin, abstention from it, and the resolution not to return to it.⁷ When one of these conditions is not met, repentance is not valid.⁸ This is the rule for repentance for sin between the servant and His Lord.

      1.3

      وأمّا التوبة من ذنب متعلّق بالمخلوق كالظلم والغِيبة ونحو ذلك فيزيد على هذه الشروط خلاص الذمّة بوفاء الحقّ وطلب الاستغفار من المغتاب وعلى الجملة. فبذل الجهد في براءة الذمّة بما يقدر عليه من وفاء أو قِصاص أو استعفاء وإذا عجز عن ذلك فيُديم الاستغاثة إلى الله في الإقالة فإنّ الله سبحانه إذا علم صدق عبده عفا عنه وصالح بينه وبين غُرَمائه بمنّه وكرمه.

      In the case of sins against another created being, such as injustice, slander, and the like, repentance requires additional conditions such as giving just compensation, seeking forgiveness from the one slandered, and so forth. One should then strive to be free of liability as much as is possible by compensation, by settling accounts, and by seeking forgiveness.⁹ If one is unable to do that, then one should persist in seeking God’s help for remission of sins. When God, may He be glorified, knows that His servant is sincere, He forgives him, and He reconciles him with his debtors by means of His beneficence and generosity.

      1.4

      وأمّا الآثار الواردة في التوبة فكثيرة منها عن أَنَس رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم: إذا تاب العبد من ذنوبه أنسى الله حَفَظَتَه ذنوبه وأنسى جوارحه ومعالمه من الأرض حتّى يلقى الله تعالى وليس عليه شاهد من الله تعالى بذنب. رواه أَبو الشيخ الإصْبَهانيّ. وعن أَنس رضي الله عنه أنّ النبيّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قال: كلّ ابن آدم خطّاء وخير الخطّائين التوّابون. رواه التِرْمِذيّ وابن ماجَة. وعن عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال: للجنّة ثمانية أبواب سبعة مغلَّقة وباب مفتوح للتوبة حتّى تطلع الشمس من مغربها. رواه أَبو يَعْلَى والطَبَرانيّ بإسناد جيّد.

      There are many hadiths about repentance. Anas ibn Mālik, may God be pleased with him, related as follows: “The Emissary of God, God bless and cherish him, said, ‘If the servant turns in repentance for his sins, God will cause the recording angels to forget his sins, and will obliterate any remnant or mark of his sin from the earth, such that, on Judgment Day, there will be no one to bear witness against him before God the Exalted regarding any sin.’” Abū l-Shaykh al-Iṣbahānī reports this. Also Anas, may God be pleased with him, related that the Prophet, God bless and cherish him, said, “Every human being is a wrongdoer, but the best of the wrongdoers are those who turn in repentance.” This is reported by al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah.¹⁰ ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, may God be pleased with him, related that the Prophet said, “The Garden of Paradise has eight gates; seven are bolted tight while the open gate is for repentance until the sun rises in the west on Judgment Day.” This is reported by Abū Yaʿlā and al-Ṭabarānī, with an excellent chain of authorities.

      1.5

      وعن أَبي هُرَيْرَة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم: لو أخطأتم حتّى تبلُغَ ذنوبكم السماء ثمّ تُبتم لَتاب الله عليكم. رواه ابن ماجة. و عن أَبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم: إنّ المؤمن إذا أذنب ذنبًا كانت نُكتَةٌ سَوداءُ في قلبه فإن تاب ونزع واستغفر صُقِلَ منها وإن زادت حتّى تغلّف قلبه بها فذلك الران الذي ذكره الله عزّ وجلّ في قوله {كلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ}. رواه الترمذيّ وقال صحيح.

      Abū Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him, related that the Emissary of God, God bless and cherish him, said, “Were you to commit wrongs such that your sins rose up to the sky, and then you turned in repentance, God would turn to you with forgiveness!” This is reported by Ibn Mājah. Abū Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him, related as follows: “The Emissary of God, God bless and cherish him, said, ‘When the believer commits a sin, a black spot appears in his heart. If he turns in repentance, desists, and asks forgiveness, the spot will be polished away. But if it has grown so large that it envelops his heart, then it is like the rusting that God the mighty and glorious mentions when He says, «What they earned rusted their hearts.»’”¹¹ This is reported by al-Tirmidhī, who says the report is sound.

      1.6

      وعن ابن مَسْعود رضي الله عنه، عنه صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قال: التائب من الذنب كمن لا ذنب له. رواه ابن ماجة والطبرانيّ. و عن أَبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أنَّ رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قال: قال الله عزّ وجلّ: أنا عند ظنّ عبدي بي وأنا معه حيث يذكرني واللهِ لَلّٰهُ أفرح بتوبة عبده من أحدكم يجد ضالّته بالفَلاة ومن تقرّب إليَّ شِبرًا تقرّبتُ إليه ذِراعًا ومن تقرّب إليَّ ذِراعًا تقرّبتُ إليه باعًا وإذا أتاني يمشي أتيتُه هَرْوَلة. رواه مُسلم.

      Ibn Masʿūd, may God