الأصل الأوّل: التوبة

The First Principle: Repentance (Tawbah)

1.1

قال الله تعالى {وَتُوبُوۤاْ إِلَى ٱللهِ جَمِيعاً أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ} وقال تعالى{وَٱسْتَغْفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوۤاْ إِلَيْهِ} وقال تعالى {يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ تُوبُوۤاْ إِلَى ٱللهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحاً} وقال تعالى {وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُوْلٰۤئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّالِمُونَ} وقال تعالى {إِنَّ ٱللهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ} إلى غير ذلك من الآيات الشريفة.

God the Exalted has said, «Turn to God, together, O believers, that you might be successful.»² The Exalted has said, «Seek forgiveness from your Lord, then turn to Him in repentance,»³ and the Exalted has said, «O you who believe, turn to God with sincere repentance!»⁴ The Exalted has said, «And those who do not turn in repentance, they are the transgressors!»⁵ and the Exalted has said, «Truly God loves those who turn in repentance, and He loves those who purify themselves.»⁶ There are similar sayings in the noble verses of the Qurʾān.

1.2

والتوبة في اللغة الرجوع. تاب وآب وأناب بمعنى واحد وهو الرجوع وكذلك ثاب بالثاء المثلّثة يُقال: ثابَ اللَبَنُ في الضَرْعِ إذ أرجع إليه. فعلى هذا التوبة الظاهرة الرجوع من ذميم الأفعال إلى حميدها و من سيّئ الأقوال إلى سديدها. والتوبة الباطنة 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 be pleased with him, related that the Prophet, God bless and cherish him, said, “The one who turns from sin is like one who never sinned.” This is reported by Ibn Mājah and al-Ṭabarānī. Abū Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him, related that the Emissary of God, God bless and cherish him, said, “God mighty and glorious said, ‘I am with My servant when he thinks of Me, and I am with him whenever he recollects Me.’ By God, God is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than any of you who is pleased to find his stray animal in the desert. God said, ‘One who draws near Me by a hand span, I draw near him by an arm’s length, and one who draws near Me by an arm’s length, I draw near him by the span of open arms, and if he walks toward Me, I run to him!’” This is reported by Muslim.

1.7

وعن أبي ذَرّ رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم: من أَحْسَنَ فيما بقي غفر له ما مضى ومن أساء فيما بقي أخذ بما مضى وما بقي. رواه الطبرانيّ بإسناد جيّد. وعن عُقْبَة بن عامِر رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم: إنّ مثل الذي يعمل السيّئات ثمّ يعمل الحسنات كمثل رجل كانت عليه دِرْع ضَيِّقة قد خَنَقَته ثمّ عمل حسنة فانفكّت حلقة ثمّ عمل حسنة أُخرى فانفكّت أخرى حتّى يخرج إلى الأرض. رواه الإمام أَحمد بن حَنْبَل. وعن أبي ذَرّ ومعاذ بن جَبَل رضي الله عنهما عن النبيّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قال: اتَّقِ الله حيثما كُنتَ وأَتْبِع السيّئة الحسنةَ وخالِق الناس بخُلق حسن. رواه الترمذيّ والحَاكِم والبَيْهَقيّ.

Abū Dharr, may God be pleased with him, related that the Emissary of God, God bless and cherish him, said, “One who does good for the rest of his life, God forgives him for what has passed, but one who does evil for the rest of his life, God will hold him to account for what has passed and for what is yet to come.” This is reported by al-Ṭabarānī with an excellent chain of authorities. ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir, may God be pleased with him, related that the Emissary of God, God bless and cherish him, said, “The person who does bad deeds and then does good deeds is like a man wearing a tight coat of chain mail that is suffocating him. When he does something good, a link loosens. Then he does another good deed, and another link loosens, and so on until he can step out free into the world.” This is reported by the Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. Abū Dharr and Muʿādh ibn Jabal, may God be pleased with them both, related that the Prophet, God bless and cherish him, said, “Fear God as much as you can and follow a bad action with a good deed, and treat people with kindness.” This is reported by al-Tirmidhī, al-Ḥākim, and al-Bayhaqī.

1.8

عن أَنس رضي الله عنه عن رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قال: ألا أُنَبِّئُكم بدائكم من دوائكم؟ قلنا: بَلَى يا رسول الله. قال: فإنّ داءكم الذنوب ودواؤكم الاستغفار. وقال صلّى الله عليه وسلّم: المُستَغفِر باللسان والمصِرّ على الذنوب كالمستهزِئ بربّه. إلى غير ذلك من الأحاديث الشريفة وفي ما أوردناه كفاية لمن وفّقه الله.

Anas, may God be pleased with him, related that the Prophet, God bless and cherish him, said, “‘Shall I tell you about your disease and your cure?’ ‘Yes, Emissary of God!’ we said, and he replied, ‘Your disease is sin, and your cure is seeking forgiveness.’” The Prophet, may God bless and cherish him, also said, “One who seeks forgiveness with his tongue while persisting in his sin is like one who mocks his Lord!” There are similar things in the noble hadiths, but we have related what should suffice one whom God has blessed with success.

1.9

وأمّا كلام السلف في التوبة فكثير. منه قال فُضَيل بن عِياض: استغفار الله بلا إقلاع توبة الكذّابين. وقال يَحيَى بن مُعاذ الرازيّ: إن لم تؤمن باليوم الآخر فأنت منافق وإنْ أصرَرتَ على الذنب فأنت خاسر. وكانت رابِعَة العَدَوِيَّة رضي الله عنها تقول: استغفارنا يحتاج إلى استغفار كبير. وقال أُبَيُّ بن كَعْب رضي الله عنه: يقول الله تبارك وتعالى: لا أُحِبّ أن يموت خاطئ بخطيئته ولا جارم بجُرمه ولكن يجيء فيتوب جَنّتي عريضة ورحمتي واسعة ويديّ باسطة وأنا أرحم الراحمين. قال لقمان لابنه: لا تُؤخِّر التوبة فإنَّ الموت يأتي بَغْتَةً. وقال طَلْقُ بن حَبِيب: إنّ حقوق الله أعظم من أنْ يقوم بها العباد ولكن أصبحوا تائبين وأمسوا تائبين.

There are many statements on repentance by the pious forbearers. Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ said, “To seek forgiveness of God without desisting from sin is the repentance of the impostors!”¹² Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh al-Rāzī said, “If you do not believe in the Last Day, you are a hypocrite, and if you persist in sin, you are lost!” Rābiʿah al-ʿAdawiyyah, may God be pleased with her, used to say, “Our seeking forgiveness requires asking for it time and time again!”¹³ Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, may God be pleased with him, said, “God, may He be praised and exalted, has said, ‘I do not like it when a wrongdoer dies with his wrong, or a criminal with his crime. But, if one turns to Me and repents, My Garden is vast, My mercy broad, and My hands are open wide, for I am the most merciful of those who give mercy!’” Luqmān said to his son, “Do not put off repentance, for death comes suddenly.”¹⁴ Ṭalq ibn Ḥabīb said, “Truly, what is due to God is beyond what servants can offer, so turn for forgiveness in the morning and evening.”¹⁵

1.10

و قال إبراهيم التَيِّمِيّ: مَثَّلتُ نفسي في الجنّة كأنّي أَكَلْتُ من طعامها وعانقتُ أزواجها ومثّلتُ نفسي كأنّي في النار أكلْتُ من زقّومها وعالجْتُ أغلالها فقُلتُ لنفسي: ما تشتهي؟ قالت: أَرْجِع إلى الدنيا فَأتُوب. قلتُ: فمن مثلكِ إذا أعطيتِ سؤلكِ؟ قُومي الآن وتُوبي. وقال عُمر بن الخَطّاب رضي الله عنه: اجْلِسوا إلى التوّابين فإنّهم أرقّ أفئدة. وقال يَحيَى بن مُعاذ الرازيّ: زلّة واحدة للتائب بعد التوبة أقبح من سبعين قبلها.

Ibrāhīm al-Tayyimī said, “I imagined my soul in the Garden, and it was as if I were eating the food of Paradise and embracing my wives there. Then, I imagined my soul as if I were in Hell, chained in fetters and eating from its bitter Zaqqūm tree. So I said to my soul, ‘Which do you desire?’ and it replied, ‘I will return to the world and repent!’ I said, ‘And what of you, now you have been granted your wish? Get up now and repent!’” ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him, said, “Sit with the penitents; surely they have the most refined of hearts.”¹⁶ Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh al-Rāzī said, “One slip for a penitent after his repentance is more odious than seventy before it.”¹⁷

1.11

وأمّا كلام القوم أهل الله في التوبة فكثير لا ينحصر وهو حقيقة التحقّق في التوبة. فمنه قال رُوَيم رضي الله عنه: معنى التوبة أن تتوب من التوبة أي من رَوِيّة التوبة والوقوف معها إذ الوقوف مع الغير حجاب. وقال النوريّ أن تتوب من كلّ شيء سوى الله تعالى. وقال عبد الله بن عليّ التَمِيميّ: شتّانَ بين تائب يتوب من الزلّات وتائب يتوب من الغفلات وتائب يتوب من الحسنات.

As for the Sufi folk, God’s people, their discussion of repentance is extensive and limitless, and absolutely true concerning repentance. Ruwaym, may God be pleased with him, said, “The meaning of repentance is that you turn away from repentance,” that is, from the regard for repentance and attention to it, since attention to something other than God is a veil.¹⁸ Al-Nūrī said, “That is, you turn away from everything except God the Exalted.”¹⁹ ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī al-Tamīmī Abū Naṣr al-Sarrāj said, “What a difference there is between the penitent who repents of moral lapses, the penitent who repents of heedless things, and the penitent who repents of regard for his good deeds.”²⁰

1.12

وسُئِلَ الحُسين المَغازليّ عن التوبة فقال: تسألني عن توبة الإنابة أو عن توبة الاستجابة؟ فقال السائل: ما توبة الإنابة؟ قال: أن تخاف من أجل قدرته عليك. قال: فما توبة الاستجابة؟ قال: أن تستحيي من الله تعالى لقربه منك وهذه التوبة الثانية أعلى من الأولى فإنّ ترك الذنب خوفَ العقوبة طلبُ حظّ فيكون بذلك راجعًا إلى نفسه وتركها حياءً من ربّه تعالى إجلالاً لربوبيّته أعلى وأشرف لأنّ بها تصحّ عبوديّته التي بها شرّفه.

When asked about repentance al-Ḥusayn al-Maghāzilī said, “Are you asking me about turning to God in repentance or turning to Him in deference?” The questioner replied, “What is turning to Him in repentance?” and he said, “That you fear His power over you.” The questioner asked, “Then what is turning to Him in deference?” and he said, “That you are ashamed before God the Exalted because of His nearness to you.”²¹ This second turning is higher than the first since renouncing sin out of fear of retribution is merely seeking good fortune and only done for one’s self. However, renouncing sin out of shame before one’s exalted Lord to glorify His lordship, is higher and nobler since turning in shame proves true the servitude by which one exalts Him.

1.13

وقال أبو عليّ الدَقَّاق: التوبة على ثلاثة أقسام: أوّلها التوبة وأوسطها الإنابة وآخرها الأوبة فالتوبة بداية والإنابة توسُّط والأوبة نهاية فالتائب خوف العقوبة صاحب توبة والتائب للثَواب صاحب إنابة والتائب مراعاة الأمر لا لرغبة ولا لرهبة صاحب أوبة. هذا ملخّص ما ذكره الأستاذ أبو القاسِم القُشيريّ عنه.

Abū ʿAlī al-Daqqāq said, “Repentance has three stages: the first is repenting, the second is turning toward God, and the final part is returning to God. Therefore, repenting is the beginning, turning is the middle, and returning is the end. Thus one who repents out of fear of retribution has repented, and one who repents for a reward has turned to God. As for the one who turns out of deference to the divine command, neither out of desire or out of fear, he has returned.” This is a summary of what the master Abū l-Qāsim al-Qushayrī relates.²²

1.14

وقال ذُو النُون المصريّ: توبة العامّة من الذنوب وتوبة الخاصّة من الغفلة وتوبة الأنبياء من رؤية عجز غيرهم عن بلوغ ما نالوه. وقال إبراهيم الدَقّاق: التوبة أن تكون لله وجهًا بِلا قفا كما كنت له قفا بلا وجه. معناها أنْ تكون مقبلاً عليه معرضًا عمّا سواه.

Dhū l-Nūn al-Miṣrī said, “The repentance of the common people is for sin. The repentance of the people of spiritual distinction is for heedlessness, and the repentance of the prophets is for regarding the weakness of others who fail to attain what they did.” Ibrāhīm al-Daqqāq said, “Repentance is that you face God without turning your back on Him, whereas before, you used to turn your back on Him and never faced Him.”²³ This means that you devote yourself to Him, shunning everything but Him.

1.15

وقيل التوبة الندم على ما مضى والعكوف على ما صفا وقيل التوبة النقلة ممّا نهى الله إلى ما أمر الله وقيل التوبة الإقبال على الحقّ والإعراض عن الخلق وقيل التوبة الصدق واللَجأ والكَدّ على الرجاء وقيل التوبة استشعار الخَجَل لما عمل من الزلَل وقيل التوبة الأسف على ما سلَف وقيل التوبة الرجوع إلى الله تعالى في كلّ لحظة وخطرة ولَمْحة وقيل التوبة الحياء العاصم والبكاء الدائم وقيل التوبة خلع لباس الجفاء ونشر لباس الوفاء وقيل التوبة الرجوع من الأوصاف المذمومة إلى الأوصاف المحمودة ولا يتمّ ذلك إلّا بالخلوة والصمت عن كلّ كلام لا خير فيه وأكل الحلال وقيل التوبة نار في القلب تلتهب وصَدْع لا ينشعب.

It has been said that repentance is remorse for what has passed and clinging to what is pure. Some say that repentance is moving away from what God has forbidden toward what God has commanded. It has been said that repentance is devotion to the True Reality and shunning created things, and that repentance is sincerity, seeking refuge, and striving persistently with hope. It has been said that repentance is feeling shame when one makes a mistake, and that repentance is sorrow for what has passed. Some say that repentance is the return to God the Exalted in every instant, thought, and glance, and that repentance is shame that restrains one from sin, and constant tears of remorse. It has been said that repentance is removing the garment of estrangement and donning the garment of fidelity. Some say that repentance is the return from blameworthy attributes to praiseworthy attributes, which can only be brought about by seclusion, by holding one’s tongue from useless talk, and by eating lawful food. It has been said that repentance is a fire in the heart that flares up, and a rift that never mends.²⁴

1.16

وروى الأستاذ أَبو القاسم القشيريّ عن الجُنيد بسنده قال: دخلتُ على السَري يومًا فرأيتُه متغيّرًا فقلتُ: ما لَك؟ قال: دخل عليّ شابّ فسألني عن التوبة فقلت له أنْ لا تنسى ذنبك فعارضني وقال أنْ تنسى ذنبك. قال الجنيد: فقلت له: إنَّ الأمر عندي ما قاله الشابّ فقال: ولِمَ ذلك؟ فقلت لأنَّني إذا كنتُ في حال الجَفاء ونقلني إلى حال الصَفاء فذكر الجفاء في حال الصفاء جفاء. قال أَبو نصر السرّاج: أشارالسري إلى توبة المريدين تارةً لهم وتارةً عليهم وأشار الجنيد إلى توبة المحقّقين لا يذكرون ذنوبهم لما غلب على قلوبهم من عظمة الله ودوام ذكره.

The master Abū l-Qāsim al-Qushayrī relates the following, with his chain of authority from al-Junayd who said,

I met al-Sarī one day, and I saw that he was upset. “What’s wrong?” I asked, and he replied, “A young man came to me and asked about repentance. So, I said to him, ‘It is that you do not forget your sins.’ But he disagreed with me and said, ‘It is that you do forget your sins!’” I replied to al-Sarī, “As I see it, the young man spoke the truth,” and al-Sarī said, “How so?” and I replied, “If I am in the mystical state of estrangement, and He moves me to the state of purity, then memory of estrangement in the state of purity would be estrangement.”

Abū Naṣr al-Sarrāj said, “Al-Sarī alluded to the repentance of the novices, which is in a state of flux, while al-Junayd alluded to the repentance of the spiritually realized ones; they do not recollect their sins because their hearts are overwhelmed by the majesty of God and the constant remembrance of Him.”²⁵

1.17

ويقال أَمَرَ الكافّة بالتوبة: العاصين بالرجوع إلى الطاعة والمطيعين من رؤية الطاعة إلى رؤية التوفيق وخاصّ الخاصّ من رؤية التوفيق إلى مشاهدة المُوَفِّق. ويقال أَمَرَ الكلَّ بالتوبة لئلّا يخجل العاصي في الرجوع بانفراده فقال تعالى {وَتُوبُوۤاْ إِلَى ٱللهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ}. أَمرهم سبحانه بالتوبة لينتفعوا بها لا ليكون للحقّ سبحانه بطاعتهم تجمّل.

It is said that God ordered a type of repentance for every kind of person: the disobedient are to return to obedience, and obedient persons are to turn away from concern for obedience and toward seeing success. For the chosen elite, however, repentance is to turn away from seeing success to contemplate Him who gives success. It is also said that He ordered all to repent lest a penitent person should feel ashamed of repenting by himself. Thus, He the Exalted has said, «Turn to God, together, O believers, that you might be successful.»²⁶ God, may He be praised, ordered repentance so that they might benefit from it, not so that their obedience be an embellishment for Him, may He be praised.²⁷

1.18

قال أَبو يزيد: التوبة من الذنب واحدة ومن الطاعة ألف. وقال القشيريّ: لولا أنَّ الله تعالى يتوب على العبد وإلّا لَمَا تاب. انتهى.

Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī said, “Turning from sin occurs once, but from obedience, a thousand times.”²⁸ Al-Qushayrī said, “Were it not that God the Exalted turns in forgiveness to the worshipper, the worshipper would never ever repent.”²⁹

1.19

اعلمْ رحمك الله أنّ لكلّ جارحة حظًّا من التوبة فللقلب نيّة الترك والندم وللعين الغضّ ولليد الكَفّ عن البطش وللرِجل ترك السعي وللسمع ترك الإصغاء وقِسْ على ذلك. هذه توبة العامّة وتوبة الخاصّة هذه وتزيد عليها مخالفة هوى النفس وغضّ بصر القلب عن سائر الحظوظ والزهد في ما يفنى وهذه هي التوبة الموجبة لمحبّة الله تعالى في قوله {إِنَّ ٱللهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّابِينَ}.

Know, may God show you mercy, that every part of the body has a share in repentance. Thus for the heart, there is the intention to avoid sin, and remorse; for the eye, there is lowering one’s gaze; for the hand, there is refraining from grabbing; for the foot, there is giving up running to prohibited places; for the ear, to stop listening to useless prattle, and so forth.³⁰ This is the repentance of the common people. The repentance of the people of distinction is all this, plus opposing concupiscent desire, lowering the heart’s gaze away from all good fortune, and renouncing the ephemeral world. This is the repentance required for the love of God the Exalted, described in His saying: «Truly, God loves those who turn in repentance.»³¹

1.20

وأمّا توبة خاصّ الخاصّ فهي من النظر إلى سوى الله ومن التعلّق بغير الله ومن الاعتماد على سوى الله ومن الوقوف مع غير الله وذلك يشمل سائر الأشياء حتّى القُرب والعبادات والأحوال والكرامات والمراتب والمقامات وكلّ شيء سوى الله تعالى وتكون توبته بربّه لربّه وهذا هو المورد الأصفى والمقام الأعلى من التوبة التي هي فرع من أصل التوبة المختصَّة بالجناب العالي المحمّدي في قوله تعالى {لَقَدْ تَابَ ٱللهُ عَلَىٰ ٱلنَّبِيِّ}.

The repentance of the chosen elite is for looking at anything but God, for attachment to anything other than God, for reliance on anything but God, and for being occupied with anything other than God. This repentance includes everything, even proximity to God, religious practices, mystical states, miracles, and mystical ranks and stations—everything except God the Exalted—such that one’s turning in repentance is by one’s Lord and to one’s Lord. This is the purest destination, the highest station in repentance, for it is a branch from the root of repentance pertaining to his honorable Muḥammadian majesty when the Exalted says, «He forgave the Prophet.»³²

1.21

قال بعض الأكابر: في الآية عرّض بتوبة من لم يُذنِبْ سترًا لمن أذنب إشارةً إلى أنّه لا يدخل أحدٌ من أمّته إلى مقام إلّا تابعًا له صلّى الله عليه وسلّم. وقال بعض أهل التحقيق إنَّ ذكر التوبة في هذه الآية أَخْذُ العَلَقَة من صدره الشريف فقيل هذا حظّ الشيطان فكأنّه صلّى الله عليه وسلّم يستغفر من كونه فيه مدّة. وقال بعضهم هي مقدّمة توبة الأمّة لتصحّ بالمقدّمة التوابع من توبة التائبين. وقال بعضهم: توبة الأنبياء من مشاهدة الخلق في وقت التَبليغ إذ الأنبياء لا يغيبون عن الحضرة لأنّهم في عين الجمع أَبدًا.

One of the great scholars has said, “In the above verse from the Qurʾān, He alludes to the repentance of the one who never sinned, as a pretext for those who do sin, by calling attention to the fact that no member of the community of the Prophet, God bless and cherish him, enters a station without following his example.” One of the people of spiritual realization said that mention of repentance in this verse is the removal of the clot from Muḥammad’s noble breast by angels,³³ and some say that this clot was Satan’s portion. Therefore, it is as if he, may God bless and cherish him, sought forgiveness for Satan’s evil ever having been inside him. Another has said this verse is a precedent for the repentance of the Prophet’s community such that, by this precedent, the outcomes of the penitents’ repentance will be valid. Someone said, “The repentance of the prophets is for seeing creation at the time of being called to prophecy since they are never absent from the divine presence, for they are always in the center of union.”³⁴

1.22

وقال سَهْل: ليس شيء في الدنيا من الحقوق أوجب على الخلق من التوبة ولا عقوبة أشدّ من فقد التوبة. وقال ابن منصور: التوبة محو البشريّة بإثبات الإلٰهِيّة حتّى ترجع إلى أصل العدم فيبقى الحقّ كما لم يزل. وفي هذه اللمعة من لطيف إشاراتهم كفاية لمن وفّقه الله.

Sahl al-Tustarī said, “Of the rights due to God in this world below, none is more necessary for humanity than repentance, and there is no worse retribution than loss of repentance.”³⁵ Ibn Manṣūr said,³⁶ “Repentance is the effacement of human nature and the confirmation of divinity, such that you return to the root of nonexistence, while the True Reality abides as ever.” This small portion of the subtle allusions of the Sufi folk should be sufficient for one to whom God gives success.

1.23

ولا بأس بتذييل هذا الأصل بغرر من الأحاديث الإلهيّة ونفائس من الحكايات المرويّة وبالله التوفيق. عن الحسن رضي الله عنه قال: لمّا تاب الله على آدم عليه الصلاة والسلام هنأَته الملائكة وهبط عليه جبرئيل وميكائيل فقالا: يا آدم قَرَّتْ عَينُك بتوبة الله عزّ وجلّ عليك فقال آدم: يا جبرئيل إن كان بعد هذه التوبة السؤال فأين مقامي؟ فأوحى الله تعالى إليه: يا آدم أَوْرثتَ ذرّيتك التعب والنصب وورّثتهم التوبة فمن دعاني منهم لَبّيتُه فمن سألني المغفرة لم أَبخل عليه لأنّي قريب مجيب يا آدم وأَحْشِرُ التائبين من القبور ضاحكين مستبشرين ودعاؤهم مستجاب.

It is important to add as an appendix to this principle, the finest divine sayings and choicest of authoritative stories. Success comes from God alone! Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, may God be pleased with him, related as follows:

When God turned in forgiveness to Adam, on whom be prayers and peace, the angels congratulated him, and Gabriel and Michael descended to him and said, “Adam, rejoice for the forgiveness upon you from God mighty and glorious!” “Gabriel,” he replied, “if a question remains after being forgiven, it is, ‘What is my status?’” God the Exalted then revealed to him: “O Adam, you have bequeathed toil and trouble to your progeny, but I have bequeathed repentance to them. Whoever among them prays to Me, I will respond to him, and whoever asks Me for forgiveness, I will not withhold it from him, for I am near, and I answer, O Adam. I will gather the penitents from the graves on Judgment Day, and they will be happy and laughing, and their prayers will be answered!”³⁷

1.24

ورُوي أنّ العاصي إذا أغلق الباب وأرخى الستر وغطّى الكوّة وباشر المعصية تقول الأرض: يا ربّ ائذَنْ لي فأَخْسفَ به و تقول السماء: ائذَنْ لي فأَسْقُطَ عليه فيقول الربّ سبحانه وتعالى: إن كان العبدعبدكم فافعلوا به ما شئتم وإنْ كان عبدي فدَعُوه فإنْ أتاني في جوف الليل قبِلتُه وإن أتاني وسط النهار قبِلتُه فإنّه ليس على بابي حاجِب ولا بَوّاب متى أتاني وجد الطريق حتّى قال رَبّي أقول عبدي متى قال أسأتُ يا رَبّي أقول عفوتُ يا عبدي.

It is related that when the sinner shuts the door, lowers the curtain, closes the window, and gets down to sin, the earth will say, “O Lord, allow me to swallow him up!” and the sky will say, “Allow me to fall upon him!” The glorious and exalted Lord will reply, “If the servant is your servant, then do with him what you will. But if he is My servant, then leave him alone. For if he comes to Me in the darkest of night, I will accept him, and if he comes to Me in the brightest of day, I will accept him. There is no gatekeeper or warden blocking My door, and whenever he comes to Me, he will find a path. Whenever he calls, ‘My Lord?’ I answer, ‘My servant!’ and whenever he says, ‘I have sinned, O, Lord!’ I reply, ‘I have forgiven you, My servant!’”³⁸

1.25

وفي بعض الإسرائيليّات يقول الله عزّ وجلّ: يا ابن آدم ما أنصفتَني. أذكرك وتنساني وأدعوك إليّ فتفرُّ منّي وأُذهب عنك البلايا وأنت معتكف على الخطايا. يا ابن آدم ما يكون اعتذارك غدًا إذا جئتني. ويحك إن كان لا يلذَعك هذا الخطاب فاعلمْ أنَّك مصاب فأدرِك نفسك وإلّا استَعدّ لأليم العذاب.

In one of the stories of the Israelites, mighty and glorious God says, “O child of Adam, you are not fair to Me. I remember you, but you forget Me. I call you to Me, but you run away from Me. I keep misfortunes away from you, yet you are addicted to sin. O child of Adam, you will have no excuse tomorrow when you come to Me on Judgment Day. Woe to you, if these words do not sting you! Know that you are in grave danger! Take heed of yourself or be prepared for the painful chastisement!”³⁹

1.26

وقال ذو النون المصريّ: أوحى الله تعالى إلى موسى عليه السلام: كُنْ كالطير الوحدانيّ يأكل من رؤوس الأشجار ويشرب من الماء القراح فإذا جنّه الليل أوى إلى كهف من الكهوف استيناسًا بي واستيحاشًا ممّن عصاني. يا موسى إنّي آليتُ على نفسي أنْ لا أُتِمَّ لمدبِّر عنّي عملاً ولأقطعَنَّ كلّ من أمّل غيري ولأقصِمَنَّ ظهر من استند إلى سواي ولأطيلَنَّ وحشة من استأنس بغيري ولأعرِضَنَّ عمّن أحبّ حبيبًا سواي. يا موسى إنَّ لي عبادًا إنْ ناجوني أَصغيتُ إليهم وإنْ نادوني أقبلتُ عليهم وإنْ دَنوا مِنّي قرّبتُهم وإن قَربوا مِنّي اكتنفتُهم وإنْ والَوني والَيتُهم وإنْ صافوني صافيتُهم وإنْ عملوا لي جازيتُهم أنا مدبِّر أمورهم وسائس قلوبهم ومتولّي أَحْوالهم. لم أَجعل لقلوبهم راحة في شيء إلّا في ذكري ولايستأنسون إلّا بي ولا يحطّون رِحالَ قلوبهم إلّا عندي ولايستقرّ بهم القرار إلّا في الإيواء إليّ.

Dhū l-Nūn al-Miṣrī said, “God the Glorious revealed the following to Moses, peace be upon him:”

Be like the solitary bird who eats from the treetops and drinks from clear water, and when night descends upon it, takes shelter in one of the caves, settling down with Me and averse to any who disobey Me. O Moses, I have promised Myself not to bring to fruition any action by someone who works against Me, and I will cut asunder anyone who hopes for other than Me; I will break the back of anyone who relies on other than Me; I will prolong the agony of anyone who is intimate with any other than Me, and I will abandon anyone who loves a lover other than Me! O Moses, I have servants who whisper intimately to Me, so I listen to them, and when they call Me, I turn to them. If they approach Me, I come near to them, and if they come near to Me, I embrace them. If they befriend Me, I bring them close; if they are sincere to Me, I am sincere toward them, and if they strive toward Me, I reward them. I am the ruler of their affairs, the governor of their hearts, and the power over their mystical states. I do not allow their hearts to repose in anything but remembrance of Me, for they are intimate with Me alone. They bring their hearts before Me, alone, and their abode is made only in My shelter.⁴⁰

1.27.1

وعن أَبي الفَيض ذي النون المصريّ رضي الله عنه قال: وُصِفَ لي رجل من أهل اليمن فخرجتُ حاجًّا إلى بيت الله الحرام فلَمّا قضيتُ الحجّ قصدتُه لأسمع كلامه وانتفع بموعظته أنا وأناس معي كانوا يطلبون ما أطلبُ من البركة. وكان معنا شابّ عليه سيماء الصالحين ومنظر الخائفين مصفرّ الوجه من غير سقم أَعمش العينين من غير رمد يحبّ الخلوة ويأنس بالوحدة كأنّه قريب عهد بمُصيبه وكنّا نعذله على أنْ يرفق بنفسه فلا يصغي إلينا ولا يزداد إلّا مجاهدة كما قيل [الخفيف]:

أَيُّها العاذِلونَ في الحُبِّ مَهْلا	حاشَ لِي عَنْ هَواهُ أنْ أَتَسَلَّى
كَيفَ أَسْلُو وَقَدْ تَزايَدَ وَجْدي	وَتَبَدَّلْتُ بَعْدَ عِزِّيَ ذُلَّا
قِيلَ تَبْلَى فَقُلْتُ تَبْلَى عِظامي	وَسْطَ لَحْدِي وحُبُّكُمْ لَيسَ يَبْلَى
حُبُّكُمْ قَدْ شَرِبْتُهُ في فُؤَادي	في قَدِيمِ الزَّمَانِ مُذْ كُنْتُ طِفْلا

Abū l-Fayḍ Dhū l-Nūn al-Miṣrī, may God be pleased with him, related as follows:

I was told about a man from Yemen. I departed on pilgrimage to the Holy House of God in Mecca, and when I finished the Hajj, I sought out this man that I might listen to his words and profit from his spiritual counsel. There were people with me seeking blessings as I was, including a young man who had the mark of righteousness and the look of those who are fearful of God; his face was sallow, though not from illness, and he was bleary-eyed, though not from inflammation. He loved seclusion and being alone, as if he were close to his appointed time. We used to reproach him for keeping to himself and ignoring us, but that only made him struggle all the more. As has been said:

Blamers of love, go easy;

I can never replace my love of him.

How can I forget him since my passion flared,

and I gave up my honor for shame?

“You’re being tested,” they said. Indeed my bones

are worn away in the grave, though love of you never fades!

For I drank love of you within my heart

since I was a child in ancient times.

1.27.2

فلم يزل ذلك الشابّ معنا حتّى دخلنا اليمن فسألنا عن منزل الشيخ فأرشدنا إليه فطرقنا الباب فخرج إلينا كأَنّما يُخْبَرُ عن أهل القبور. فجلسنا إليه فبدأه الشابّ بالسلام والكلام فصافحه الشيخ وأبدى له البشر والترحيب من دوننا وسلّمنا كلّنا عليه. ثمّ تقدّم إليه الشابّ فقال: يا سيّدي إنّ الله تعالى قد جعلك ومثلك أطبّاء لأسقام القلوب ومعالجين لأدواء الذنوب وبي جُرْحٌ قد نغل وداءٌ قد استمكن وأعضل فإنْ رأيتَ أنْ تتلطّف بي ببعض مراهمك فافْعَلْ فأنشده الشيخ يقول [الخفيف]:

إنَّ داءَ ٱلذُّنُوبِ دَاءٌ عَظِيمٌ	كَيْفَ لي بِٱلخَلاصِ مِن دَاءِ ذَنْبِي
هَلْ طَبِيبٌ مُنَاصِحٌ لي فإنّي	أَعْجَزَ ٱلخَلْقُ وَٱلأطِبَّاءُ طِبِّي
آهِ يا خَجْلَتِي وَيا طُولَ حُزْنِي	مِن وُقُوفِي إذا وَقَفْتُ لِرَبِّي
وَٱنْقِطاعِ ٱلجَوَابِ مِنّي وَلِمْ لا	وَبَلائِي قَدْ جَلَّ عَنْ كُلِّ خَطْبي

That young man stayed with us until we arrived in Yemen. There, we asked after the home of the shaykh, and we were directed to it. We knocked on his door, and he came out to us as if he had been brought news of the dead. We sat with him, and the youth greeted him and said a few words. Then the shaykh took his hand and welcomed him with glad tidings, but not us, though we had also greeted the shaykh. The young man drew near him and said, “O my master, God the Exalted has made you and those like you physicians for the hearts and healers of the diseases of sin. I have a festering wound and a disease, that has spread and will not respond to treatment. If you see fit to give me one of your remedies, do so please!” Then the shaykh recited to him:

Sin’s disease! What an awful disease!

How can I be saved from my sin’s disease?

Is there a physician to counsel me?

The doctors and all humanity are powerless to treat me.

O my shame and bitter grief from standing

when I come to stand before my Lord,

Cut off from His answer to my prayers—and why not?—

with my distress beyond description!⁴¹

1.27.3

فقال الشابّ للشيخ: فإنْ رَأيتَ أنْ تتلطّف ببعض مراهمك فٱفْعَلْ فقال له الشيخ: سَلْ عمّا بدا لك. قال له: ما علامة الخوف؟ قال: أنْ يُؤيسَكَ خوفُ الله من كلّ خوف غير خوفه. فانتفض الفتى ثمّ خرّ مغشيًا عليه ساعة فلمّا أفاق قال: رحمك الله متى يتيقّن العبد خوفه من الله تعالى؟ قال: إذا أنزل نفسه من الدنيا منزلة العليل السقيم فهو محتَمٍ من كلّ الطعام مخافة طول السقام ويصبر على غصص الدواء خوفًا من طول الضنى. قال: فصاح الشابّ صيحة ظننّا أنَّ رُوحه خرجت ثمّ قال: يرحمك الله ما علامة المحبّة لله تعالى؟ فقال الشيخ: حبيبي إنَّ درجة المحبّة لله رفيعة فقال الشابّ: صِفها. قال: حبيبي إنَّ المحبّين لله كشف عن قلوبهم فأبصروا بنور القلب جلال عظمة المحبوب فصارت أرواحهم روحانيّة وقلوبهم نورانيّة وعقولهم سماويّة لا يرون سوى الحبيب ولا لَهم غير الوصل من نصيب.

Again, the young man said to the shaykh, “If you see fit to give me one of your remedies, please do so!” The shaykh replied, “Ask what you want,” and the youth said, “What is the sign of fear?” “That fear of God causes you to renounce fear of anything but Him,” answered the shaykh. The youth shuddered and fell unconscious for an hour. When he recovered, he said, “May the exalted God show you mercy! When can the servant be certain that his fear is of God the Exalted?” and the shaykh replied, “When he relegates himself in this world below to the state of a sick man, such that he refuses any food for fear of prolonging the illness, while bearing patiently the medicine’s agonizing effects for fear of prolonging his wasting away.”⁴² Then the young man screamed, and we thought that his spirit had departed, but then he said, “May God show you mercy! What is the sign of love for God the Exalted?” and the shaykh replied, “My dear one, the rank of love for the exalted God is sublime!” and the young man said, “Describe it!” “My dear one,” the shaykh replied, “God pulls away the veil from the hearts of His lovers, and they see, by the heart’s light, the glory of the Beloved’s majesty. Their spirits become holy, their hearts are illuminated, and their intellects become heavenly. They see only the Beloved, and their lot is only union!”

1.27.4

فشهق الشابّ شهقةً فمات رحمه الله.فجعل الشيخ يقلبه ويقول: هذا مصرع الخائفين هذه درجة المحبّين هذه روح حنَّت فأَنَّت فسمعت فأشرفت فصاحت فماتت. وينشد بعضهم [الطويل]:

عَلَى قَدْرِ عِلْمِ ٱلمَرْءِ يَعْظُمُ خَوْفُهُ	فَمَا عالِمٌ إلّا مِنَ ٱلله خائِفُ
فَآمِنُ مَكْرِ ٱللهِ بِٱللهِ جَاهِلٌ	وَخَائِفُ مَكْرِ ٱللهِ بِٱللهِ عَارِفُ

At that, the young man groaned and died, may God have mercy upon him. The shaykh began to turn him over, saying, “This is the death of those who fear God; this is the rank of the lovers. This is a spirit who yearned and moaned, who listened and grew noble, then screamed and died.”⁴³ As someone has said:

The more a man knows, the greater his fear,

for no one knows God without fearing Him.

One who feels safe from God’s designs is ignorant of Him,

while one who fears God’s designs knows Him.⁴⁴

1.28.1

وعن مَالِك بن دِينَار رضي الله عنه قال: رأَيت في بعض الأيّام شابًّا عليه خفر التوبة ونور الإجابة ودموعه تتساقط على وجهه فعرفتُه بوجهه وكنتُ أَعرفه ذا ثَروة ونعمة فبكَيت لمّا رأيتُ من حاله وبكى الآخر لمّا رآني وبدأني بالسلام وقال: يا مالك بالله عليك ألا ذكرتَني في أَوقات الصفاء لعلّ الله يرحمني ويغفر لي ثمَّ أنشأ يقول [الطويل]:

وَعَرِّضْ بِذِكْرِي حَيثُ تُسْمِعُ زَينَبا	وَقُل: لَيْسَ يَخْلُو سَاعَةً مِنْكِ بَالُهُ
عَسَاهَا إذا مَا مَرَّ ذِكْرِي بِسَمْعِهَا	تَقُولُ: فُلانٌ عِنْدَكُمْ كَيْفَ حَالُهُ

Mālik ibn Dīnār, may God be pleased with him, related as follows:

One day, I saw a young man who had the diffidence of repentance and the light of one whose prayers are answered. Tears were streaming down his face. Then I recognized him as someone I used to know as blessed with wealth and good fortune. I cried when I saw him in this state, and he cried when he saw me. He greeted me and said, “O Mālik, cling to God, for you certainly remember how I was during the good times. Perhaps God will have mercy upon me and forgive me!” Then he recited:

Mention me if Zaynab will listen and say,

“His thoughts are never free of you for an instant!”

If she hears mention of me, perhaps she’ll say,

“How is that friend of yours?”

1.28.2

قال مالك: ثمّ ولّى ودموعه تستبق فلمّا دخلت أشهر الحجّ توجّهتُ إلى مكّة فبينما أنا في المسجد الحرام إذ رأيتُ خلقة من الناس وإذا فتى يتضرّع وقد قطع على الناس طوافهم بكثرة بكائه فوقفتُ عليه أَنظره مع الناس فإذا الرجل صاحبي فاستبشرت به وسلّمتُ عليه وقلت: الحمد لله الذي أبدلك بخوفك أَمنًا وأعطاك ما تتمنّى. قال فأَنشأ يقول رحمه الله تعالى [الطويل]:

فَسَارُوا بِلا خَوْفٍ إلى خَيْفِ أَمْنِهِمْ	وَلَمَّا أَنَاخُوا في مِنىً بَلَغُوا ٱلمُنَا
تَمَنَّوا فَأَعْطَاهُمْ مُنَاهُمْ وَصَانَهُمْ	بِتَوبَتِهِ ٱلخُلْصَى عَنِ ٱلفَحْشِ وَٱلخَنَا
أَدَارَ عَلَيهِمْ سَاقِيُ ٱلقَومِ خَمْرَةً	فَنَادَوا مَنِ ٱلسَّاقي فَقَال لَهُمْ أَنَا
أَنَا ٱللهُ فَٱدْعُوني فَإنّيَ رَبُّكُمْ	لِيَ ٱلمَجْدُ وَٱلعَلْياءُ وَٱلمُلْكُ وَٱلثَّنَا

Mālik said:

Then he turned and left, weeping. The pilgrimage months arrived, and I set out for Mecca. While I was in the Sacred Mosque, I saw a circle of people around a young man who had thrown himself down and had interrupted the pilgrims in their circumambulation of the Kaaba with his profuse weeping. I stopped with the others to look at him, and it was my former companion. I was glad to see him, so I greeted him and said, “Praise God who has exchanged your fear of Him with His protection and given you what you desired!” Then he began to recite, may God show him mercy:

Without fear,

they travelled safely to Khayf,

and when they alighted at Minā,

they attained their desires.

They had hopes,

so He gave them their desires

and protected them with His forgiveness,

completely free of indecency and obscenity.

The cupbearer of the folk

circled among them with wine,

and when they called out, “Who bears the cup?”

He said to them, “I do!”

“I am God, so call on Me,

for I am your Lord!

Mine are the glory and majesty,

the praise and sovereignty!”⁴⁵

1.28.3

قال مالك: فقلتُ له: بٱلله أَطلِعني على أمرك كيف كان فقال: ما كان إلّا خيرًا. دعانى بفضله فأجبتُه وأعطاني منه كلّ ما طلبتُه وأنشأ يقول [الطويل]:

ولَمَّا دَعَانِي قُلْتُ أَهْلًا وَمَرْحَبَا	بِوَصْلِكَ ما أَحْلَى هَوَاكَ وَأَعْذَبَا
وحَقِّكَ أَنْتَ ٱلقَصْدُ وَٱلسُّؤلُ وَٱلمُنا	وَإنْ لامَنِي فيكَ ٱلعَذُولُ وَأَطْنَبَا
فَقَلْبيَ ما اشْتَاقَ ٱلأراكَ لِأجْلِهِ	وَلا أَرْضَ نَعْمانٍ وَلا خَيفَ مَع قُبا
وَإنْ عَرَضُوا يَوْمًا بِسُعْدَى وَزَينَبٍ	فَما ٱشْتَقْتُ سُعْدًا لا وَلا رُمْتُ زَينَبَا
لَإِنْ ذُكِرَتْ تِلكَ ٱلمَنَازِلُ سادَتي	فَقَصْدِيَ دُونَ ٱلكُلِّ ساكِنَةُ ٱلخِبَا

قال مالك: ثمّ عاد إلى طوافه وتركني ومضى فلم أره ولم أجد له خبرًا.

Mālik said:

I said to him, “By God, tell me what’s happened to you,” and he replied, “It has only been good. God called me with His grace, and I answered Him, and so He gave me all that I sought from Him!” Then he recited:

When He called me, I said, “Welcome! Come in!”

In union with You, how sweet is Your love, how fresh!

By Your reality, You are the goal, the wish, the desire,

and when the blamer blames me for loving You and goes on and on,

My heart does not long for the Arak trees of Naʿmān,

nor for Khayf or Qubā’s land.

If they appeared one day with Suʿdā or Zaynab,

I would not long for Suʿdā, no, nor desire Zaynab.

For whenever those encampments are recalled, O my masters,

then my goal above all others is she who lives in the tent there.⁴⁶

Mālik said, “Then he went back to his circumambulation of the Kaaba, and he left, and I never saw him again or heard news of him.”

1.29

وقال فُضَيل بن عِيَاض: رأيتُ بالموقف شابًّا ساكنًا وعليه أثر الذلّة والخشوع والناس يسألون الله الحوائج فقلتُ: يا فَتى أَخرِج يدك من جيبك وقُلْ حاجة فقال: يا شيخ وقعَت وحشةٌ وليس لي ثمّ وجهٌ. قلت: فإنْ كان كذلك فإنَّ الوقت يفوت فقال لي لابدَّ فقلتُ لا بدَّ فلمّا أراد أنْ يرفع يديه صاح صيحة وخرّ ميّتًا.

Fuḍayl ibn ʿIyāḍ said, “While standing on the Plain of ʿArafāt during the Hajj, I saw a quiet young man marked by meekness and humility. As the people around us were praying to God to fulfill their needs, I said, ‘Young man, hold your hands before your heart and pray for your needs,’ and he replied, ‘Master, melancholy has come upon me, and now I have no time.’ ‘If this is so, it is too late,’ I replied, and he said to me, ‘Indeed.’ ‘Indeed,’ I agreed, and when he tried to raise his hands, he screamed and fell dead.”

1.30

ومن المشهور أنّ سبب توبة إبراهيم بن أَدْهَم أنّه كان من أبناء ملوك خراسان فخرج متَصيّدًا فأثار ثعلبًا وقيل أرنبًا فبينما هو في طلبه إذ هتف به هاتف الهدى: ما لهذا خُلِقتَ ولابهذا أُمِرتَ ثمّ هتف به من قَربوس سرجه: واللهِ ما لهذا خُلِقتَ ولا بهذا أُمِرتَ. فنزل عن دابّته وصادف راعيًا لأبيه فأخذ جُبَّته وكانت من صوف فلبسها وأعطاه ثيابه وقماشه وفرسه. ثمّ دخل مكّة وكان من أمره ما كان.

The case of Ibrāhīm ibn Adham’s repentance is well known. He was a descendent of the kings of Khurasan. He went out to hunt, and flushed out a fox, or perhaps a rabbit, and as he pursued it, the voice of an invisible guide spoke to him: “You were not created for this; you were not commanded to do this!” Then a voice spoke from his saddle bow: “By God, you were not created for this; you were not commanded to do this!” So he dismounted his horse and came upon one of his father’s shepherds. Ibrāhīm took the shepherd’s cloak, which was made of wool, and put it on, and he gave the shepherd his clothes, gear, and horse. He then went to Mecca, and the rest is history.⁴⁷

1.31

ويُروى أنّ سبب توبة شقيق البَلْخيّ أنّه كان من أبناء الأغنياء فخرج إلى التجارة بأرض التُرك وهو شابّ فدخل بيت الأصنام فرأى خادمها فقال له شقيق: إنَّ لك إلهًا خالقًا حيًّا عالمًا قادرًا فاعْبُدْه ولا تَعْبُدْ هذه الأصنام التي لا تَضُرُّ ولا تنْفع. فقال الخادم: إنْ كان كما تقول فهو قادر على أنْ يرزقك ببلدك فلم تعنّيتَ إلى ههنا للتجارة. فانتَبه شقيق وأخذ في طريق الزهد بعد التوبة وكان أمره ما كان.

The cause of Shaqīq al-Balkhī’s repentance has also been related. He was the scion of a wealthy family, who, as a young man, traded in the land of the Turks. There, he entered a temple full of idols, and when he saw their caretaker, Shaqīq said to him, “Truly, you have a God, a creator, living, omniscient, and omnipotent. Believe in Him and not these idols, which can do no harm nor good.” “If it is as you say,” replied the caretaker, “then He should be able to provide for you in your own country so that you would not need to trouble yourself to come here for trade.” Shaqīq understood and, after repenting, took to the path of renunciation, and the rest is history.⁴⁸

1.32

هذه والله صفات التائبين الصادقين. ألطفُ عبارة وأَدنى إشارة تُخرِجُهم عن سوى الله فلا يكون لهم همّ ولا شغل سواه. {أُوْلٰٓئِكَ حِزْبُ ٱللهِ أَلَا إِنَّ حِزْبَ ٱللهِ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ}.

By God, these are the distinguishing marks of the sincere penitents. The subtlest expression, the slightest allusion, is enough to drive them away from anything other than God; they have no concern nor business except Him. «They are the party of God! Will not the party of God be the successful ones?»⁴⁹

1.33

واعلمْ رحمك الله أنَّ الله تعالى إذا أراد موالاة عبد من عبيده فتح له باب التوبة بمنّه وأدخله دهليز الزهد في غيره ورقاه على معراج التقوى من سواه حتّى ينتهي إلى حضرة المشاهدة فيُجلِسه على بساط القرب بجُود الجذب ويتجلّى عليه بالجمال فيتلاشى ما لم يكُن ويبقى ما لم يزل. {هُنَالِكَ ٱلْوَلاَيَةُ لِلّٰهِ ٱلْحَقِّ هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا} وإذا وقع بَذرُ التوبة في أَرض القلب وهَبَّت رياح الندم وهَمَت سحائب الأجفان بمطر الدموع {ٱهْتَزَّتْ} تلك الأرض {وَرَبَتْ وَأَنبَتَتْ مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ} من أَزهار تجلِّيّات وثمار مشاهدات ورياحين وصال وفواكه اتّصال إلى غير ذلك ممّا لا تحيط به عبارة ولاتحويه إشارة.

Know, may God show you mercy, that when God the Exalted wants to befriend one of His servants, He opens the door of repentance for him with His grace, and leads him into the anteroom of renunciation of all but Him. God raises him up with the ascension of vigilance against any except Him until he ends up in the presence of contemplation, where He seats him on the carpet of proximity with the generosity of attraction, and manifests Himself to him in beauty. Then what was not, is annihilated, and what always was, abides. «There, the protection of God, the True Reality, is the best reward and the greatest success!»⁵⁰ When the seed of repentance falls on the ground of the heart, and the breezes of remorse blow, and the clouds of the eyelids pour with the rain of tears, then that earth «will tremble, sprout, and grow verdant with delightful species»⁵¹ of the flowers of epiphanies and the harvest of contemplation, from the aromatic plants of union and the fruits of communion, and so on from what is beyond description and expression.

1.34

إذا تاب الله على عبد أنسى الحفظة ما كتبوه من سيّئاته وبدّل سيّئاته حسنات وكَتَبَه من أحبابه وإذا صَعِدَ أنينُه باهى الله به الملائكة. محبّة الله حَتمًا للتائبين لقوله تعالى {إِنَّ ٱللهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّابِينَ} فحَسبُ التائب شرفًا أنّه حبيب الله.

When God turns to a servant with forgiveness, He causes the recording angels to forget what they recorded of the servant’s bad deeds; He exchanges his bad deeds for good, and registers him among His beloved ones. When the lamentations of His dear servant rise, God boasts about him to the angels. God’s love is especially for the penitents, as the Exalted has said, «Truly God loves those who turn in repentance!»⁵² Suffice for the penitent the honor that he is God’s beloved.

1.35

إذا لم تَتُبْ فلا فلاح وما عليك إذ أَصححتَ التوبة من كثير العمل. التوبة أساس دعائم السعادة لايصل العبد من مقامات القوم إلّا من بابها ولا يصل إلى مقصود إلّا بالتمسّك بها. أَبوك آدم عليه السلام مع وجاهته بالذنب أُهبط من دار النعيم إلى دار الشقاء فكيف حالك؟ {أَيَحْسَبُ ٱلإِنسَانُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى} كلاّ {كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ}. يوشكُ للمسوِّف أنْ يُؤخَذَ على بغتة فيقول حين يرى العذاب {لَوْ أَنَّ لِي كَرَّةً فَأَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ}. لا تظنّنّ أَنَّ المُهْلَة مع الإصرار على الذنب إكرام. بل هو أشدُّ الانتقام. قال الله تعالى {إِنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُوۤاْ إِثْمًا}.

If you do not turn to God in repentance, you will have no success. You must therefore validate your repentance with hard work. Repentance is the foundation for the pillars of happiness. The servant will enter the Sufis’ mystical stages only through the door of repentance, and he will attain his goal only by holding fast to repentance. Your forefather Adam, peace be upon him, with all of his prestige, still fell from the abode of felicity into the abode of misery due to sin. Then what of your condition? «Does the human being reckon that he will be left alone?»⁵³ Never! «Every man is held accountable for what he earned.»⁵⁴ The procrastinator will soon be taken by surprise, and when he sees his punishment, he will say, «Would that I had a second chance, I would be one of those who do good!»⁵⁵ Do not suppose that a delay in judgment is a blessing while you persist in sin. No, indeed! It is the harshest reckoning, as God the Exalted has said, «We give them a respite that they may increase in sin.»⁵⁶

1.36

نسأل الله العافية ونسأله أنْ يَمُنَّ علينا وعليكم بتوبة المخلصين وإنابة العارفين وأَوبة الموحِّدين بمَنّه وكَرمه إنَّه {أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّاحِمِينَ}.

We ask God for forgiveness, and we ask Him to bless us and you with the repentance of the sincere, the turning back of those who know, and the return of those who profess the unity of God by His grace and generosity, for He «is the most merciful of those who show mercy!»⁵⁷

1.37

وما أَحسنَ قول بعضهم [الطويل]:

لَئِنْ عَظَمَتْ مِنّي ذُنُوبِيَ كَثْرَةً	فَعَفْوُكَ عَنْ ذَنْبِي أَجَلُّ وأَكْبَرُ
وَإنْ وَسِعَتْنِي رَحْمَةٌ مِنْكَ هَاهُنَا	فَإِنّي إِليهَا في ٱلقِيامَةِ أَفْقَرُ

How aptly someone said:

Though my sins grow great and oppressive,

Your forgiveness of sins is greater still.

Yet as Your mercy holds me here,

I will need it more at the Resurrection!

1.38

ومن فتح الله في المعنى قولنا نظمًا [الطويل]:

لَئِنْ أَسْقَمَتْ حَالي عَظِيمُ خَطِيئَتِي	فَإِنَّ ٱعْتِقَادِي في عُلاكَ صَحِيحُ
وَإِنْ ضَاقَ في وَجْهِي ٱلفَضَآءُ لِزَلَّتِي	فَإنَّ جَمِيلَ ٱلظَّنِّ فَيكَ فَسِيحُ

God has inspired these verses of mine on this subject:⁵⁸

Though my grave faults sicken my condition,

my faith in Your grandeur is strong indeed.

Though the wide world closes in on me for my sin,

good thoughts of You are boundless indeed.

1.39

وأيضًا من فتحه نظمًا [مجزوء الوافر]:

جَمِيلُ ٱلظَّنِّ حَدَّثَنِي	حَدِيثًا لَيْسَ بِاللَغْوِ
بِأَنَّكَ راحِمًا بَرًّا	كَرِيمًا واسِعَ ٱلعَفْوِ
فَحَقِّقْ سَيِّدِي ظَنِّي	بِجوْدٍ لِلظَّمَأ يُرْوِي
وَدَارِكْ كُلَّ ما أَثْبَتَّ	مِن ذَنْبِيَ بِٱلمَحْوِ
فَوَعْدُكَ بِٱلوَفَا وَافا	بِقَولِ ٱلصَّادِقِ ٱلمَرْوِي
بأَنَّكَ عِنْد ظَنِّ ٱلعَبْدْ	وإِنَّ لَهُ ٱلَّذي يَنْوِي

Here are more verses inspired by Him:

Sound opinion relayed to me

a prophetic tradition, not prattle,

That You are merciful and kind,

sweeping in forgiveness.

Master, prove my thoughts true

quenching my thirst with generosity,

And erase all that You have written down

of my sins.

For Your promise of redemption is confirmed by words

related from the Prophet who spoke true

That You are with the servant who thinks of You,

so the One is there to protect him!⁵⁹

1.40

هذا ما فتح الله به من الكلام على الأصل الأوّل في التوبة وبالله التَوفيق.

This is what God has inspired as a discourse on the first principle of repentance. Success comes from God alone!