Ibn Ajiba's The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism
Gnosis (ma’rifa) is stability and perpetuity of the contemplative vision. It is the permanent consciousness of an enraptured heart witnessing only its guardian Lord, undistracted by anything else, yet all the while keeping its equilibrium and the commands of the revealed law.
Such is the extent of the stations of the way that end with gnosis. We will now proceed to the [terms designating] other essential truths frequently used both at the beginning of the way and its end.
Ma’rifa is a nominative form of the root ‘a-r-f, “to know something by direct experience or to be personally acquainted with something or someone.” Forms of this root occur in the Quran about 70 times, mostly as the nominative adjective ma’ruf, “something which is known by all” which by extension means “that which is good and fair.”
Ibn Ajiba ends with, “such is the extent of the stations of the way that end with gnosis,” and this is very important point. Ma’rifah is the 16th term covered in the text; Ibn Ajiba is saying all the terms that led up to this one constitute the states and stations one needs to realize ma’rifah. Therefore, focus up on those. The Shadhili way focuses on ma’rifah bilLah, and what Ibn Ajiba does is front-load the requisite terms for the aspirant (murid) at the start. These states are what is required to attain ma’rifah.
The terms thus are as follows:
- Sufism (tasawwuf)
- Repentance (tawba)
- Conversion (inaba)
- Fear (khawf)
- Hope (raja’)
- Patience (sabr)
- Gratitude (shukr)
- Scrupulousness (wara’)
- Detachment (zuhd)
- Dependence on God (tawakkul)
- Contentment and submission (rida wa taslim)
- Vigilance (muraqaba)
- Self-reckoning and setting conditions (muhasaba wa musharata)
- Love (mahabba)
- Contemplative vision and essential vision (muhasaba wa mu’ayana)