Ibn Ajiba's The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism
Repentance (tawba) is the return from every deed that is uhly to one that is beautiful, from every trait that is base to one that is noble, or from a mind engrossed in the world to one immeresed consciousness of the divine.
Its conditions are that we regret [our sin], rid ourselves of it, and refuse to persist in it. Also, if our sin is one that has wronged another human being, we must try to correct that wrong, but our repentance may be accpeted without having done so, just as repentance for one isn may be accepted even while another remains.
For the generality of believers, repentance is from sins, for the elect, it is from faults, and for the elect of the elect, it is from everything that distracts the soul from the divine presence.
Every station of the way necessitates repentance. In the station of repentance itself, another repentance is needed if the first one lacks sincerity. It is needed in the station of fear (khawf) if we begin to have an illusory sense of security; in the station of hope (raja’) if we experience feelings of despair; in the station of patience (sabr) if we grow restless and worried; in the station of detachment (zuhd) if we are beset by cravings and desires; in the station of scrupulousness (wara’) if we start looking for too much license in the revealed law or are beset by covetousness; in the station of dependence on God (tawakkul) if we start worrying about the future, about our choices, or about the means by which our worldly provision will come to us; in the station of contentment and submission (rida wa taslim) when we become bitter and contract in confronting our destiny; in the station of vigilance (muraqaba) for ill behaviour (su’ al-adab) outwardly and ill thoughts inwardly; in the station of self-examination (muhasahaba) for wasting our time with things that do not bring us close to God; in the station of love (mahabba) when our hearts incline toward other than the Beloved; in the station of contemplative vision (mushahada) if our innermost consciousness turns toward someone or somthing other than the One perceived, or we become fixed on something in the sensory world, or cease our ascent along the pathways of souls.
Thus would the Prophet (saw) ask forgiveness from God seventy or a hundred times in a single assembly. [In the Sahih of al-Bukhari.]
As for “sincere repentance” (tawbaatan nasuhan) [reference to Quran 66:8], it is comrpised of four things: to ask forgiveness for sin with our voices, to abstain from it with our bodies, to rid our hearts from any desire to persist in it, and to stay away from bad companionins. Sufyan al-Thawri said, “The signs of sincere repentance are four: meagerness, weakness, humility, and solitude.”
The term tawba comes from the root t-w-b, “to turn in repentance,” occurs in the Quran in verbal and nominative forms approximately 90 times, where it is used both with human beings in the sense of repenting, and God, in the sense of turning in forgiveness. One of the ninety-nine divine names is al-Tawwab al-Rahim, the Forgiving and Compassionate One.
Source: ‘The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism’ (Mi’raj al-tashawwuf ila haqa’iq al-tasawwuf) A Lexicon of Sufi Terminology.’ by Ahmad ibn Ajiba, translated and annotated by Mohamed Fouad Aresmouk & Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald. Fons Vitae.
The translation mentions two appendencies related to the repentance (tawba), the first contains five short commentaries on repentance from the early Sufis texts. In Sha Allah, I will include them here soon. The second appendix is from the correspondeces of Ahmad Ibn Ajiba regarding tawba, found in Iqaz al-himam where he comments on the station (maqam) of repentance from the 197th aphorism of Ibn Ata’illah’s Hikam. In Sha Allah, I will cite the full text in the future.
Outside of the Shadhili texts, a salient discussion in the chapter, The Hurdle of Repentance from Minhaj al-Abideen is of specific importance wherein the Imam summarizes the issues, challenges, and solutions to this hurdle. Furthermore, to pick up from the Ihya itself one should read the Book of Repentance (Kitāb at-Tawbah).
Praying for forgiveness is one of the greatest secrets of the tariqa, and particularly within the Shadhili tariqa. This practice is primarily undertaken through the remembrance (dhikr) of the Shaykh upon his murids and others in his dua.
It is also done through The Prayer of Repentance (Salah al-Tawba). Not only is this prayer a critical sunna (sunna thabita) but deemed a significant act in the Shadhili tariqa. It reflects a tradition of steadfastness from the Prophet Muhammad (saw). For a murid of the Shadhili path, it is paramount to be well-acquainted with this salah and to perform it frequently. Engaging in these practices not only cleanses the soul but also strengthens one’s connection to the Divine, ensuring that the path remains one of continuous spiritual growth and renewal. Additionally, one can perform the The Prayer of Need (Salah Al-Haja). Both these two prayers give mindfulness.