The reason why ināba (turning penitently to God) is a condition at the maqām (spiritual station) of ihsan (spiritual excellence) is as follows: Unless the servant, through contemplation of the divine hayba (awe), renounces deficiencies and turns ināba to the Exalted Truth (Cenab-ı Hak), his murāqaba (spiritual vigilance) is not sound. In this ḥāl (spiritual state), the ināba of those at the maqām of ihsan, as well as the righteous (ṣāliḥ), the mu'min (believers), and the muslims at lower stations, is from all that Allah has forbidden. It is natural that those who refrain from divine prohibitions will act according to divine commands and preserve the divine boundaries.
The ināba of the shuhadā (martyrs) is realized by turning from the will of their own nafs (lower self) to the divine will. These have abandoned the will of their nafs and have conformed to the will of Allah. The ināba of the ṣiddīqūn (the utterly truthful) is to turn from the Real (al-Ḥaqq) to the Real. The ināba of the muqarrabūn (those brought near) is to turn from the divine names and attributes to the Divine Essence (Dhāt). This is a maqām whose realization is difficult for the ṣiddīqūn. Almost all those included among the ṣiddīqūn claim to be together with the Divine Essence, but in reality, this is not so. They are, in truth, together with the divine names and attributes, not with the Essence. Their intoxication with the wine of waḥidiyya (divine oneness) prevents them from seeing the true reality. (Insān, II, 91)
Tawba nasūḥ (sincere repentance) is to repent from everything—whether word, deed, or desire—that brings no benefit. Dhū'n-Nūn al-Miṣrī used to say: Whoever claims repentance while inclining to any of the worldly desires is a liar. (Anwār, 1, 36)
The principle of tawba (zābit al-tawba) is to turn from what is blameworthy in religion to what is praiseworthy. Every penitent repents according to his own station. Sometimes, what one person praises, another seeks istighfār (forgiveness) for. This is what is meant by the saying: 'The hasanāt (good deeds) of the abrar (righteous) are the sayyi’āt (misdeeds) of the muqarrabūn (those brought near).'
Know that to engage in acts of opposition (to Allah), to be immersed in desires, and to...