A Comparative Study of Repentance from the Perspectives of Bahya ibn Paquda

Repentance, the act of returning from disobedience to God's ruling to obedience, stands as a fundamental tenet in both Judaism and Islam. Khwāja ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī (396-481 AH), a Muslim mystic, categorized it as a stage of mystical wayfaring in his Manāzil al-saʾirīn, while Bahya ibn Paquda, a Jewish mystic of the same era, did so in his al-Hidāya ilā farāʾiḍ al-qulūb. Research conducted through library studies utilizing the descriptive-analytic method reveals that, despite their agreements on the characteristics of repentance, these two mystics differ in their perspectives on its place, elaboration, and categorizations. Khwāja views repentance as the second station of spiritual journeying, rooted in the Quran and transmitted hadiths, and divides it into three degrees based on the wayfarers' levels: lay, elite, and elite of the elite. He posits that the pinnacle of repentance lies in turning away from everything but God. Conversely, ibn Paquda places repentance as the seventh gate out of ten towards divine love, influenced by Islamic sources and supported by reasoning, scripture, and transmitted traditions. He presents a detailed account asserting that genuine repentance arises from reason reigning over desire and the soul's self-assessment.