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Ikhbāt (Arabic: الإخبات) is a Quranic term signifying Khushu' (humility), submission to God, and a profound sense of reassurance in Him. Other interpretations include finding peace through the remembrance of God and Inaba (repentance). Allama Tabataba'i defines Ikhbat as a state of spiritual reassurance in God wherein human faith remains unwavering. In the Qur'an, the Mukhbitin (the humble) are enumerated among the inhabitants of Paradise. Qur'an 22:35 outlines four of their distinct characteristics: fear of God, patience in adversity, the establishment of prayer, and spending in charity. Narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (a), particularly those attributed to Imam Ali (a), identify specific exemplars of the Mukhbitin.

In mystical literature, Ikhbat is regarded as a station within spiritual wayfaring and represents one of the preliminary stages of the station of Tuma'nina (tranquility). At this stage, the wayfarer attains a state of reassurance and liberation from doubt. In the station of Ikhbat, the wayfarer must first abstain from sin, then maintain a firm resolve in their spiritual journey, and finally, remain unaffected by the praise or blame of others, directing blame solely toward themselves.

Introduction and Status

Etymologically, Ikhbat is derived from the root kh-b-t (on the measure of th-b-t), which denotes a vast, level expanse of land where one may walk with ease and assurance.[1] While the term Ikhbat does not appear as a gerund in the Qur'an, its derivatives occur in three instances (Qur'an 22:34, Qur'an 22:54, and Qur'an 11:23).[2] Scholars have proposed multiple meanings for Ikhbat.[3] The majority of exegetes interpret Ikhbat as Khushu before God, accompanied by submission to divine command and a profound sense of reassurance in Him.[4]

Additional interpretations include finding peace through the remembrance of God,[5] Inaba (repentance),[6] and finding rest or taking refuge in the Lord.[7] Scholars note that in the Persian language, no single word can fully encapsulate the concept of Ikhbat; rather, it requires a descriptive sentence to convey its meaning.[8] The terms Istikbar (arrogance) and Takabbur are considered antonyms of Ikhbat.[9] Semantically, Ikhbat is closely related to concepts such as Taqwa, Ikhlas, Wajal (fear), Sakina (tranquility), Khawf, and Khashya (awe); indeed, it is suggested that Ikhbat synthesizes all these spiritual qualities.[10]

Allama Tabataba'i describes Ikhbat as a form of reassurance in God wherein human faith remains unwavering.[11] The essence of Ikhbat has been characterized as inner humility, broken-heartedness, and modesty before God.[12] It is said that Ikhbat is the reassurance and peace derived from humility before the Divine.[13] The station of Ikhbat is regarded as a distinguished rank comprising faith, righteous deeds, and the highest degree of patience;[14] a human being in this station is devoid of pride in their spiritual journey.[15]

In hadith literature, Ikhbat signifies submission and is mentioned alongside terms such as Tadarru', Inaba, faith, and Taqwa.[16] Imam al-Sadiq (a) equated submission with Ikhbat in one narration.[17] Similarly, Imam al-Sajjad (a), in the supplication known as Munajat al-Injiliyya, beseeches God to attain the degree of Ikhbat ("Grant him the humility of abasement and the submission of poverty in the awe of Ikhbat").[18] In the supplication for Khatm al-Qur'an, the request to reach the station of Ikhbat is also cited in the words of Amir al-Mu'minin (a), quoting the Prophet (s): "O Allah, I ask You for the Ikhbat of the Mukhbitin...".[19]

Who are the Mukhbitin?

In Qur'an 11:23, the Qur'an contrasts the Mukhbitin with disbelievers, identifying them as the people of Paradise.[20] Furthermore, Qur'an 22:35 delineates four characteristics of this group:

  • When the name of God is mentioned, their hearts tremble with fear of God.
  • They remain patient in the face of hardships that befall them.
  • They establish prayer.
  • They spend from the provision granted to them.[21]

Based on Quranic verses, a Mukhbit is defined as one who is wholeheartedly humble and submissive before God, having attained the stage of reassurance and surrender.[22] It is said that the Mukhbitin feel fear upon observing the greatness of God, yet find reassurance in witnessing His Lordship,[23] while consistently holding their own selves accountable.[24] In narrations, the term Mukhbitin appears with various connotations, including the righteous and the worshippers,[25] and signifies a station superior to Tawakkul (reliance) and Rida (contentment).[26] The Ahl al-Bayt (a), particularly Imam Ali (a), and select companions of the Imams (a), such as Salman al-Farsi, are named in narrations as exemplars of the Mukhbitin.[27]

Station of Ikhbat in Mysticism

In mystical treatises, Ikhbat is classified as a station within spiritual wayfaring[28] and serves as one of the preliminary stages of the station of Tuma'nina (tranquility).[29] At this stage, the wayfarer enters a sanctuary secure from regression to the self, finding liberation from all doubt and uncertainty.[30] In the station of Ikhbat, the wayfarer achieves peace, tranquility, and stability in their journey toward God.[31]

Three stages of Ikhbat have been described:

  • First, the wayfarer must be immersed in the avoidance of sin and abstention from carnal desires.
  • Second, their resolve in the journey toward God must remain undiminished, ensuring that worldly attachments—such as wealth, children, or social status—do not obstruct the spiritual path.
  • Third, they must remain unaffected by the praise or blame of others, directing blame solely toward themselves.[32]

Khwaja Abd Allah al-Ansari (d. 481/1089), a prominent mystic and Sufi leader, designates Ikhbat as the thirty-ninth field in his treatise Sad Maydan, placing it after Khushu and Tadhallul, and interpreting it as "gentleness and tender-heartedness."[33] Muhammad Isti'lami, a scholar of mysticism, argues that the definitional boundaries between Khushu, Tadhallul, and Ikhbat are not rigidly distinct. He posits that in Sufi literature, the stations of Khushu,Tadhallul, Ikhbat, and Ikhlas share similar or overlapping definitions, as they all address the servant's humility before the majesty of the Lord.[34]

Monograph

  • The book Sima-yi mukhbitin dar Qur'an wa riwayat (The Face of the Humble in the Qur'an and Narrations), written by Amrullah Sulaymani, was published in 2006.
  • The book Ikhbat, written by Ali Safa'i Ha'iri, was published in 1402/2023-24.

Notes

  1. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 9, p. 66.
  2. ↑ ʿAṭiyya, "Taʾammulī dar bāra-yi wāzha-yi ikhbāt dar āyāt-i Qurʾānī wa jāygāh-i ān dar miyān-i wāzhahā-yi mushābih", p. 94.
  3. ↑ Kūshā, "Ikhbāt", p. 177.
  4. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 5, p. 230; Al-Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 3, p. 132; Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, 1371 Sh, vol. 4, p. 374; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 9, p. 66.
  5. ↑ Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, 1408 AH, vol. 10, pp. 255-256.
  6. ↑ Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, 1371 Sh, vol. 4, p. 374.
  7. ↑ Al-Zamakhsharī, Asās al-balāgha, 1419 AH, vol. 1, p. 228; Kūshā, "Ikhbāt", p. 177.
  8. ↑ Kūshā, "Ikhbāt", p. 177.
  9. ↑ Rād and Nassāj, "Maʿnā-shināsī-yi wāzha-yi ikhbāt bā tawajjuh bi āyāt wa riwāyāt", p. 67.
  10. ↑ Sulaymānī, Sīmā-yi mukhbitīn dar Qurʾān wa riwāyāt, 1385 Sh, pp. 32-135; Kūshā, "Ikhbāt", p. 177.
  11. ↑ Al-Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 10, p. 193.
  12. ↑ Ṣafāyī Ḥāʾirī, Ikhbāt, 1402 AH, p. 52.
  13. ↑ Ghafūrī, "Akhlāq wa maʿnawiyyat: saʿādat wa kamāl dar khushūʿ wa ikhbāt", p. 109.
  14. ↑ Rād and Nassāj, "Maʿnā-shināsī-yi wāzha-yi ikhbāt bā tawajjuh bi āyāt wa riwāyāt", p. 71.
  15. ↑ Ghanawī, "Ikhbāt bi mathāba-yi yak daraja dar masīr-i taḥawwul-i akhlāqī wa abʿād-i ān", p. 153.
  16. ↑ Sulaymānī, Sīmā-yi mukhbitīn dar Qurʾān wa riwāyāt, 1385 Sh, p. 156.
  17. ↑ Al-Kulaynī, Uṣūl al-kāfī, 1363 Sh, vol. 1, p. 391.
  18. ↑ Al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 91, p. 157; Mudarrisī, Īmān zīrbanā-yi sharīʿat, 1383 Sh, p. 399.
  19. ↑ Al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 92, pp. 206-207.
  20. ↑ Kūshā, "Ikhbāt", p. 177.
  21. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 6, p. 43.
  22. ↑ Sulaymānī, Sīmā-yi mukhbitīn dar Qurʾān wa riwāyāt, 1385 Sh, p. 32; Ghanawī, "Ikhbāt bi mathāba-yi yak daraja dar masīr-i taḥawwul-i akhlāqī wa abʿād-i ān", p. 128; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 9, p. 66.
  23. ↑ Ghafūrī, "Akhlāq wa maʿnawiyyat: saʿādat wa kamāl dar khushūʿ wa ikhbāt", p. 109.
  24. ↑ Kūshā, "Ikhbāt", p. 177.
  25. ↑ Sulaymānī, Sīmā-yi mukhbitīn dar Qurʾān wa riwāyāt, 1385 Sh, p. 156.
  26. ↑ Rād and Nassāj, "Maʿnā-shināsī-yi wāzha-yi ikhbāt bā tawajjuh bi āyāt wa riwāyāt", p. 71.
  27. ↑ Sulaymānī, Sīmā-yi mukhbitīn dar Qurʾān wa riwāyāt, 1385 Sh, p. 156.
  28. ↑ Kūshā, "Ikhbāt", p. 177.
  29. ↑ Khwāja ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, Manāzil al-sāʾirīn, 1417 AH, p. 53; Istiʿlāmī, Farhang-nāma-yi taṣawwuf wa ʿirfān, 1399 Sh, p. 313; Sajjādī, Farhang-i maʿārif-i Islāmī, Intishārāt-i Kūmash, vol. 1, p. 102.
  30. ↑ Khwāja ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, Manāzil al-sāʾirīn, 1417 AH, p. 53; Sajjādī, Farhang-i maʿārif-i Islāmī, Intishārāt-i Kūmash, vol. 1, p. 102; Kūshā, "Ikhbāt", p. 177.
  31. ↑ Istiʿlāmī, Farhang-nāma-yi taṣawwuf wa ʿirfān, 1399 Sh, p. 313.
  32. ↑ Khwāja ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, Manāzil al-sāʾirīn, 1417 AH, p. 53; Istiʿlāmī, Farhang-nāma-yi taṣawwuf wa ʿirfān, 1399 Sh, p. 313.
  33. ↑ Khwāja ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, Ṣad maydān, 1368 Sh, p. 39.
  34. ↑ Istiʿlāmī, Farhang-nāma-yi taṣawwuf wa ʿirfān, 1399 Sh, p. 314.

References

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