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| Forgiveness: Islamic
Perspective Dr Muzzamil Siddiqi Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has granted
intellect to human beings. The intellect entails responsibility. The more
intellect a person has the more he/she is held responsible. When the
intellect is missing, the responsibility is also not there. Little
children are not held responsible, because their intellect has not yet
developed. The insane are not responsible, because they have lost the
intellectual capacity. However, part of our being human is also that we
make mistakes. Sometime we make mistakes without deliberation and
intention. But sometime we knowingly and deliberately sin and do wrong to
others. It is said, “to err is human and to forgive is divine.” Both
parts of this statement are very true. As human beings we are responsible,
but we do also make mistakes and we are constantly in need of forgiveness.
Islam speaks about two aspects of forgiveness: a) Allah’s forgiveness;
b) Human forgiveness. We need both, because we do wrong in our relations
to Allah as well as in our relations to each other. Allah’s Forgiveness: Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is the most
Forgiving. There are many names of Allah given in the Qur’an. Some of
these names are related to His mercy and forgiveness. Let me mention some
of these names. al-Ghafoor: al-’Afuw: al-Tawwab: al-Haleem: al-Rahman
and al-Rahim: The Qur’an teaches that Allah is a Judge
and He also punishes, but Allah is not bound to punish. The justice of
Allah, according to Qur’an is that Allah does not and will not inflict
undue punishment on any person. He will not ignore the good of any person.
But if He wishes to forgive any sinner, He has full freedom to do that.
His mercy is unlimited and His love is infinite. There are many verses in the Qur’an and
sayings of the Prophet -peace be upon him- on the love, mercy and
forgiveness of Allah. In one of the prayers that the Prophet taught, he
said, “O Allah, You are most Forgiving One, You love to forgive, so
forgive me.” (reported by al-Trimidhi and Ibn Majah). We need Allah’s
mercy and forgiveness all the time. It is wrong to assume at any time that
one will find eternal salvation without the forgiveness of Allah. Human Forgiveness in Islam: Just as it is important to believe in the
mercy and forgiveness of Allah, it is also necessary to base human
relations on forgiveness. We cannot expect Allah’s forgiveness unless we
also forgive those who do wrong to us. Forgiving each other, even
forgiving one’s enemies is one of the most important Islamic teaching.
In the Qur’an Allah has described the Believers as “those who avoid
major sins and acts of indecencies and when they are angry they
forgive.” (al-Shura 42:37) Later in the same Sûrah Allah says, “The
reward of the evil is the evil thereof, but whosoever forgives and makes
amends, his reward is upon Allah.” (al-Shura 42:40) In another place the
Qur’an says, “If you punish, then punish with the like of that
wherewith you were afflicted. But if you endure patiently, indeed it is
better for the patient. Endure you patiently. Your patience is not except
through the help of Allah." (al-Nahl 16:126-127) In one Hadith the Prophet -peace be upon
him- said that Allah has commanded him about nine things. One of them he
mentioned was “that I forgive those who do wrong to me.” The Prophet -peace be upon him- was the
most forgiving person. He was ever ready to forgive his enemies. When he
went to Ta’if to preach the message of Allah, its people mistreated him.
They abused him and hit him with stones. A very striking example of forgiveness we find in the Qur’an in reference to the most unfortunate event of “Slander of Sayyidah A’isha’”. Some hypocrites of Madinah accused her. They tried to put dirt on her noble character. One of the slanderers turned out to be Mistah, the cousin of ‘Aisha’s father Abu Bakr’s. Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- used to give financial help to this young man. After he slandered his daughter, Abu Bakr vowed not to help him any more. But Allah reminded Abu Bakr and through him all the Believers, “Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want and those who migrated in the path of Allah. Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? Indeed Allah is oft-Forgiving, most Merciful.” (Al-Nur 24:22) Abu Bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- came out of his home and said, “Yes, indeed, I want Allah’s forgiveness. He not only continued to help him but he gave him more. Islam emphasizes justice and punishment of the wrong doers, but it equally strongly emphasizes mercy, kindness and love. Justice, law and order are necessary for the maintenance of a social order, but there is also a need for forgiveness to heal the wounds and to restore good relations between the people. We must keep in mind that as much as we need Allah’s forgiveness for our own sins and mistakes, we must also practice forgiveness towards those who do wrong to us. (Summary
of a Friday Khutbah) |