God is Ever
Merciful and we always expect that He will deal mercifully with us and forgive
our mistakes even if we falter again and again. But often we do not show mercy
to others. There are instances which warrant clemency on our part but we choose
to become callous instead. If a person commits a mistake accidentally or does so
in ignorance and forgetfulness, we still scold and punish him. Similarly, at
times, we become harsh and unforgiving even after a person has made amends and
is genuinely sorry for his bad behaviour. Sometimes, we do not forgive a person
even after we have taken revenge. At other times, we castigate someone for a
small mistake or chide him much more than his mistake calls for. Similarly, at
times, we adopt an unforgiving attitude towards a person who comes forward and
confesses his mistake even before it comes to our notice. No doubt, all these
are instances which warrant clemency and compassion from us. But we become
callous, cruel and ruthless.
The Qur’ān says
though a person can avenge the wrong inflicted on him by someone, yet forgiving
and forgetting this wrong will earn great reward and indeed the pleasure of the
Almighty.
Perhaps the
most effective way to become a forgiving and forbearing person is to keep a
constant and watchful eye on one’s own faults and blemishes. We expect God and
our fellow human beings to be magnanimous towards us by forgiving our faults. So
we should all the more be ready to forgive the faults of others.
However, there
can be instances which warrant an unforgiving attitude on our part. For example
if a person is not sorry for his mistake and repeatedly commits the same
mistake. Similarly, if a person does not realize his mistake and in fact shows
arrogance in this regard, we need not show mercy or compassion. We may do
likewise if a person continues to show carelessness and indifference in
realizing that he has done something wrong.
Perhaps, the
real test in this regard is to correctly and judiciously choose the instances
which merit our forgiveness and those which do not.
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