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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