seeking forgiveness

“A calamity that makes you turn to Allah is better for you then a blessing which makes you forget the remembrance of Allah” ~ Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah

Anas (radhiallahu anhu) said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) say:

“Allah the Exalted said: “O son of Adam! As long as you invoke Me and plead to Me, I will forgive you whatever you have committed, and I will not make much of it. O son of Adam! If your evil deeds reach the borders of the sky, and then you ask Me for forgiveness, I will forgive you. O son of Adam! If you bring forth the earth full of errors, then you meet Me while you do not associate anything (or anyone) with Me, I will bring forth for you its full of forgiveness.”

[At-Tirmidhee]

"Be quick in the forgiveness from your Lord, and pardon (all) men - for Allah loves those who do good." [Surah 3:133-134]

The Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) once asked his companions;
"Do you know what will cause you to have high walled palaces in Paradise (as a symbol of great reward) and will cause you to be raised by God?"

When they replied in the negative, he said,
"To be forgiving and to control yourself in the face of provocation, to give justice to the person who was unfair and unjust to you, to give to someone even though he did not give to you when you were in need and to keep connection with someone who may not have reciprocated your concern."

Similarly the Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said that:
"The best of people are those who are slow to get angry and quick to forgive. On the other hand the worst of people are those, he said who get angry quickly but are slow to forgive".

The characteristic that makes a person most likely to forgive is the purity of his or her heart. Apologies must be accepted.

The Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said that:

"Whoever apologises to his brother and that apology is not accepted, then the person who refuses to accept the apology bears the sin of one who takes the property of another unjustly."

And the Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) also said that:

"The doors of the Garden are open on Monday and Thursday. Every Muslim slave who does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven except for the man who has enmity between him and his brother."

It is said, "Leave those two until they have made a reconciliation. Leave those two until they have made a reconciliation."

If we look at the example and the character of the Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) we can see that he was always forgiving and never showed enmity to anyone except those who waged war against him.

There was an old lady who used to throw rubbish in his way every day, on one occasion she did not throw rubbish in the street, so he decided to go and see what was the matter.

She was ill in bed, to her amazement, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) came to see her and find out about her. She accepted Islam.

This is the example of the man whom we claim to follow. Thumamah, as the chief of his tribe had killed many Muslims. On his travels, he was caught by the Muslim soldiers and was taken to the Prophet's masjid and tied to one of the pillars.

The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) commanded his companions to untie him and give him the best food. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was indeed a mercy for the worlds.

We should similarly be merciful with each other. First of all, we ourselves should not do anything to upset our brothers and sisters (because this is in itself a part of mercy) and then we should forgive those who have upset us or made us angry. We will never be a strong ummah if we are not able to forgive.

Some might say that to forgive is a sign of weakness and humiliation, and for them it is better to be strong and preserve their honor. But honor in the eyes of Allah lies in forgiveness.

"But indeed if any shows patience and forgives that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs." [Surah 42:43]


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