Fri, 01/24/2014 - 12:33

Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant.

By Abu Amina Elias / 24 Jan 2014

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Allah the Exalted said:

وَلْيَعْفُواوَلْيَصْفَحُواۗأَلَاتُحِبُّونَأَنيَغْفِرَاللَّهُلَكُمْۗوَاللَّهُغَفُورٌرَّحِيمٌ

Let them pardon and overlook. Would you not love for Allah to forgive you? Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Surah An-Nur 24:22

And Allah said:

خُذِالْعَفْوَوَأْمُرْبِالْعُرْفِوَأَعْرِضْعَنِالْجَاهِلِينَ

Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant.

Surah Al-A’raf 7:199

And Allah said:

وَإِنَّالسَّاعَةَلَآتِيَةٌۖفَاصْفَحِالصَّفْحَالْجَمِيلَ

Verily, the Hour is coming, so forgive them with gracious forgiveness.

Surah Al-Hijr 15:85

And Allah said:

الَّذِينَيُنفِقُونَفِيالسَّرَّاءِوَالضَّرَّاءِوَالْكَاظِمِينَالْغَيْظَوَالْعَافِينَعَنِالنَّاسِۗوَاللَّهُيُحِبُّالْمُحْسِنِينَ

The believers are those who spend in charity during ease and hardship and who restrain their anger and pardon the people, for Allah loves the doers of good.

Surah Ali Imran 3:134

And Allah said:

وَالْمَلَائِكَةُيُسَبِّحُونَبِحَمْدِرَبِّهِمْوَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَلِمَنفِيالْأَرْضِۗأَلَاإِنَّاللَّهَهُوَالْغَفُورُالرَّحِيمُ

The angels glorify and praise their Lord and seek forgiveness for those on the earth. Verily, Allah is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Surah Ash-Shura 42:5

And Allah said:

وَلَمَنصَبَرَوَغَفَرَإِنَّذَٰلِكَلَمِنْعَزْمِالْأُمُورِ

Whoever is patient and forgives, verily, that is among the matters of steadfast determination.

Surah Ash-Shura 42:43

And Allah said:

قُللِّلَّذِينَآمَنُوايَغْفِرُوالِلَّذِينَلَايَرْجُونَأَيَّامَاللَّهِلِيَجْزِيَقَوْمًابِمَاكَانُوايَكْسِبُونَ

Say to those who believe that they should forgive those who expect not the days of Allah, as it is for Him to recompense people for what they have earned.

Surah Al-Jathiyah 45:14

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, tell the story of a prophet who was beaten by his people and he wiped the blood from his face, saying:

رَبِّاغْفِرْلِقَوْمِيفَإِنَّهُمْلاَيَعْلَمُونَ

My Lord, forgive my people for they do not know.

Source: Sahih Bukhari 6530, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

مَانَقَصَتْصَدَقَةٌمِنْمَالٍوَمَازَادَاللَّهُعَبْدًابِعَفْوٍإِلاَّعِزًّاوَمَاتَوَاضَعَأَحَدٌلِلَّهِإِلاَّرَفَعَهُاللَّهُ

Charity does not decrease wealth, no one forgives except that Allah increases his honor, and no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status.

Source: Sahih Muslim 2588, Grade: Sahih

Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was upon the pulpit and he said:

ارْحَمُواتُرْحَمُواوَاغْفِرُوايَغْفِرْاللَّهُلَكُمْ

Be merciful to others and you will receive mercy. Forgive others and Allah will forgive you.

Source: Musnad Ahmad 7001, Grade: Sahih

Abu Abdullah Al-Khadali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

I asked Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) about the character of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:

لَمْيَكُنْفَاحِشًاوَلَامُتَفَحِّشًاوَلَاصَخَّابًافِيالْأَسْوَاقِوَلَايَجْزِيبِالسَّيِّئَةِالسَّيِّئَةَوَلَكِنْيَعْفُووَيَصْفَحُ

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not indecent, he was not obscene, he would not shout in the markets, and he would not respond to an evil deed with an evil deed, but rather he would pardon and overlook.

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2016, Grade: Sahih

Ata ibn Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

I met Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) and I said,

“Tell me about the description of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the Torah.”

Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

أَجَلْوَاللَّهِإِنَّهُلَمَوْصُوفٌفِيالتَّوْرَاةِبِبَعْضِصِفَتِهِفِيالْقُرْآنِ‏ ‏يَاأَيُّهَاالنَّبِيُّإِنَّاأَرْسَلْنَاكَشَاهِدًاوَمُبَشِّرًاوَنَذِيرًا‏ وَحِرْزًالِلأُمِّيِّينَأَنْتَعَبْدِيوَرَسُولِيسَمَّيْتُكَالْمُتَوَكِّلَلَيْسَبِفَظٍّوَلاَغَلِيظٍوَلاَصَخَّابٍفِيالأَسْوَاقِوَلاَيَدْفَعُبِالسَّيِّئَةِالسَّيِّئَةَوَلَكِنْيَعْفُووَيَغْفِرُ

By Allah, he is described in the Torah with some of what is mention in the Quran:

O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of glad tidings, and to give warning, (33:45) and to guard over the illiterate, for you are My servant and messenger. I have called you a trustworthy man who is neither rude nor loud in the markets, nor does he return evil with evil, but rather he pardons and forgives.

Source: Sahih Bukhari 2018, Grade: Sahih

Uqbah ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

يَاعُقْبَةُبْنَعَامِرٍصِلْمَنْقَطَعَكَوَأَعْطِمَنْحَرَمَكَوَاعْفُعَمَّنْظَلَمَكَ

O Uqbah, reconcile whoever cuts you off, give to whoever deprives you, and pardon whoever wrongs you.

Source: Musnad Ahmad 16999, Grade: Sahih

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

اللَّهُمَّإِنَّكَعُفُوٌّكَرِيمٌتُحِبُّالْعَفْوَ

O Allah, You are forgiving and generous. You love to forgive.

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 3513, Grade: Sahih

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

مَارَأَيْتُالنَّبِيَّصَلَّىاللَّهُعَلَيْهِوَسَلَّمَرُفِعَإِلَيْهِشَيْءٌفِيهِقِصَاصٌإِلَّاأَمَرَفِيهِبِالْعَفْوِ

I never saw a case involving legal retaliation being referred to the Messenger of Allah except that he would recommend pardoning the criminal.

Source: Sunan Abu Dawud 4497, Source: Sahih

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

A man came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, with the killer of his relative.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

اعْفُعَنْهُ

Pardon him. But the man refused.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

خُذْالدِّيَةَ

Take the blood money. But the man refused.

The Prophet (peace and blessings Allah be upon him) said:

اذْهَبْفَاقْتُلْهُفَإِنَّكَمِثْلُهُ

Go and kill him, for you are like him.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

فَخَلَّىسَبِيلَهُ

So the man let him go.

Source: Sunan An-Nasa’i 4730, Grade: Sahih

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

فَإِنَّالْإِمَامَأَنْيُخْطِئَفِيالْعَفْوِخَيْرٌمِنْأَنْيُخْطِئَفِيالْعُقُوبَةِ

Verily, it is better for the leader to make a mistake forgiving the criminal than it is for him to make a mistake punishing the innocent.

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 1424, Grade: Sahih

Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

A man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said,

“O Messenger of Allah, how many times should I pardon my servant?”

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

كُلَّيَوْمٍسَبْعِينَمَرَّةً

Seventy times in each day.

Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 1949, Grade: Hasan

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

A man entered the presence of Umar and he said,

“O son of Khattab! You do not give us enough, nor are you just with us!”

Umar became angry and was about to strike him when Al-Hurr said:

يَاأَمِيرَالْمُؤْمِنِينَإِنَّاللَّهَتَعَالَىقَالَلِنَبِيِّهِصَلَّىاللَّهُعَلَيْهِوَسَلَّمَ خُذْالْعَفْوَوَأْمُرْبِالْعُرْفِوَأَعْرِضْعَنْالْجَاهِلِينَوَإِنَّهَذَامِنْالْجَاهِلِينَ

O leader of the believers, Allah said to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant (7:199). Verily, this man is ignorant.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

وَاللَّهِمَاجَاوَزَهَاعُمَرُحِينَتَلَاهَاعَلَيْهِوَكَانَوَقَّافًاعِنْدَكِتَابِاللَّهِ

By Allah, Umar became still when this verse was recited upon him. He always adhered strictly to the Book of Allah.

Source: Sahih Bukhari 4366, Grade: Sahih

Qabisa ibn Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

مَنْلايَرْحَمُلايُرْحَمُوَلايُغْفَرُمَنْلايَغْفِرُوَلايُعْفَعَمَّنْلَمْيَعْفُوَلايُوقَّمَنْلايَتَوَقَّ

Whoever does not show mercy will not receive mercy. Whoever does not forgive others will not be forgiven. Whoever does not pardon others will not be pardoned. Whoever does not protect others will not be protected.

Source: Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 366, Grade: Hasan

Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.

فَإِنَّالْإِمَامَأَنْيُخْطِئَفِيالْعَفْوِخَيْرٌمِنْأَنْيُخْطِئَفِيالْعُقُوبَةِ