PARDON OR FORGIVENESS.......

Dec 30, '12 11:06 AM for everyone

Pardon or forgiveness and connivance or tolerance is one of the prominent virtues of the faithful. Many verses and narrations are found on this subject. Some of them are being discussed here. Verses: Those who spend benevolently in ease as well as in adversity, and those who restrain their anger and pardon men; and Allah loves the doers of good to others. The word Ka za ma used in this ayat means closing of the mouth of a water bag made of leather that is full. The allusion here is to one who is full of anger and yet restrains from hitting back, and Ghaiz is a state of mind in which man becomes furious and extra-ordinarily excited because of unpleasant happenings. The Holy Quran, talking about the prominent virtue of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) says: Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust. Take to forgiveness and enjoin good and turn aside from the ignorant. Explain this verse Imam Sadiq (a.s.) says: In the Holy Quran, no other verse is more comprehensive than this one in the matter of morality and so commentators have further commentated on this statement of the Imam that this verse covers graceful morals being the same as Aql (reason), Iffat (modesty) and Shahwat (zeal). According to this meaning the virtue of reason called Hikmat is in the phrase wamur bil urf (enjoin the good) as it orders good deeds and decent acts. The gracefulness of heart against the rising of passion is seen in the phrase. And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: Peace. Narrations: The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said: Behold! O people I inform you about the best morals of man in this world and the Hereafter. Forgiving the one who oppressed you, rejoining relation with one who broke it off and doing good to one who did bad for you and to gift one who deprived you. Also Imam Sadiq as. has said: Three virtues are the best virtues of this world and of the Hereafter: Pardoning the one who oppressed you Joining with one who separated from you Self-control when confronted with an unwise person . The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said: It is essential for you to connive and forgive because pardoning increases for you nothing bout honour and forgive one-another so that Allah may love you. Again the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said: Allah has never loved a man with ignorance nor has He ever dishonoured an ignorant person. Imam Baqir (a.s.) has said: One who restrains oneself from anger while being able to act angrily is the one whose heart is filled with peace faith by God on the Day of Judgement. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) says: Allah will give large eyed houri in marriage to one who has three virtues: Who suppresses his anger and fury Stands firm in the path of God and under swords and shows tolerance Does not wish to take forbidden wealth falling in his hands. And the character of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and of the Holy Imams (a.s.) was indeed such. The Prophets general pardon granted on the day of conquest of Mecca and its like by Amirul Mo-mineen following his victory in the war of Basra are witness to this. Interested people may refer history books. Here one question may arise why pardon and connivance has been praised so much in the verses and the tradition? The answer: As anger is the fountainhead of most of the great sins and the state of anger is the most dangerous state for man when if the fury is not brought under control wisdom goes away and the angry man becomes almost lunatic. Then he is liable to make serious and dangerous mistakes which attract evil consequences accompanied by ransom, atonement and finally Divine torture or chastisement: Imam Sadiq (a.s.) says: One who suppresses his fury despite being able to retaliate, Good will fill his heart with His pleasure on the Day of Judgement. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) also says: Allah fills the heart of a person with faith and peace who controls himself from acting on his fury despite being able to retaliate. This tradition tells us that suppressing of anger has an extraordinary effect on spiritual perfection and on the strengthening of Faith. Yet it should be remembered that suppression of anger gives much benefits. But sometimes only this much does not suffice to root out the enmity from a heart. For this important result it is necessary that suppression of anger must be accompanied by pardon and gift.  This is what enables a man to attain high status and hence, doing good to one who has done bad to one is the desired precious virtue as testified by verse 134 of Surah Aale Imran Holy Quran and conniving at the evil behaviour of others was the way of the innocent Imams while dealing with their ill-wishers.