Forgiveness In Islam

 

 

Introduction

Having to forgive someone that has wronged you can be a very difficult task. For every person forgiveness should be a choice and not an act that they are pressured into by the person that needs to be forgiven or other people who feel that you should forgive.  

The length of period for someone to deal with; what has been done to them, or to process unjust can take a long time. It can be short depending on the act and the person that needs to do the forgiving. 

Forgiveness in Islam is an important part of the teachings and is encouraged for all Muslims to do. It is the concept of repenting your sins and misdeeds to Allah and is known as Tawba. 

 

 

Importance of Forgiveness in Islam:

Islam believes that everyone is worth forgiving if they confess their sins to Allah and are sincere about asking for forgiveness. They should also not commit that act again after being forgiven by Allah. 

Shirk is the unforgiveable sin that one dies with if you did not repent and ask for forgiveness while you still are alive. 

The Sharia law states that if you to repent and are sincere about it then Allah accepts it and forgives you, but there is a special criterion attached to performing tawba.

  1. You must regret your past evil deeds. 

  2. You must carry out divine duties that you haven’t done up until the time you asked for forgiveness. 

  3. You must return the rights and properties of things to the rightful owners.

  4. Ask forgiveness from the person you have wronged either physically or verbally. 

  5. Avoid committing the same sin again. 

  6. Follow the instructions and teachings of Allah obediently.

However, the tawba has two sides to it. To be forgiven you must recognize and forsake your own sins first to receive the promises of Allah. By seeking his forgiveness, you need to know what Allah has to forgive and take accountability for your actions before repenting. 

By not taking any responsibility for your sins is a dangerous action as Allah cannot forgive someone who does not acknowledge their sins or that they have done wrong. 

If you have wronged someone, you need to own up to it as you have not just committed a sin but have also caused someone else pain with your words or actions.

You must first ask forgiveness from the person whom you have wronged and by asking sincerely you can be forgiven. This is to show that if we want Allah to forgive us then we should be willing to forgive those who have wronged us and be open to forgiving sins that affect us done by other people.

 

 

How is it Connected to the Qu’ran:

In the Qu’ran the topic of forgiveness has its own chapter and is discussed in length. The chapter is titled “The Repentance”. It also speaks on disbelievers, and it urges them to turn to Allah for forgiveness as Allah promises to forgive their sins. 

It is also believed that people who have not turned to Allah for forgiveness will receive double their punishment on judgement day as the teachings state that unless you repent and believe in Allah you will be disgraced and shamed eternally. 

Islam understands that humans make mistakes and aren’t perfect when making decisions they make. Keeping this in mind, man cannot confess their sins to anyone other than Allah as Allah is the only one that does not make mistakes and humans are prone to error. It is forbidden to confess to anyone else but Allah. 

Muslims do not give people the power to forgive another person’s sins and wipe their slate clean, however you are able to forgive someone who has wronged you through the act of sin. 

The Qu’ran states that Allah is a God that is very generous, has mercy for his people and is very forgiving towards his people. He is even able to forgive the most horrible sin if the person repenting is sincere when asking for forgiveness. 

Postponing your tawba after committing a sin or not asking for forgiveness is a sin as well. Allah will not accept your repentance if you postpone doing or decide not to do it at all. The only condition that Allah has in the Qu’ran is that you do not commit the same sin again when you’ve asked for forgiveness for a sin, and he will love you and forgive you if you promise and work on staying true and pure to the teachings of Allah. 

Although, Islam sees forgiveness as a virtue and by possessing this quality you are upholding the teachings of Islam as well as being like Allah extending mercy to people around you. 

However, in the Qu’ran forgiving people is not an obligation for Muslim people. The teachings of Islam are very practical, realistic and considers the nature of human beings and how flawed we are.

 

 

Conclusion

Forgiveness can be a sensitive topic to discuss with the people that you have wronged or have wronged you. People can hurt for a long time or be completely numb towards the injustice especially if it has happened many times before. We need to remember that sometimes we are pressured into forgiving others even when we don’t want too- this makes it even harder to forgive or ask for forgiveness when you aren’t ready to. 

And even though forgiveness is an important aspect in Islam, do not convince yourself that you should repent if you are not sincere and ready to change the way you have been living your life. 

Also do not ask for forgiveness from someone only to clear your mind of your wrong doings unless you are wanting to make amends and own up to the actions that you have done. 

Forgiveness can mend relationships and not forgiving can cause people to drift apart. Extend sincerity and express mercy, generosity as well as patience in accordance with Islam teachings.