Forgiveness is best

13th of Ramadhan 1441 Hijriah (6th May 2020) (late post)

Some of us might have experienced grief, loss, and injury because of other people’s actions, either directly or indirectly. They might have done their actions intentionally or unintentionally. But either way, it is often very difficult to forgive, and many of us often choose to take revenge to fulfill our emotions and ego.  

Being able to forgive others’ actions and shortcomings needs practice and knowledge. One of the most profound knowledge that can help us forgive is understanding the imperfect nature of human beings. That the truth is, everyone makes mistakes, including ourselves and the best people. Some people are ignorant of the mistakes they have made, while others are aware. It takes humility and a huge heart to acknowledge them. It takes an even bigger heart to have mercy and forgive the mistakes of other people, especially if  they  have negatively affected us.

In the Islamic tradition, one of the most referred stories that showcase the immense capacity of forgiveness of human beings is in the story of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph). The story of Joseph is like the book or Netflix series, “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” where there are a chain of tragedies that are connected with each other (with good things happening in between).  In the case of Joseph, his brothers threw him into a well, banished him; then he was picked up, sold as a slave; he was betrayed by his own master/mistress; then he had to serve in jail for a number of years. All of the tragedies that he experienced were caused by people who were closest to him, whom he trusted, making the magnitude even larger. 

But in the end, when the truth came out and he had the authority and power to punish the people who have caused him harm, he chose to forgive them. The ability to forgive stems from understanding the imperfect nature of human beings, and wanting to emulate God’s mercy. Indicating that even the worst and most heinous crimes are open for forgiveness.

So next time we feel slighted by other people’s actions, we can try to compare the severity with what Joseph had to endure, and try to forgive. Surely it can’t be as bad as being thrown into a well or framed to be put in jail? 

-Fendrri-

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