✨Ramadan and Pardoning
Allah Almighty created human beings and made them dependent on one another. So they trade with each another. They visit each other. They mingle with each other most of their time. And since this is the case, it is inevitable that they will err and wrong one another whether through speech or action. And the Divine ordainments came to establish justice, uphold the rights of the wronged and deter the oppressors. And it encourages grace and pardoning, forgiveness and acceptance of apologies. And meeting evil with goodness, and meeting severing ties with joining, and meeting ignorance with forbearance. And in doing so, there is great reward from the Lord of the worlds.
And our Lord, Glorified and Exalted, is Pardoning, Generous and loves pardoning. And loves those who pardon and He raises their ranks and gives them great reward. And how much does He, the Gloried, overlook the misdeeds of His creation and pardon them!! He creates them and sustains them and they deny Him!! And He repels from them calamities and adversities and they are not grateful to Him!! Except for a minority and how few they are. The Prophet ﷺ :
None is more patient over injury which is heard than Allah: They ascribe a son to Him, yet He bestows upon them health and provision. [Al Bukhari 7378]
And from His pardonning of His servants is that He accepts the repentance and pardons the sins. Allah says:
As-Shura (42) 25: And it is He who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons misdeeds, and He knows what you do.
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
Shall I not inform you of the finest verse in the Book of Allah Almighty that the Messenger of Allah told us about?
As-Shura (42) 30: And whatever strikes you of disaster – it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much.
And I will explain it to you, O Ali: Whatever sickness, punishment, or calamity befalls you in this world is because of what your hands have earned. And Allah Almighty is too generous to punish them again in the Hereafter. And Allah Almighty is too clement to account for something that He pardoned in this world. [Ath Thahaby 445/2]
And Allah praised those who retrain their anger and pardon others. And Allah made their reward paradise the width of which is the heavens and the earth. And He commanded His messenger ﷺ to pardon people. Allah said:
Al Imran (3) 159: So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter.
And in another verse:
Al Maedah (5) 13: But pardon them and overlook [their misdeeds]. Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.
AbdAllah bin Al-Zubair (may Allah be pleased with them) said in explaining Allah’s words:
Al Araf (7) 199: Take to pardonning, enjoin virtue, and turn away from the ignorant.
The Prophet of Allah ﷺ was commanded to take to pardoning the conduct of the people. [Al Bukhari 4644]
Some of the righteous predecessors said about this verse: It is the most comprehensive verse in the Quran in regards to noble character.
And the Prophet’s character was that of the Quran. And he did not leave pardoning except when one of Allah’s prohibitions was violated. So he ﷺ used to get angry for the sake of Allah. And he did not reprise for himself. And from his ﷺattributes that came in the Torah:
He does not repel evil with evil, but rather he pardons and forgives. [Al Bukhari 2125]
And how many times was he wronged by the polytheists and hypocrites and he was patient upon their harm. Then when he had the upper hand and was able to do as he pleased with them, he pardoned them and forgot about what they did. He acted in accordance with the Book of Allah that commanded him with pardoning, and like the messengers before him. For Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said:
Ibrahim (14) 36: So whoever follows me – then he is of me; and whoever disobeys me – indeed, You are [yet] Forgiving and Merciful.
And Yusuf’s (peace be upon him) brothers envied him and threw him into the well. And from their action, he became a slave and was bought and sold. And he was harmed and afflicted. And when Allah Almighty gave him power and put him in a firm position to revenge for himself, he pardoned and forgave and said:
Yusuf (12) 92: No blame will there be upon you today. May Allah forgive you; and He is the most merciful of the merciful.
And likewise the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those who followed (may Allah have mercy upon them) pardoned those who mistreated them. And they did good to those who wronged them. And they absolved those who were ignorant towards them. Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I pardon all the people with regards to my rights.
And some money was stolen from Ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) so the people supplicated against the thief. However, Ibn Masood said: Oh Allah if need led him to take it, then bless it for him, and if audacity in sinning led him to do it, then let it be his last sin.
Indeed pardoning is a station befitting of those conscious of Allah. Those who prioritize the future over the present and hope for the reward of Allah in the hereafter.
As Shurah (42) 40: And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation – his reward is [due] from Allah.
This verse did not mention the nature or quantity of the reward. And it reffered that to Allah Almighty. And whoever’s reward is upon Allah Almighty does not fear getting an insignificant reward or any diminishing. For Allah is the Bountiful the Generous, the Pardoning Forgiving. He gives generously. And that is not limited to the hereafter. A person by the grace of Allah Almighty could attain a reward for his pardoning in this world in addition to reward in store for him in the hereafter. As Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
Charity does not diminish wealth, Allah does not increase a man in anything for his pardoning (others) but in honor, and none humbles himself for Allah but Allah raises him. [Muslim 2588]
And it is from the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ to plentifully request pardoning and wellbeing from Allah Almighty as related by Ibn Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never abandoned these supplications, every morning and evening: O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in this world and in the Hereafter. O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in my religious and my worldly affairs and in my family and wealth. [Abu Dawood 5074]
And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say at the end of his Witr prayer:
O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath; I seek refuge in Your pardon from Your punishment. [Abu Dawood 1427]
So it behooves the Muslim to pardon and forgive, to overlook mistreatment and to turn away from the ignorant. Until he attains the station of those who pardon. And ask Allah assistance over his self that calls to evil and drives him to revenge and victory for himself. Just as he asks Allah for pardoning and wellbeing in his religious affairs, worldly affairs and the hereafter.
Oh Muslims: Ramadan is the month of pardoning and forgiving, and mercy and beneficence, and liberation from the fire. For in Ramadan, the Lord abundantly pardons the sins of his servants, accepts the repentance, and overlooks misdeed and liberates many from the fire.
And the most deserving of Allah’s pardoning are the people who pardon. The people who preserve their fast and perfected their night prayers. So if someone is ignorant towards them or wrongs them, their fasting restrains them from seeking victory for themselves. And they meet that with pardoning and forgiveness. And for this reason fasting is a shield, by means of which a person seeks protection from reprehensible words or actions. As Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
Fasting is a shield so he shall neither behave obscenely nor foolishly. If a man fights or insults him, he shall say: I am fasting, I am fasting. [Al Bukhari 1904]
He should face someone who insults or injures him with: I am fasting, I am fasting. He should say it out loud whether it is an obligatory or voluntary fast to restrain himself from personal victory or revenge. And to explain what is withholding him from replying. And this is the sternest way of rebuking the aggressor.
And in Ramadan, the Night of Decree is better than 1000 months. The Prophet ﷺinstructed those who attain it to ask Allah Almighty for forgiveness. The mother of the believers, Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
O Messenger of Allah, what should I say if I come upon Laylatul-Qadr?” He said: Say: Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa’fu ‘anni (O Allah, You are forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me). [Tirmithi 3513]
And this comprehensive supplication is among the most beneficial supplications. For the result of forgiveness in this world is wellbeing. And if Allah forgives someone he secures him from the afflictions, trials and hardships in this world. And forgiveness in the hereafter necessitates being saved from the fire and entering paradise. So whoever Allah forgives, Allah gives him wellbeing in this world and the hereafter. And whoever Allah gives wellbeing in this world and the hereafter will not know misfortunes and calamities. And happiness and joy will not depart from him.
We ask Allah Almighty to pardon and forgive us. O Allah, You are forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive us. O Allah, we ask You for forgiveness and well-being in this world and in the Hereafter. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.
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