Divine Forgiveness For The Forgiver

Abu Darda' relates that our exalted and blessed Prophet (saws) has said that "If a person is given physical pain and he forgives it, Allah the Highest elevates his rank and pardons his sins"

[Tirmidhi]

Explanation :Although an aggrieved person has every right to avenge himself within the bounds of shari'ah but forgiveness is an act of supreme merit.

There is none in this world who is entirely innocent and has never done wrong or committed a mistake, and everyone craves Allah's pardon. Therefore, when someone makes a mistake the aggrieved person should think of himself as a seeker of Divine pardon and forgive the wrong doer.

The point to ponder is that if the aggrieved person does not forgive and gets his due revenge, what shall this revenge achieve:' If the injury inflicted is such that it cannot be avenged then not forgiving it would cause the one who inflicted the injury to suffer in the Hereafter. Here one should stop and think how another one's suffering in the Hereafter would benefit the one aggrieved or in injured in this world. Forgiveness here, on the contrary, brings abeut Divine forgiveness for the forgiver, and escape from hell, and Allah the Highest shall pardon his sins. Reason, therefore, tells us to exercise forgiveness.

Forgiveness, it should be borne in mind, means here that no revenge is to be sought in this world or in the Hereafter. Such a forgiveness earns much merit.

However it is not necessary that the act of forgiving is followed by rapprochement. The latter is involuntary not forced and depends largely upon the future behaviors of the other person. Thus if one forgives anti yet has mental reserves towards the aggressor or transgressor and is unable to maintain cordial rcaltions with him save in the matter of rights(salaam etc.) he loo shall earn merit for his forgiveness.

Forgiveness also does not imply letting down one's guard against any future aggression. If such an aggression is feared then any step that is taken to safeguard oneself against it is not contrary to forgiveness. In such a case if the previous wrong is pardoned and help, even official help is sought against futue wrong doing. This too would not detract from the merit earned for earlier forgiveness.