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Lesson: 38 Pardon and Tolerance
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. After this we will mention its good consequences and instances
so that we may understand how lucky are those who have this virtue.
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:
1. Pardoning
the one who oppressed you 2. Joining with one who separated from you 3. 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:
1. Who suppresses
his anger and fury 2. Stands firm in the path of God and under swords and shows tolerance 3. 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.
Some Questions
Does not pardoning
an oppressor strengthen him? Or does not this deed encourage him to continue
his injustice? And, similarly, does not forgiving a foe generate a sort of negative
effect in the oppressed ones?
The reply to
these questions is that there is a difference in the relation of pardon and
connivance with establishment of a right and so also regarding war with the
oppressor. It is one of the Islamic commands: Neither oppress others nor be
oppressed by others.
And the leader
of the pious Imam Ali (a.s.) has said: in his will to his sons: Be an enemy
of the oppressor and a helper of the oppressed.
So, if Islam
orders pardoning and connivance, it also asks to fight and struggle. Proofs
of both have been produced above from verses and narrations. That is why it
is said that verses of the Holy Quran explain one another: Al Quraanu yufassiru
bazuhu bazan.
Perhaps some
unintelligent persons may think that the two orders about pardoning and fighting
are contradictory, But attention to the said verses and hadiths must make all
understand that the occasions for forgiving and the circumstances for fighting
are also different.
The explanation
is that pardon and connivance refers to a state when and where one is able to
overcome the enemy who is completely defeated and there is no fear of his rising
up and when it is likely that pardoning him would give him a chance to improve
so that he may review his behaviour.
We see a number
of such circumstances in Islamic history. In this connection there also is a
hadith: When you get victory over the enemy, consider pardoning him as a kind
of thanksgiving for the said victory.
But when there
still is a danger of the enemy's getting up or pardon is likely to encourage
him in his enmity or make him happy for his oppressive attitude, Islam not only
does not permit pardoning, rather it orders a fight till final victory. Such
was the way of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the sinless Imam (a.s.)
Another occasion
for forgiving and conniving is related to personal and family rights wherein
pardon and connivance has been given preference to vengeance that can destroy
the organisation of family and society.
On whose
part pardon and Connivance Is More Beneficent?
Naturally pardon
and connivance is good on the part of all. Yet it is all the more so in the
case of leaders and preachers as they have more encounters with prejudiced,
ignorant, obstinate, unaware and uncivilised people and they are many a time
subjected to abuse and stoning. In such circumstances the weapon for victory
is pardon and convince, and kindness them and not quarrelling because, in case
of the unwise ignorant, tolerance and courage and connivance is the best way
which can enlighten them and dampen their fury and root out their enmity and
prejudice. How nicely has the Holy Quran, addressed the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
in this matter: Take to forgiveness and enjoin good, and turn aside from
the ignorant.
