When man's prestige mounts, his traits become nobler-he holds fast on clemency and pardon. Hence, he becomes the matter of admiration and praise.
It is related that a wise man answered those who asked him why he had not replied the one who had reviled at him: "I will not engage myself in a war the triumphant of which is eviler than the loser." When al-Ma'mun, the Abbasid caliph, asked Imam ar-Rida (a) to recite some poetic verses, the Imam composed:
If he whose ignorance befell me is lower than I am in position, I will reject for myself to answer him by means of ignorance.
If he enjoys the same position of intelligence that I have, I will adopt for clemency so that I will not be likened to him.
If he is higher in position than I am, I will respect him from his preference. As he heard these verses, al-Ma'mun showed his admiration and asked about the one who composed them. The Imam (a) answered: "He is one of our men." 53
The Prophet and the immaculate Imams (a) were the ideal examples of clemency:
Imam al-Baqir (a) narrated: When the Jewess who served the Prophet (s) a poisonous meal was brought before him, he asked her a reason for her deed. "Well," she replied, "I said that the poisoned meal would not affect him if he was real prophet. But if he was only an ordinary king, the meal would save people from him." The Prophet pardoned her.
The Prophet (s) also forgave many individuals after he had outlawed and ordered to be killed.
Habbar ibn al-Aswad ibn al-Muttalib was one of those individuals. The Prophet (s) outlawed him after he had frightened Zainab -the Prophet's daughter- and caused her to terminate her pregnancy.
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