Forgive and Forget

Forgive and Forget

1989 1 January 5 Forgive and Forget (316) “The honour of the believer is greater than that of the Kabah.” (Hadith)

Just as all Muslims are required to show respect for the House of God, the Kabah, so are they required to show respect for other Muslims. When it comes to revering the Kabah, this is done as a straightforward religious duty. There are no complicated issues, because the Kabah raises no emotional barriers to human respect. It never, for example, arouses anger, jealousy, prejudice or any other such negative feelings in the worshipper as would be a hindrance to his being properly respectful. The Kabah, composed as it is of lifeless stones, poses no human challenge. But when it comes to showing respect for one’s fellow men, the situation is very different.

Very often, sentiments, which initially were positive, turn sour because the objects of our respect behave unworthily, or display such hostility that respect seems out of the question. The many obvious shortcomings of friends and acquaintances frequently arouse feeling of distaste, if not outright ill-will. This is when sacrifice becomes a necessity. The greatest sacrifice of all is that of one’s own ego – the very sacrifice which most of us are unwilling to make. But the greater the sacrifice, the greater the value of the action, and the greater God’s reward. As the Prophet of Islam said, “The honour of the believer is greater than that of the Kabah.”

Bearing this in mind, we should not hesitate to bear the losses incurred through the errors or enmity of others, to suppress all prejudice in ourselves quite voluntarily, and to overcome all urges to disparage others, no matter how ill-used we may feel ourselves. Above all, we must learn to forgive and forget.

Everyone has been endowed with a conscience which favours justice and abhors cruelty and injustice. Life in accordance with reality then is one of strict justice and boundless mercy.