TO FORGIVE

       The word ‘Afv’ means such meanings in dictionary as; to annihilate, to clear away, to sweep everything away; superfluity and left over.

       As an ethic and law term it is usually used in the meanings as; to forgive the one who made badness and injustice, who commited a crime or a sin and to abandon penalizing.

       In the Noble Quran the Mercifulness and forgiving of Allah Almighty are exactly brought up by expressing in various occasions that forgiving was a divine attribute and an exalted moral superiority.

       Again according to the Noble Quran, the response of a badness is a convenient punishment for it and this is the requirement of justice. None of the criminals cannot be punished with a punishment which is more than his crime. Because this is opression. On the other hand “it is stated that  with the verse of  “...he shall have his reward from Allah...” (Chapter Shura, 42/40.) Allah Almighty will give the right of the forgiver if the party who is treated injustly forgives the criminal. 

       Because the forgiver one has abandoned that the justice is not performed and by forgiving he has made a grant to the criminal. To forgive is the quality which constitutes the base of all virtues, and the attribute which is the closest to godliness.         

Again in the Noble Quran it is stated that: “ ... Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.” (Chapter Âraf,  7/199.)     

       “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.” (Chapter Âl-i İmrân, 3/159.)

       One of the beautiful moral of Our Prophet (s.a.v.) that He was the one who forgives the mistakes and He was merciful. As usual He was tolerant to his relatives and companions, He also forgave his enemies especially when they were weak and they capitulated, He pardoned their crimes and at the end He achieved that they became muslim.

       As our Mother (the exalted spouse of our Prophet ) narrated in accordance with his creation He would never response to the one who tries to give harm to Him, He would forgive and He would not try to take revenge.

       Because of these superior moral properties, He was even appreciated and loved  by His enemies and by extending His love to their hearts he caused their eternal salvation.

       Our Prophet did not leave the ones from His enemies who took refuge, who yielded and who asked forgivness except war. Accepting their requests He forgave them. 

       During He set out for the conquest of Mecca, approached to Mecca and entered in the city with a great army; most of His enemies fell down in His hands helplessly and crowded together meanly. However Our Prophet even though He had chance and opportunity; He showed that He is a Prophet of mercy once again and He has declared the greatness of forgiving His enemies. 

       Was Allah not advising him this way already?

      “Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant..” (1)  

       A fear occupied the hearts of the politeists of Mecca who found out that Our Prophet set out His army for the conquest of Mecca. The former president of Mecca, Ebu Sufyan by taking two more persons with him, wanted to get information about the Army of Islam. However he was caught by muslim troops on way. Abbas, The uncle of Our Prophet took him from the hands of the soldiers and brought him to Our Prophet’s presence. 

       Ebu Sufyan did not hang back from making all kinds of torture and opressions to Our Prophet while He was in Mecca. And after His Hijret/emigration to Medina he did not let Him in peace. He was always leading all the hostile behaviours and plans made against Our Prophet.

        He was constantly leading and provoking polyteists against muslims and preparing them by setting army. He was the commander-in-chief of polyteists in Uhud and Hendek/Ditch Wars. Many muslims had been martyred in these battles.

        The leader and the commander-in-chief of such a enemy army was brought to the headquarters of Our Prophet as a captive in a case of war. After waiting overnight he accepted Islam. Our Prophet has shown greatness which fits Himself. He forgave him. He was not contented with this and He gave him some rights. He ordered “Whoever enters Ebu Sufyan’s House is under safety.”  

(1) Chapter A’râf ,7/199.

Through the forgiveness of Our Prophet the head of the enemy passed to the group of companions.

        As soon as the army of The Prophet entered to Mecca many people passed to the row of Islam. Hind, the wife of Ebu Sufyan covering her face came to the presence of Our Prophet with other women of The Qureysh Tribe. He asked for forgivness and became muslim. Our Prophet had recognized her. However He forgave her without reproaching.

       That Hind was inciting the army of polyteists by playing tambourine and singing,  leading the women of  The Qureysh Tribe in The Uhud War. When the uncle of Our Prophet, Hamza, was martyred in this war, she had cut his body into pieces and she had taken his lung out and she had bitten it without overcoming her own hatred and passion.   

       When Our Prophet saw this seen He suffered very much. However His forgiveness always overcame. He forgave His most ferocious enemy because she became msulim. Hind’s hatred transformed to love at that moment and could not hide her appreciation and said : “I cannot see a more charming presence than yours today.”

       Wahshi (Wild One) the murderer of The Uncle of Our Prophet, Hamza, escaped from Mecca and he hid himself among the tribes for awhile.  But he could not find a safe place for himself. At the end someone said to him “You can just find a safe place for yourself around Him, go and ask forgiveness from The Messenger of Allah.”

       Wahshi entered to The Messenger of Allah’s presence, shrinking and feeling emberrassed. Our Prophet bowed His head down when He saw Wahshi. He was not able look at him. He had remembered His martyr uncle at that moment. He He remembered His uncles bloody head in Uhud War. He had tears in His sacred eyes. The murderer of His uncle was accross Him. He could make retaliation. And noone could not say nothing. He had this right and power with Himself. However again He proved His greatness and forgave Wahshi. He said him not to be in sight of Him once again. Because whenever He sees him His Uncle, Hamza, was coming to His mind and He was suffering.

       Hebbar b. Esved was an extreme enemy of The Prophet. He was having pleasure to opress muslims in every occasion. He commited suicides to many muslims. He was not contented with this and once he pushed the daughter of Our Prophet, Zeyneb, and he made her fall down from her camel. Zeyneb was pregnant and because of this event she had miscarriage. And after a while she died because of this illness. Thus he was one of the blood enemy of Our Prophet. In the day of the conquer of Mecca Our Prophet ordered him to be killed. He was going to be killed whereever he was seen. 

       Hebbar was very scared. He planned to escape to Iran. However later on hechanged his mind. He behaved smartly and went to the presence of Our Prophet. He took refuge to Him.

He said :“Oh! The Messenger of Allah, firstly I have decided to escape to Iran. However I have just come to your presence thinking of your great forgiveness and unique tolerance. I admit all of my sins and I beg your pardon.

       Our Prophet opened the Gate of Mercy to him, too. He forgave Hebbar because of his sincere confessions. (The Sample Moral Of Our Prophet )

       The companions of Our Prophet, the ones who followed them and the leaders, judges and all other muslims who came after them was forgiver obeying the orders of Allah and the practices of The Prophet as in all issues. They endevaoured in order to spread comfort, peace, fraternity, tolerance around the world through out the history. And in this issue they made the tablets of honor written in the history.

       In the light of all these above, the Islam moralists understands the forgiving as a task and right of religious fraternity which have to be obeyed among muslims. However which crimes will be forgiven which of them are impossible to be forgiven were discussed. All moralists reached up to the consensus that the one who committed a crime against someone can only be forgiven by the one who suffered from that crime and this is a virtue. And again it is assumeed unanimous about that a criminal cannot be forgiven by any person or an institution unless the one who was oppressed does not consent.

     Râgıb el-İsfehâni states that it is not possible to reach to the felicity of forgiving through punishing; the virtue of forgiving will cause the human being to gain respect and love in the society and that is why to prefer the forgiving is an esteemed behaviour.

And all of the Islam scholars had considered forgiveness and tolerance among the indispensable methods of training. (The Encyclopedia of Diyanet Islâm, 1/394.)

       If Allah wishes He can forgive all the sins of His servant. If He also wills to forgive His servant who infringed upon the right of other servants, He makes the enroached ones by blessing them and makes them to give up from their rights and He forgives His servant. However beside the largeness of His mercy His wrath is also hard. Because of this servants should never give up hope from His mercy but also they should not be lost in sins by trusting His mercy