Forgiveness and Repentance for the Sake of Humanity

By Mohammed Khaku

ccun.org, October 22, 2008
 
 
All the three Abrahamic faiths include the teaching and the philosophy of forgiveness and repentance. And according to Christian teachings, forgiveness is one of the spiritual duties of Christian believer:
 
“You shall not take vengeance or bare any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself..” (Leviticus 19.18). And Jesus (Prophet Isa) command in the Sermon on the Mount that “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you”. 
 
And according to the tenets of Judaic faith “.. forgiveness is natural to the seed of Israelites  (Teshuvah 2:10). In addition Jews observe a Day of Atonement on Yom Kippur to reflect on reconciling with both God and neighbor.
 
However, Islam teaches that God is “the most Merciful and Compassionate” (Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim) and turning to God in repentance is regarded as one of the important attributes of a believer. It beautifully said in Quran “Those who turn to God in repentance;  those who fast;, those who prostate themselves in prayers  and  who enjoin good and forbid evil; shall be richly rewarded” (At-Tawbah 9:112). There is the whole chapter (Sura) on repentance (At-Tawbah) in the Holy Quran which talks about forgiveness and imunity.
 
Asking for forgiveness from God is a daily form of worship for the Muslims. The Arabic word for  forgiveness is “Istighfar” which is asking for God’s attribute of Ghafur, or he who forgives. Repentance is the noblest form of obedience in the eye of God. Repentance has status that no other form of worship has. Repentance brings humbleness, humility and breeds good deeds. Repentance is seeking refuge in God for one’s sin and vow not to commit that sin again.
 
Repentance in Islam is of two-dimensional: First one is the wrong-doing towards the commands of God and the second one is wrong-doing towards our fellow human beings Thus we  repent the first type of wrong-doing we ask for forgiveness from the God the Almighty, while wrongdoing against the human being, we need to ask for forgiveness from both God and the person who we have wronged.
 
While it is important to believe in the mercy and forgiveness of the God, it is also necessary to base human relation on forgiveness. How should we expect God’s forgiveness while we do not forgive those who do wrong to us? Forgiving each other, even forgiving one’s enemies is one of the most important Islamic teaching. As much as we need God’s forgiveness for our sins, we must forgive those who do wrong to us.  The injunctions and saying of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali on forgiveness and repentance are plenty. Once Angel Gabriel revealed to the Prophet “Your Lord commands you to forgive those who harm you, pardon those who deny you and visit those who sever their relations with you. And Imam Ali has said “Shake hands with your foe and be most kind, even if he hates to do, for it is something God has enjoined.”
 
Forgiveness is not a blank check ,nor it can  be obligatory, but it is gracious and compassionate act of ceasing resentment and anger.  Forgiveness is easier said than done. Forgiveness is an essential ingredient of living a healthy life . It allows us to let go the past. Our lives are full of transgressions between family members, co-worker, business partners and employer, but how do we heal the soul and is there room for forgiveness? Yes if we are not able to move through our differences with forgiveness we become stuck in the past and unable to move forward in to future. One should not allow resentment to grow as resentments build barriers  and prevents us from moving forward. Forgiveness is a meditation, a journey, and a path to piety.
 
The relationship of repentance and forgiveness has become a very controversial subject in Christian theology and ethic in regard to victims of  violence, injustice, oppression and wars. While in Islam sins or wrongdoing against one’s fellow human being are not pardon unless the sinner begs forgiveness from those he has wronged and includes an offer of restitution if the victims of harm desire. Islamic teaching does not favor forgiveness without some concern for justices, nor does every wrongdoer deserve unlimited mercy. In Islam pardon or amnesty for crimes against humanity or oppression constitute a grave miscarriage of justice.
 
With this holiday season approaching may we forgive each other and ourselves and close our hearts to envy, bitterness and hatred of each other and create brotherhood and sisterhood in the family as well as the community we live in.

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