Saying 52 - The Relationship Between Pardon and Power
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(I begin) In the Name of Allah, the All-Kind (or All-Beneficent), the All-Merciful (or All-Compassionate)
Forgiving and pardoning are highly encouraged in Islam. In Saying 52 of Nahj al-Balāghah, Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) states:
أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِالْعَفْوِ أَقْدَرُهُمْ عَلَى الْعُقُوبَةِ
“Those who hold the most power to punish should be the foremost in forgiving” (Tr. Tahera Qutbuddin)
One of the main reasons for the continuation of conflicts, sometimes between tribes and family members lasting decades, is due to unwillingness to forgive and holding onto grudges. As time goes on, the grudges grow, and become harder to resolve. However if, in the early stages, one party shows nobility and chooses forgiveness, the conflict could be resolved with ease.
Above all, forgiveness has the power to awaken the wrongdoer to reflect on their own actions and make amends.
The Ahlul Bayt (ʿa) were forgiving and many a times managed to turn their enemies to friends and loyal companions. The Prophet’s remarkable act of forgiveness during the conquest of Mecca, the Commander of the Faithful’s pardon after his victory in the Battle of Jamal, and Imam Hasan’s forgiveness of the man from Sham, along with many other examples recorded in their biographies, are clear illustrations of this principle.
The Imām’s saying “Those who hold the most power to punish should be the foremost in forgiving” is because the greater one’s ability to exact punishment, the more meaningful their act of forgiveness becomes. It can’t be said that the person forgave out of weakness or an inability to retaliate.
In Kanz al-ʿUmmāl, a short yet profound ḥadīth is narrated from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله):
"تَعافُوا تَسْقُط الضَغائِنُ بَیْنَکُم"
“Pardon one another so that grudges may disappear from among you.”
In another ḥadīth, Imām Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq (ʿa) teaches:
"إنّا أهْلُ بَیْت مُرَّوتُنَا الْعَفْوُ عَمَّنْ ظَلَمَنا"
“We are a household whose character is to forgive those who wrong us.”
One moving example is found in the life of Imām ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (ʿa) and Hishām ibn Ismāʿīl, the governor of Madīnah appointed by ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwān, had severely mistreated the Imām. When Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik later deposed Hishām and made him available for public retaliation, Hishām feared retribution from the Imām most of all.
Hishām would say, “He has the greatest right to punish me.” But when the Imām (ʿa) passed by with his companions, he had instructed them not to utter a single harsh word to Hishām. Hishām, overcome with emotion, exclaimed:
"اللّهُ أعْلَمُ حَیْثُ یَجْعَلُ رِسالاتِهِ"
Allah knows best where to place His message. (Sūrah al-An‘ām 6:124)
Both the Qurʾān and the sayings of the Prophet (ṣ) and his Ahlul Bayt (ʿa) are rich with such calls to mercy. The Noble Prophet (ṣ) also said:
"عَلَیْکُم بِالْعَفْوُ فَإنَّ الْعَفْوَ لا یَزیدُ الْعَبْدَ إلاّ عِزّاً فَتَعافُوا یُعِزَّکُمُ اللّهُ"
“Hold fast to forgiveness, for forgiveness increases a servant in nothing but dignity. So forgive, and Allah will grant you honour.”
Of course, as scholars clarify, this command to forgive does not apply to situations where forgiveness only empowers the oppressor to continue wrongdoing. In such cases, justice and accountability must take precedence.
To conclude, we understand from this saying that pardon is the mark of real strength. When power meets mercy, hearts are transformed, enemies become allies, and the human soul ascends. To forgive while having the power to retaliate is to reflect a Divine trait and follow in the luminous footsteps of the Prophet (ṣ) and his noble Progeny (ʿa).
May Allah grant us the ability to practice the quiet, courageous power of forgiveness in our own lives. Āmīn.