Renewal of the Heart and Soul
Phase 3 – Cleansing the Soul: Letting Go to Grow
Forgiving Others for the Sake of Allah
We have spent the past two days on a profound journey. We diagnosed the sicknesses of the heart. We learned about Tawbah — returning to Allah with sincere repentance. We understood the conditions and felt the healing that comes from turning back to our Creator.
But now we reach a crossroads. A point where many spiritual journeys stall. A point where the heart knows it needs healing but finds itself blocked by something heavy, something hard, something we have been carrying for years.
That something is unforgiveness. That something is the grudge. That something is the refusal to let go of the harm others have done to us.
Today we speaking about Forgiving Others for the Sake of Allah.
Let us be honest. Forgiving is hard. When someone has wronged you — betrayed your trust, spoken about you behind your back, hurt someone you love, taken what was yours — the natural human reaction is to hold on. To replay the hurt. To wish they would feel the same pain. To wait for an apology that may never come.
But holding on to hurt does not harm the person who wronged you. It harms you. It poisons your heart. It consumes your peace. It keeps you awake at night while they sleep soundly. And most dangerously, it becomes a barrier between you and Allah.
Allah ﷻ commands us to forgive. Not because the wrong was insignificant, but because your peace is more significant. Not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve to be free.
“وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ”
“Let them pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Surah An-Nur, 24: 22)
This verse is the key. It links our forgiveness of others to Allah’s forgiveness of us. If we want Allah to overlook our countless sins against Him, we must learn to overlook the sins of others against us. The measure we use will be used for us.
The Prophet ﷺ embodied this principle completely. He was wronged more than any of us. He was mocked, beaten, driven from his home, had lies spread about his beloved wife. And yet, when he conquered Makkah, standing over the people who had persecuted him for years, he asked:
“مَا تَظُنُّونَ أَنِّي فَاعِلٌ بِكُمْ؟”
“What do you think I will do to you?”
They replied, “You are a noble brother, son of a noble brother.” And he said:
“اذْهَبُوا فَأَنْتُمُ الطُّلَقَاءُ”
“Go, for you are free.” (Reported in multiple sources)
He forgave them completely. Not because they deserved it, but because forgiveness is the way of the noble.
Now let`s think, who has wronged you? Who is the person you cannot think of without feeling that knot in your stomach? Who is the name that, when mentioned, makes your jaw clench?
Now ask yourself: Is holding onto this hurt worth more than Allah’s forgiveness? Is your grudge more valuable than your peace? Is your pride more important than your heart’s healing?
Forgiving someone does not mean what they did was acceptable. It does not mean you must trust them again or allow them back into your life. Forgiveness is not for them; it is for you. It is releasing the burden you were never meant to carry. It is cutting the chain that ties you to the past.
When you forgive, Allah raises your status. When you let go, He gives you honour. When you release the grudge, He fills the empty space with His peace.
Imagine standing before Allah on the Day of Judgment. Imagine Him asking: My servant, I forgave you for sins beyond count. I covered your faults. I did not expose you. Why could you not forgive one person for one thing?
Let us not be in that position. Let us forgive now, while forgiveness benefits us. Let us release the weight while we can still earn reward for it.
Tonight, take a moment. Think of that person. And say in your heart: I forgive you for the sake of Allah. I release you. I let it go. And I ask Allah to forgive me as I forgive you.
Feel the weight lift. Feel the peace descend. This is the healing your heart has been waiting for.
May Allah make us among those who forgive, those who are forgiven, and those who enter Paradise through the door of those who pardon others. Ameen.
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