anger and is quick to forgive him,and does not see any shame in doing
so. Rather, he sees it as a good deed which will bring him closerto
Allah and earn him His love which He bestows only on those who do
good:
"…[those] who restrain anger and pardon [all] men – for Allah loves
thosewho do good." (Qur'an, 3:134)
A man may be able to restrain his anger, but resentment may be
smoldering in his heart, and may turn into deep-rooted hatred. Open
anger and rage are healthier than hidden resentment and malice.
The true Muslim whose soul has been saturated with this religion does
not harbor grudges; if he restrains his anger, he thenfollows that
with forgiveness, and thus he will be among those who do good.
Anger is very difficult to restrain, for it is a heavy burden on the
heart. But when a person forgives another, this heavy burdenis lifted,
freeing him, soothing him and bringingpeace of mind. These are the
feelings of ihsaan (goodness) which the Muslim feels when he forgives
his brother.
The true Muslim is forgiving towards his brother, purely for the sake
of Allah. He hopes thereby to earn the honor which the Prophet,
sallallahu` alayhi wa sallam referred to in the hadith:
"Allah will not increase His servant except in honor. No one humbles
himself for the sake of Allah, but Allah will raise his status."
(Muslim)
It is a great honor from Allah, which combines with the good
characteristics of the tolerant, forgiving Muslim, so that he becomes
one of those who do good whomAllah loves, and one of those honored
ones whompeople love.
Resentment has no place in the heart of the sensitive Muslim who
trulyunderstands his religion. He realizes the value of forgiveness
and purity of heart, and their importance if he seeks Allah's
forgiveness, as the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, explained:
"There are three sins, whoever dies free of these sins will be
forgiven for anything else if Allah wills:associating anything with
Allah; practicing magic or witchcraft; and bearing resentment towards
his brother." (Reported by al-Bukhari in Adab al-Mufrad)
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