Forgive and forget
By Hisham Abu Yusuf | 2026-10-07T17:38:41.390353+00:00 | Topic: Forgiveness | Masjid: Hisham Abu Yusuf
Summary
The Call to Forgive and Forget
- The profound statement: 'Forgive and forget.'
- A direct link to Allah's forgiveness for us.
- A fundamental principle for spiritual well-being.
Our Broken Relationships
- Reflect on those we've blocked or stopped speaking to.
- Consider estranged relatives, friends, or community members.
- The act of turning our backs on greetings in the masjid.
- The silent burden of broken relationships in our lives.
The Paradox of Expectation
- We earnestly desire Allah to overlook all our mistakes.
- We pray for His boundless mercy and forgiveness.
- How can we expect divine mercy if we withhold it from others?
- Our actions towards others reflect our readiness for Allah's grace.
The Prophetic Teaching on Mercy
- The Prophet ﷺ delivered a powerful and concise warning.
- A clear statement on the reciprocity of mercy.
- Mercy is not just a virtue, but a condition for receiving it.
Understanding Reciprocal Mercy
- This Hadith highlights a fundamental principle of divine justice and mercy.
- Our capacity to show mercy to creation is a mirror of our own need for it.
- To unlock Allah's vast mercy, we must first extend it to His servants.
- It's a condition for receiving mercy, not merely a suggestion.
Forgive and Forget
Forgive and forget. Don't you want Allah to forgive you as well? How many people have you blocked? How many people do we not speak to anymore? How many relatives? How many friends? How many people — we see them in the masjid, they say السلام عليكم ورحمة الله and we give them our backs. How many people in our lives we have broken relationships with? How many times? And then we want Allah to overlook all of our mistakes.
How can that be? The Prophet ﷺ has said:
مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمْ لَا يُرْحَمْ
"Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy."
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5997; Sahih Muslim, Book 43, Hadith 62)