if you keep forgiving’, ‘if you become soft-hearted, this world will not let you live’, ‘nowadays, you shouldn’t choose to forgive’, ‘it is not the era to forgive!’ ‘people begin to mistreat you if you forgive them,’ etc.

So, remember! Do not pay attention to these kinds of whispers at all. You do not become tolerant and forgiving to make this life better, but rather, tolerating and forgiving others make the Hereafter better. This is the reason that our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـه would make it a habit of never leaving tolerance and forgiveness, no matter how big the loss was.

For motivation, let us listen to 3 accounts relating to the tolerance and forgiveness of our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـه:

1. Forgiving someone is after being capable of taking revenge!

Sayyidunā MaꜤmar b. Rashīd رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه narrates: ‘A person slapped the son of Sayyidunā Qatāda b. DiꜤāmah رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه very powerfully. Sayyidunā Qatāda b. DiꜤāmah رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه requested the help of Bilal b. Abī Burdah against him, so Bilal b. Abī Burdah called upon the person who had slapped him and also the leaders of Basra.

They began to propose a course of action but Sayyidunā Qatāda رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه did not accept this and told his son: ‘You also slap him just like he slapped you’ and then said: ‘Son! Roll up your sleeves and give him a powerful slap by raising your hand.’ Therefore, the son rolled up his sleeves and raised his hand to slap him. At that very moment, Sayyidunā Qatādah رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه grabbed his hand and said: ‘We have forgiven him for the sake of Allah Almighty because it is said that forgiveness occurs after being capable of taking revenge.’^[1]