All of us have been wronged by someone we deeply trusted at one point or another. It doesn't even have to be someone you know, it could be a complete stranger that wronged you. Imagine you do something terribly wrong, and then feel incredibly guilty about it whilst drowning in a pool of anxiety. What do you do? How do you get rid of the anxiety that’s eating you up inside? You ask for forgiveness. You ask Allah (swt) to forgive you. Doing this over and over again will eventually lift the burden that’s weighing heavy on you. You will feel like you can breathe again. If Allah (swt) can forgive our worst sins, then why do we tend to hold a grudge against friends and family about small or insignificant matters. Imagine a family member steals from you. Of course at first you will be shocked and angry but remember that for them to steal your money without repenting to Allah (swt) puts them in a much worse situation than you. Why? Allah (swt) knows and sees all. He will know if you pardoned the family member and He will be so delighted with you. He will also know that the family member doesn’t feel bad about his/her actions and that they don’t care to repent. Allah (swt) will be much more pleased with you than them. 

 Forgiveness is such a beautiful concept that Allah (swt) blesses us with. Imagine if Allah (swt) didn’t forgive our sins. How terrifying would that be? We would have to live perfect errorless lives and that is simply impossible. We are flawed, we all make mistakes and InshAllah we all repent to Allah (swt). He forgives even the gravest of sins but all you have to do is repent and change your ways. Many people can spin the words of Allah (swt) by saying they can do what they want and repent at the end of the day. Allah (swt) knows your intentions and true remorse. Two names of Allah (swt) are “Al-Ghafūr” which means, “The Forgiving” and, “Al-Ghaffār” which means, “The All Forgiving”. Forgive and be forgiven, inshAllah.

Written By Anan Helwih