Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech

Forgiveness And Pardon

Forgiveness and pardon-العفو والإقالة

1. Hastening to forgive is from the morals of the honourable.

1ـ اَلمُبادَرَةُ إلى العَفْوِ مِنْ أخْلاقِ الكِرامِ.

2. Forgiveness is the greater of the two virtues.

2ـ اَلعَفْوُ أعْظَمُ الفَضِيلَتَيْنِ.

3. Forgive and you will be supported.

3ـ أُعْفُ تُنْصَرْ.

4. Pardon and you will be pardoned.

4ـ أقِلْ تُقَلْ.

5. Do good to the one who does evil to you and forgive the one who wrongs you.

5ـ أحْسِنْ إلى مَنْ أساءَ إلَيْكَ، واعْفُ عَمَّنْ جَنى عَلَيْكَ.

6. Forgive the mistake of your friend, [and] your enemy will consider you to be virtuous.

6ـ ِاغْتَفِرْ زَلَّةَ صَديقِكَ، يُزَكِّكَ عَدُوُّكَ.

7. Forgive that which angers you for the sake of that which pleases you.

7ـ اِغْتَفِرْ ما أغْضَبَكَ لِما أرْضاكَ.

8. Pardon wrongdoings, stave off punishment and overlook that which has not become evident for you.

8 ـ أقِلِ العَثْرَةَ، وادْرَأِ الحَدَّ، وتَجاوَزْ عَمّا لَمْ يُصَرَّحْ

9. Accept the excuses of people and you will enjoy their brotherhood; meet them with cheerfulness and you will cause their malice [and grudges against you] to die away.

9ـ اِقْبَلْ أعْذارَ النّاسِ، تَسْتَمْتِعْ بِإخائِهِمْ، والقَهُمْ

10. Pardon the errors of the magnanimous, for none of them slips but that the Hand of Allah lifts him [back] up.

10ـ أقيلُوا ذَوِى المُروُءاتِ عَثَراتِهِمْ، فَما يَعْثِرُ مِنْهُمْ

11. Forgiveness is the best of favours.

11ـ اَلعَفْوُ أحْسَنُ الإحْسانِ.

12. Forgiveness is the charity of triumph.

12ـ اَلعَفْوُ زَكاةُ الظَّفَرِ.

13. Forgiveness is the evidence of intelligence.

13ـ اَلمَعْذَرَةُ بُرْهانُ العَقْلِ.

14. Forgiveness is the symbol of nobility.

14ـ اَلعَفْوُ عُنْوانُ النُّبْلِ.

15. Forgiveness is the crown of high morals.

15ـ اَلعَفْوُ تاجُ المَكارِمِ.

16. Many a sin is such that the [appropriate] degree of punishment for it is informing the sinner of it.

16ـ رُبَّ ذَنْب مِقْدارُُ العُقُوبَةِ عَلَيْهِ إعْلامُ المُذْنِبِ

17. Do not persist in that [action] which is followed by sin.

17ـ لاتُصِرَّ عَلى ما يُعَقِّبُ الإثْمَ.

18. Forgiveness despite [having the] power [to exact revenge] is a shield from the punishment of Allah, the Glorified.

18ـ اَلْعَفْوُ مَعَ القُدْرَةِ جُنَّةٌ مِنْ عَذابِ اللّهِ سُبْحانَهُ.

19. When you have been wronged, forgive.

19ـ إذا جُنِيَ عَلَيْكَ فَاغْتَفِرْ.

20. Through forgiveness [of others] divine mercy is invoked.

20ـ بِالعَفْوِ تُسْتَنْزَلُ الرَّحْمَةُ.

21. Overlook despite having power [to punish] and do good while possessing authority, [for by this] your mastery will become complete.

21ـ تَجاوَزْ مَعَ القُدْرَةِ وأحْسِنْ مَعَ الدَّوْلَةِ تَـكْمُلْ لَكَ

22. Overlook missteps and pardon mistakes, [for by this] your station will be elevated.

22ـ تَجاوَزْ عَنِ الزَّلَلِ، وأقِلِ العَثَراتِ، تُرْفَعْ لَكَ

23. Cover up offences with forgiveness, especially for those who possess magnanimity and social standing.

23ـ تَغَمَّدِ الذُّنُوبَ بِالغُفْرانِ، سِيَّما في ذَوِى المُرُوءَةِ

24. Feign heedlessness [about the mistakes of others] and your affair will be praised.

24ـ تَغافَلْ يُحْمَدْ أمْرُكَ.

25. Reward goodness and overlook offence, as long as it is not a breach in religion or an undermining of the authority of Islam.

25ـ جازِ بِالحَسَنَةِ، وتَجاوَزْ عَنِ السَّيِّئَةِ، ما لَمْ يَكُنْ

26. Adopt [the policy of] excusing the people and do not extend your hand to that which is disagreeable to anyone of them.[^1]

26ـ خُذِ العَفْوَ مِنَ النّاسِ، ولاتَبْلُغ مِنْ أحَد مَكْرُوهَهُ.

27. Do away with revenge, for indeed it is from the worst actions of the powerful, and he who raises himself above the evil of reprisals has taken hold of the accumulation of merits.

27ـ دَعِ الاِنْتِقامَ فَإنَّهُ مِنْ أسْوَءِ أفْعالِ المَقْتَدِرِ،

28. It is when one possesses complete authority that the virtue of forgiveness becomes manifest.

28ـ عِنْدَ كَمالِ القُدْرَةِ تَظْهَرُ فَضيلَةُ العَفْوِ.

29. Lack of forgiveness is the ugliest of flaws and rushing to exact revenge is the gravest of sins.

29ـ قِلَّةُ العَفْوِ أقْبَحُ العُيُوبِ، والتَّسَرُّعُ إلَى

30. Accepting the excuse of a wrongdoer is from the acts that bring honour and the [is] the most excellent of traits.

30ـ قَبُولُ عُذْرِ المُجْرِمِ مِنْ مَواجِبِ الكَرَمِ ومَحاسِنِ

31. Victory is a sufficient intercessor for the sinner.

31ـ كَفى بِالظَّفَرِ شافِعاً لِلْمُذْنِبِ.

32. Be graciously forgiving when you become powerful and act justly when you are in authority.

32ـ كُنْ جَميلَ العَفْوِ إذا قَدَرْتَ عامِلاً بِالعَدْلِ إذا مَلَكْتَ.

33. Be forgiving when you are powerful, generous in your affluence and altruistic despite your poverty, then virtue will become perfected for you (or virtues will become perfected for you).

33ـ كُنْ عَفُوّاً في قُدْرَتِكَ، جَواداً في عُسْرَتِكَ، مُؤْثِراً مَعَ

34. One who forgives wrongdoings has taken hold of the accumulation of merits.

34ـ مَنْ عَفى عَنِ الجَرائِمِ فَقَدْ أخَذَ بِجَوامِعِ الفَضْلِ.

35. One who does not favour [others] with forgiveness, wrongs [them] through vengeance.

35ـ مَنْ لَمْ يُحْسِنِ العَفْوَ أساءَ بِالاِنْتِقامِ.

36. Whoever does not accept repentance, his sin is great.

36ـ مَنْ لَمْ يَقْبَلِ التَّوْبَةَ عَظُمَتْ خَطيئَتُهُ.

37. Overlooking [another’s] offence is part of religion.

37ـ مِنَ الدّينِ التَّجاوُزُ عَنِ الجُرْمِ.

38. How good is forgiveness while having ability [to exact revenge]!

38ـ ما أحْسَنَ العَفْوَ مَعَ الاِقْتِدارِ.

39. He who scolds [someone] for a sin has not forgiven it.

39ـ ما عَفا عَنِ الذَّنْبِ مَنْ قَرَّعَ بِهِ.

40. Hastening in forgiving the sins [of others] is from the lofty morals of the honourable ones.

40ـ مُعاجَلَةُ الذُّنُوبِ بِالغُفْرانِ مِنْ أخْلاقِ الكِرامِ.

41. Never feel regret for forgiving and never be gladdened by punishing.

41ـ لاتَنْدَمَنَّ عَلى عَفْو، ولاتَبْهَجَنَّ بِعُقُوبَة.

42. Do not hasten the punishment for a sin and leave room between the two (i.e. the sin and punishment) for forgiveness, through this you will gain recompense and reward.

42ـ لاتُعاجِلْ الذَّنبَ بِالعُقُوبَةِ، واتْرُكْ بَيْنَهُما لِلْعَفْوِ

43. There is no clemency like pardon.

43ـ لاحِلْمَ كالصَّفْحِ.

44. There is nothing better than the forgiveness of a powerful person.

44ـ لاشَـيْءَ أحْسَنُ مِنْ عَفْوِ قادِر.

45. A wrongdoer can never be faced with anything better than being shown forgiveness.

45ـ لايُقابَلُ مُسىِءٌ قَطُّ بِأفْضَلَ مِنَ العَفْوِ عَنْهُ.

46. It pleases me for a person to forgive the one who oppresses him, to establish ties with the one who cuts him off, to give the one who deprives him and to respond to evil with goodness.

46ـ يُعْجِبُني مِنَ الرَّجُلِ أنْ يَعْفُوَ عَمَّنْ ظَلَمَهُ، ويَصِلَ

47. Give people your forgiveness and pardon just as you would like Allah, the Glorified, to grant [it] to you, and never regret showing forgiveness [to others].

47ـ أعْطِ النّاسَ مِنْ عَفْوِكَ وصَفْحِكَ، مِثْلَ ما تُحِبُّ أنْ

48. Honour the one who loves you and pardon your enemy, [for by this] virtue will become complete for you.

48ـ اَكْرِمْ مَنْ وَدَّكَ، واصْفَحْ عَنْ عَدُوِّكَ، يَتِمَّ لَكَ

49. The best act of a person in power is to forgive.

49ـ أحْسَنُ أفْعالِ المُقْتَدِرِ العَفْوُ.

50. Of all people, the most behoving of [granting] forgiveness is the one who has the greatest power to punish.

50ـ أوْلَى النّاسِ بِالعَفْوِ أقْدَرُهُمْ عَلَى العُقُوبَةِ.

51. The most deserving of [showing] mercy is the one who [himself] is in need of it.

51ـ أوْلَى النّاسِ بِالرَّحْمَةِ المُحْتاجُ إلَيْها.

52. Better than seeking your right is to forgive [and forego] it.

52ـ أحْسَنُ مِنِ اسْتِيفاءِ حَقِّكَ العَفْوُ عَنْهُ.

53. The best of high morals is the forgiveness of the powerful and the generosity of the poor.

53ـ أحْسَنُ المَكارِمِ عَفْوُ المُقْتَدِرِ، وجُودُ المُفْتَقِرِ.

54. The best forgiveness is that which is shown despite having power [to exact revenge].

54ـ أحْسَنُ العَفْوِ ما كانَ عَنْ قُدْرَة.

55. From the people, the one who is most cognizant of Allah is the one who is most forgiving to the people, even if he does not find them having any excuse.

55ـ أعْرَفُ النّاسِ بِاللّهِ أعْذَرُهُمْ لِلنّاسِ، وإنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ

56. Verily, confronting evil with good and the covering up wrongs with forgiveness are from the best virtues and the most praiseworthy qualities.

56ـ إنَّ مُقابَلَةَ الإساءَةِ بِالإحْسانِ، وتَغَمُّدَ الجَرائِمِ

57. Verily, he who gives to the one who deprives him, establishes ties with the one who cuts him off and forgives the one who oppresses him, will find in Allah, the Glorified, a Supporter and a Helper.

57ـ إنَّ مَنْ أعْطى مَنْ حَرَمَهُ، وَوَصَلَ مَنْ قَطَعَهُ، وعَفى

58. Forgiveness is a virtue.

58ـ اَلعَفْوُ فَضيلَةٌ.

59. Forgiveness is the best good deed.

59ـ اَلعَفْوُ أفْضَل الإحْسانِ.

60. Forgiveness is the ornament of power.

60ـ اَلعَفْوُ زَيْنُ القُدْرَةِ.

61. Forgiveness brings about eminence.

61ـ اَلعَفْوُ يُوجِبُ المَجْدَ.

62. Forgiveness is the alms-tax of power.

62ـ اَلعَفْوُ زَكاةُ القُدْرَةِ.

63. Forgiveness is the best of favours.

63ـ اَلْعَفْوُ أحْسَنُ الإحْسانِ.

64. Forgiveness is the best revenge.

64ـ اَلعَفْوُ أحْسَنُ الاِنْتِصارِ.

65. Pardoning means that a person should forgive that which is done to wrong him and show forbearance with that which angers him.

65ـ الصَّفْحُ أنْ يَعْفُوَ الرَّجُلُ عَمّا يُجْنى عَلَيْهِ، ويَحْلُمَ

66. Pardoning is the best of traits.

66ـ اَلصَّفْحُ أحْسَنُ الشِّيَمِ.

67. Pardon that which you are unaware of for what you are aware of, and what you are ignorant of for what you know.[^2]

67ـ هَبْ ما أنْكَرْتَ لِما عَرَفْتَ، وما جَهِلْتَ لِما عَلِمْتَ.

68. When a wrong is done to you, then forgive.

68ـ إذا جُنِيَ عَلَيْكَ فَاغْتَفِرْ.

69. The person most deserving of having his request granted is one who seeks forgiveness.

69ـ أحَقُّ النَّاسِ بِالإسْعافِ طالِبُ العَفْوِ.

70. Be careful not to hasten towards punishment, for indeed this is detestable in the sight of Allah and brings [unwanted] changes [and removal of blessings] closer.

70ـ إيّاكَ والتَسرُّعَ إلَى العُقُوبَةِ، فَإنَّهُ مَمْقَتَةٌ

[^1]: It is possible that this is an instruction of the Imam (‘a) to those given the task of collecting the zakāt from the people.

[^2]: A possible meaning for this would be: When a person does some bad to you and some good, then forgive his bad for the sake of the good that he has done to you.