Forgiving Others for Murder
Question: What should you do if you cannot prove that someone murdered someone else? Should one try to forgive them?
Answer:
Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Dear questioner,
Thank you for your important question.
If someone is wronged in this life and cannot get their God-given right to justice before they die, they will be given their rights in full on Judgment Day.
However, it is more important to work on forgiving them in this life. To forgive and forget brings much more reward.
Allah Most High says, ‘Let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.’ (24: 22)
And He says, ‘And hasten to [an indescribable] forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous—Those who spend during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon others, and Allah loves the doers of good.’ (Qur’an, 3:133-4)
And Allah says in the context of murder, ‘And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives [up his right as] charity, it is an expiation for [his sins].’ (Qur’an, 4: 45)
And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘No man is ever injured and then graciously forgives [the wrongdoer] save that Allah elevates him to a whole new degree and wipes away a sin for him.’ (Ahmad and others) If this applies to an injury, then it applies to a greater extent to murder.
Please also see:
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/articles/beneficial-knowledge/hopeful-verse-prophetic-forgiveness/
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/articles/featured-articles/forgiving-abdul-rahim-reasat/
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/calling-to-islam/forgiveness/
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/general-counsel/can-forgive-someone-hurt-long-period-time/
I pray this helps.
[Ustadh] Farid
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years, he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language.
