Forgiveness
&
Reconciliation

You know, when teamwork works well

it can do so much more for everybody

than everybody doing it for themselves,

everybody knows that.

But it just never seems that easy.

It's something to do with

all those humans being so different.

They argue about who is right and who is wrong

and even fight each other when they can't agree.

Friends can become enemies.

They need to find a way

to become friends again.

And that can be hard,

but the Deen includes the way to deal with this problem

for each person as well as everybody.

Part of living the Deen

is to try to reconcile enemies,

get them to be friends again.

When a community of people lets one part of itself

become an enemy to another part of itself

it can only end up at war with itself, and breaking up

tearing itself apart.

So to follow the Deen

we need to try to bring enemies together.

But differences will need to be settled,

so there might need to be negotiations

for repaying a debt owed,

or a settlement of ownership.

They need to agree

on the justice of the agreement

for reconciliation.

Enemies first need to accept that

what is agreed is a fair solution

friendship can come later.

The rift for now is healed.

Reconciliation is not in the first place forgiveness,

but forgiveness is needed

to heal the deep wounds that enmity can cause.

Forgiveness is needed to heal the self,

the soul,

and take away the pain of enmity.

Now you don't have to have been friends to be enemies,

you can be angry with strangers for things they do,

want to punish them for their behaviour,

and that anger you feel is

a very strong emotion.

But that strength of emotion is accompanied by pain,

and when that anger is with a friend the emotion is made worse by the prospect of losing a friend,

and with those extra emotions the pain is worse.

Forgiveness of the other person ends the pain

and is accompanied by relief.

And the feelings at the heart of forgiveness

are compassion and mercy.

Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim.

Forgiveness is what takes away the pain of what was enmity,

and we need it as individuals to keep us well

and free from pain,

so the Deen takes us to a place where

we forgive those who beg forgiveness.

If someone begs forgiveness they also ask for mercy,

but mercy can be shown to another without forgiveness.

Mercy benefits the one who has done wrong.

Forgiveness benefits the one who forgives.

So it suits our community to show mercy

and it suits ourselves to show forgiveness.

And through living the Deen muslims try

to reflect God's Mercy on earth,

and follow in the footsteps of the Messenger

who was sent as a mercy to all beings.