Forgiveness for Divine Love Extinguishes the Fire of Discord
Bismillāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
Ṣalât al-Fâtihi (translated)
O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad,
the Opener of what was closed,
the Seal of what came before,
the Helper of the Truth by the Truth,
and the Guide to Your straight path.
And upon his family,
according to his immense worth and the greatness of his rank.
⸻
Verse on following the Prophet ﷺ
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
“Say: If you truly love Allah, then follow me;
Allah will love you and forgive your sins.
And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, verse 31)
⸻
Words of our master Shaykh Aḥmad Tijānī
(may Allah sanctify his precious secret)
“Every elevation, every salvation, and every success come from the perfect following of the Prophet
(ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam). Whoever seeks to reach Allah without conforming to him only moves farther away.”
“Our Path is founded upon the Sunnah, and the Sunnah is founded upon love for the Prophet
(ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).”
⸻
THE VERSE OF FORGIVENESS
وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۚ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
“Let them pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you?
And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(Sūrat An-Nūr, 22)
⸻
THE FULL ACCOUNT (ASBĀB AN-NUZŪL)
1. The slander against ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her)
During the incident of al-Ifk, some believers unintentionally repeated the rumor fabricated by the hypocrites.
Among them was Mistah ibn Uthāthah, a close relative of Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and one of the poor people whom he used to support financially.
When Abū Bakr learned that Mistah had spread the rumor, he was deeply hurt and declared: “By Allah, I will never again spend anything on Mistah.”
⸻
2. Revelation of the verse
Allah then revealed:
وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۚ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
“Let them pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you?
And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(An-Nūr, 22)
⸻
3. Reaction of Abū Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him)
When the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) recited the verse, Abū Bakr was shaken, wept, and replied: “Yes, by Allah! Indeed we love that Allah should forgive us.” He then added: “I restore the allowance I used to give him.” And he concluded: “By Allah, I will never cut off my support from him again.”
⸻
4. Statements of the exegetes
According to Ibn Kathīr: “Abū Bakr resumed giving charity to Mistah and even increased it.”
According to Al-Qurṭubī: “The truthful ones forgive in order to obtain Allah’s forgiveness.”
According to At-Ṭabarī: “He immediately and completely complied with the divine command.”
⸻
COMPLETE TAFSĪR OF THE VERSE
وَلْيَعْفُوا — “Let them pardon”
To renounce punishment or retaliation.
وَلْيَصْفَحُوا — “And overlook”
To erase resentment from the heart and never bring the offense up again.
أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ — “Do you not love that Allah should forgive you?”
Allah’s forgiveness is tied to the forgiveness granted to His servants.
وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ — “And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Allah is the One who forgives abundantly and shows mercy.
⸻
O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad,
the Opener of what was closed,
the Seal of what came before,
the Helper of the Truth by the Truth,
and the Guide to Your straight path.
And upon his family,
according to his immense worth and the greatness of his rank.
⸻
The poor servant in Allah and disciple of Shaykh Aḥmad Tijānī
(may Allah sanctify his precious secret),
Mohammed El Mansour El Mohieddine Tidjani