Yesterday we reflected on the cost of holding onto grudges. Today we turn to the motivation the Qur'an offers for choosing the difficult path of forgiveness.
Allah says: "Let them pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (24:22)
Before addressing the motivation embedded in this verse, we must acknowledge something honestly: forgiveness is difficult. The Qur'an itself describes it as an act of courage.
Why is it so hard?
When someone wrongs us, the injury often feels like a threat to our dignity. Holding onto the grievance becomes a way of affirming that what happened mattered — that we mattered. At the level of the ego, forgiveness can feel like surrendering that claim.
We also confuse forgiveness with condoning the harm. We worry that letting go means declaring the wrongdoing acceptable or leaving ourselves vulnerable to being hurt again.
Sometimes resentment even gives us something: a story that explains our pain, a sense of moral clarity, even sympathy from others. Psychologists note that grievances can become part of a person's identity, which makes them difficult to release.
The Qur'an does not deny any of this. Instead, it gently redirects our focus by asking a question:
"Would you not love that Allah should forgive you?"
It appeals to something we all deeply want.
If we hope that Allah will treat us with mercy rather than strict justice — forgiving our many shortcomings — then the Qur'an invites us to extend a fraction of that mercy to others.
Forgiveness becomes an act of humility.
A recognition that we, too, stand in need of pardon.
Reflection
• What does it mean to me that the forgiveness I extend to others is connected to the mercy I hope to receive from Allah?
• What has holding onto this grievance been costing my heart, my peace, and my Ramadan?
PS: I would be so grateful if you can take a moment to fill out this short feedback form. It will really help in planning future content:
https://forms.gle/17DSFs6sUVPmVkn69
18 Mar 2026
Episode 363: Returning Home [89:27-30]
Thirty days ago we began this series exploring the journey of the human nafs toward Allah.
We reflected on the full spectrum of who we are: a noble creature before whom the angels bowed (38:72), and a creature of weakness who forgets (4:28). We explored the fitrah, the inner compass of conscience that Allah placed within us. We examined the nafs al-ammarah that pulls us toward desire and the nafs al-lawwamah that awakens discomfort when we stray.
We discussed the path of returning to Allah through tawbah, and the courage required to repair our relationships with others through apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Now, in the final hours of Ramadan, the Qur'an shows us the destination of this inner work.
In the closing verses of Surah al-Fajr, Allah addresses the soul directly:
"O soul that is at peace.
Return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing.
Enter among My servants.
Enter My Garden." (89:27–30)
This is the only place in the Qur'an where Allah addresses the soul itself, singular and intimate.
Allama Tabataba'i explains that the nafs al-mutma'innah, the tranquil soul, is characterized by several qualities: it finds peace with its Lord, accepts what Allah decrees, understands this world as a temporary passage, and recognizes that life's gains and losses are tests.
Such a soul is described as rāḍiya and marḍiyya — pleased and pleasing.
Pleased with Allah's decree, and pleasing to Allah in return.
The journey toward this tranquility does not begin only at death. It begins now.
Every prayer, every moment of repentance, every sincere intention is a step toward that final return.
As Ramadan comes to an end, the question for each of us is simple:
What part of this journey will we carry forward?
Reflection
• Which insight from this month stayed with me the most?
• What practice will I commit to carrying beyond Ramadan?
PS: I would be so grateful if you can take a moment to fill out this short feedback form. It will really help in planning future content:
https://forms.gle/17DSFs6sUVPmVkn69
With tons of duas for a month of spiritual fulfillment and blessings.
17 Mar 2026
Episode 361: The Cost of Holding On [42:40]
Yesterday we reflected on verse 42:40 and discussed "aslaha" — making amends with others, which is an important part of setting things right with Allah.
Today we turn to the word that comes before it in the verse:
"The recompense of evil is an evil like it, but whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is with Allah." (42:40)
Before reconciliation comes forgiveness 'afw.
The Qur'an begins by acknowledging something deeply human: if someone wrongs you, you have the right to respond proportionally. Justice is permitted. The Qur'an is not asking you to pretend the harm did not happen.
Only after validating the harm does the verse introduce a higher path: forgive and reconcile.
Notice something important: forgiveness is presented as a choice, not an obligation. This matters because resentment often grows when people feel pressured to "move on" before the harm has been acknowledged. The Qur'an does not rush that process.
But while forgiveness is optional, holding on to resentment has a cost.
When we carry a grievance, we imagine we are holding something against the person who wronged us. In reality, the weight lives inside us — in our thoughts, our sleep, our prayers, and our peace of mind.
Islamic tradition describes different stages of resentment in the heart. Bughd is the hostility we feel when we remember the person. Hiqd is the deliberate nursing of the grudge. Ghill is when resentment becomes embedded in the heart itself.
The Qur'an even tells us that the people of Paradise will only fully enter peace after Allah removes whatever ghillremains in their hearts (7:43).
Resentment poisons the heart that carries it.
Forgiveness, difficult as it may be, is one of the acts the Qur'an calls "among the matters requiring courage." (42:43)
Tomorrow, insha'Allah, we will explore the motivation the Qur'an offers for choosing this courageous path.
Reflection
• Is there someone whose wrongdoing I am still carrying?
• Am I aware of what that resentment is costing me?
PS: I would be so grateful if you can take a moment to fill out this short feedback form. It will really help in planning future content:
https://forms.gle/17DSFs6sUVPmVkn69
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
21 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
93
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
92
Contact Loving and Living the Quran
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Loving and Living the Quran?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
