Tag: Forgiveness

daily prompt

Can It Be a Coincidence?

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What is your favorite quote?

I was scrolling through Insta for a while, then stopped when the notification for the limited time I had set popped onto the screen.

After that, I opened to my reading book; the story is actually interesting, and I am planning to finish it today.

So, just after highlighting a quote, another notification appeared, but, this time, it was WordPress daily prompts.

I paused…

The quote I highlighted is one of my favourites, and the daily prompt asks about my favourite quote.

Can it be a coincidence?

Really.

I didn’t just highlight the quote, I lingered around certain memories. And that was exactly when the prompt appeared, as if nudging me not to lose the moment, to write about it now.

And here’s the quote:

“Forgiveness given is forgiveness gained.”

And here I am, writing about forgiveness.

But first, how do you see forgiveness?

Is it a merit or a fault?

Is it a strength or a weakness?

Is it possible or impossible?

You think… and decide.

As for me, I see Forgiveness exactly as that quote above.

It’s a win, a fair, clean win after an atrocious fight against painful memories, unforgettable hurts, professional lies.

Forgiveness doesn’t come with a silver spoon.

Since there’s a fight, things take time, a really long time, unless you’re an angel, a one-hundred precent angel, who can grant forgiveness straightaway.

Forgiveness shows up in its perfect timing.

This is when you appreciate how blessed, how saved, how strong you are,

when you close your eyes and recollect your bad moments,

and when you whisper to the Creator, asking for His forgiveness.

Then you remember you too need to forgive others.

Once the action is done with pure intention, your life feels brighter, wider, and healthier.

But… just a little note to pin; 

you don’t have to include forget in the forgiveness deal.

Nor do you have to befriend or keep in touch with those who hurt you.

Which means things don’t have to end like a dead-end road, but rather like two separate roads. 

You forgive and start yours.

They feel relieved and take theirs. 

Now… was the quote and the daily prompt a coincidence?

Maybe.

But… can it be a heavenly whisper to extend goodness?

With forgiveness thoughts,

Nahla

Philosophical musings

I’m sorry

nhpureandsimple

Some people whisper it from the heart,

Some repeat it out of a habit,

some grumble it, 

some murmur it,

and some are too proud to let it slip from their tongue.

Aren’t these expressions of apology obvious to interpret? 

Both your brain and your heart can tell which is which, right? 

You don’t have to study psychology to distinguish a casual, fake, under-the-breath, shy, or sincere apology.

You know who’s the worst of all? 

Those who go round and round to avoid giving an apology;

as if they make no mistakes,

as if they don’t know,

and as if they are superior and above all reprimand.

They will tell you endless stories—fake or true, short or long—

just to evade what, for them, feels like the heaviest and most complicated word on the tongue: sorry.

But, those are hopeless cases. 

Do you know why? 

Because if you argue with them, they will explode.

If you go along and pretend things are okay, they will hurt you more.

The only suitable reaction is to play it safe, and smile not because they’re funny, but because they know you understand them.

Suppose one day someone comes to you with a warm, sincere apology— one touches not only your heart but also your soul.

Would you accept it? 

I think things depends on how close the person is to you. 

And how deeply the deed behind the apology has affected you. 

Right?

One day, as we usually do on special occasions, I sent an old friend a greeting message, and in her respond she asked me to forgive her.

The only harm she caused me was … disappointing me as a good friend— someone who was supposed to be there when I need them.

“I forgive you,” I texted back for I couldn’t find a reason not to.

To be honest, I was thinking more of myself than of her, thinking of how I would like to be forgiven too. 

But… you just can’t feel the same with the person.

Since then, she hasn’t sent any more messages, and neither have I. 

We have this famous saying in Arabic: Forgive and forget.

Funny how I used to teach it to my children, and they would wipe their tears, smile, and hurry outside to play with their friends again. 

But there’s another version of this saying: Forgive, but do not forget. 

The older you get, the more you understand why this version feels wiser.

It’s just a reminder that you, as a human being, need both to forgive and to be cautious.

To forgive is to purify your heart from anger, hatred, and agony, and to find this peace of mind that nourishes your soul.

To forgive is a noble path towards finding forgiveness yourself.

But, you, the same human being, have to learn from the experience.  It’s necessary, somehow, to remember the hurt, the lie, and the deception not as bitterness but as protection. Otherwise you may get hurt or disappointed twice. 

They say if something happens twice, it is more likely to happen again.

Isn’t that true? 

And people … they alway teach us important lessons. 

So grant your forgiveness, but remember why you give it in the first place. 

And, don’t close the door, just leave it a little bit ajar. 

With hope and peace,

Nahla

personal thoughts

Mercy and Forgiveness Always Exist

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Aren’t mercy and forgiveness some of the many divine attributes that we, human beings, need and even strive to show and receive to nourish a bit of this divinity inside us ? Of course they are.

Part of your being human is having a heart, a living heart with feelings and emotions. It can ache with pain and nourish with vitality. It can flutter with happiness and squeeze with sadness. It can brighten with love and darken with hate. And… it can find heaven in mercy and forgiveness.

Don’t people say, “Blessed are those with soft, kind hearts?  And in Arabic, we pray for them and say: “May Allah bless their kind hearts and make heaven their eternal home.” I believe you’ve heard or repeated this prayer, or similar ones, one day or perhaps even just now.

Nowadays, these blessings are more precious than diamonds. Do you know why? Because mercy and forgiveness strive to survive in a world that is becoming so cruel, selfish, and superficial. can’t you see that?

Well… it’s a big problem if you can’t see how these divine qualities can create a piece of heaven both into your heart and upon this earth. 

The desperate, the poor, the hopeless, the innocent, and even the sinner— all dream of finding mercy and forgiveness.  And in spite of the hell that grows bigger and bigger day after day, mercy and forgiveness do exist.

They patiently carve a path through the hardest rocky walls. They spread light, warmth, and joy into dark, frozen caves. They save lives and feed goodness to empower hope and stand against evil and hypocrisy.

So … can you just open your heart, seize this opportunity, and offer some mercy and a bit of forgiveness for yourself and others? You will lose nothing, yet you may find your own piece of heaven gently fluttering in your heart.

Things might be hard, but they are not impossible.


With hope and peace,

Nahla










Just writing

All Is Forgiven

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How simple and relieving is this sentence!

But, of course, you wouldn’t grant it to others every now and then. Or would you?

Suppose, for example, you had a bully at school, or at your workplace, or even in your neighbourhood. After every disaster caused by this person, they put on a repentant mask, shed a few tears, apologised, and swore on the name of God to never repeat the awful deed, never cause any harm, never cheat or steal from you. Would you grant them your forgiveness?

Before you reply, please be honest and realistic, because unless you’re, God Forbid, another bully you’d have only three options:

In the first scenario, you might voice the words, but from the bottom of your heart, you’d pray that the ground would open and swallow them whole, delivering them straightaway to hell.

In the second scenario, you’d scream, “Never!” out loud, and be either a martyr of bravery or live with all its consequences.

As for the third, you’d play the diplomat and remind the forgiveness seeker, that genuine good deeds erase bad ones. That’s God’s law. The Most Merciful knows what lies deep in the heart, but of course there’d be no need to voice the final addition.

If you had the three options, which one would you choose?

And, finally, don’t forget that all can be forgiven but not forgotten.


With all the best wishes,

Nahla