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This article is about Afw, one of the moral virtues. For familiarity with Afw as one of the attributes of God, see Divine Amnesty.

ʿAfw (pardon) denotes the act of refraining from revenge or punishment by an individual who possesses both the right and the power to exact it. The Qur'an and narrations emphasize 'afw as a form of noble behavior, classifying it as a superior moral virtue and a defining characteristic of the God-fearing (Muttaqin).

Scholars have enumerated numerous positive individual and social outcomes associated with 'afw, benefitting the pardoner in both this world and the Hereafter. These effects include the amelioration of human relations, the prevention of violence, and the cultivation of spiritual peace within society. Furthermore, 'afw is believed to yield worldly benefits, such as repelling affliction and increasing lifespan, alongside otherworldly rewards like the forgiveness of sins and admission into Paradise. However, 'afw must be exercised with wisdom and expediency to ensure it does not inadvertently facilitate the spread of injustice. In the Sira of the Infallibles, 'afw is presented as a fundamental moral value and a guiding principle of governance.

Definition

Lexically, 'afw implies effacement, forgiveness, and overlooking a transgression.[1] In religious and ethical terminology, 'afw refers to a noble behavior wherein an individual voluntarily abstains from taking revenge or punishing a wrongdoer despite having the right to do so.[2] The capacity to exact revenge is a prerequisite for 'afw; if one lacks the power to retaliate, their inaction is not technically considered 'afw.[3] In this context, 'Unsuri composed: Template:Poem In religious literature, this concept is closely related to Safh and Ghafr. According to Makarim Shirazi, a Shi'a Marja' and ethicist, Safh entails overlooking an error while eschewing all forms of rancor and annoyance, whereas Ghafr implies covering the sin and establishing a barrier against its exposure or recurrence.[4]

Status

The Qur'an addresses 'afw in numerous verses; Makarim Shirazi identifies ten specific instances.[5] For example, in Qur'an 3:134, God identifies 'afw as a hallmark of the God-fearing.[6] In narrations, the status of 'afw is similarly exalted. The Prophet (s) described the possessor of 'afw as the best of all creation and designated this trait as one of the supreme moral virtues.[7] Imam Ali (a) referred to 'afw as the crown of moral virtues.[8] Prominent Shi'a hadith scholars, including al-Kulayni in Al-Kafi[9] and Fayd Kashani in Al-Wafi,[10] have compiled traditions concerning pardon in dedicated sections titled "Bab al-'Afw" (Chapter on Pardon). Shi'a ethicists have also provided extensive analyses regarding the definition, conditions, virtues, and consequences of 'afw.[11]

Effects and Blessings of Afw

'Afw and forgiveness yield profound benefits for both individual and communal life. Mujtaba Tehrani, a renowned Shi'a ethicist, interpreting religious texts on the subject, posits that 'afw is not merely an individual virtue but a necessity for the preservation of social continuity.[12] Key effects include:

Template:Poem

Imam al-Sajjad (a):

The right of the one who has done evil to you is that you forgive him; but if you knew that forgiving him is harmful, take revenge. God the Exalted the High has said: "There is no blame on those who avenge themselves after they have been wronged" (Qur'an 42:41)

Al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Man la yahduruhu al-faqih, 1413 AH, vol. 2, p. 625.

Restoring Right or Afw?

According to the analysis of Misbah Yazdi, Islamic ethics accords significant status to both 'afw and the pursuit of justice (restoring rights); the choice between them relies on contextual circumstances. 'Afw is meritorious when it facilitates individual reform or prevents further damage. However, in instances where forgiveness might embolden injustice or cause harm to others, Islam recommends seeking redress or even Qisas (retaliation).[25]

Imam Ali (a) regards 'afw as virtuous only so long as it does not compromise religion or the authority of the Islamic polity,[26] and Shaykh al-Mufid narrated that while 'afw reforms the noble, it corrupts the ignoble.[27]

Afw in the Sira of the Infallibles

The Sira of the Prophet (s) and the Sira of the Shi'a Imams abound with examples of 'afw and forgiveness. During the Conquest of Mecca, the Prophet (s) pardoned his enemies who had persecuted him and his companions, declaring: "Go, for you are all free."[28] Following the Battle of Jamal, Imam Ali (a) granted amnesty to the enemies who had rebelled against him, ordering that fugitives not be pursued and that captives and the wounded be treated with care. Furthermore, he mandated the return of seized property to its owners.[29] On the Day of Ashura, al-Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi, who had intercepted Imam al-Husayn (a), was pardoned by the Imam following his repentance.[30]

Afw in Governance

Religious teachings strongly advise rulers to exercise forgiveness and pardon. Imam Ali (a) described justice in authority and 'afw when possessing power as the adornment of politics.[31] [32] Similarly, in Malik al-Ashtar's Covenant, Imam Ali (a) urged Malik al-Ashtar to extend his 'afw to the people, just as he himself desires God to forgive him.[33]

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the amnesty of convicts is enshrined in the Constitution. Clause 11 of Article 110 designates the power to grant amnesty or commute sentences, within the framework of Islamic criteria and upon the proposal of the Head of the Judiciary, as one of the powers of the Leadership.[34] Convicts are frequently granted clemency on occasions such as the Ten-Day Dawn of the Islamic Revolution,[35] Nowruz,[36] Eid al-Ghadir,[37] Eid al-Fitr,[38] Eid al-Adha,[39] Eid al-Mab'ath,[40] Birth of the Prophet (s)[41] and Mid-Sha'ban.[42]

Bibliography

The subject of 'afw and its related concepts have been addressed in various works by Muslim scholars in both Persian and Arabic, including:

  • Al-Tawba wa l-'afw al-ilahi written by Tahir Abu Raghif, Al-Dar al-Islamiyya, Beirut, 1408/1987-88.[43]
  • Al-'Afw fi l-fiqh al-islami wa dawabituh wa majalatuh written by Ayman Jabrin Juwaylis, Publisher: Dar al-Nafa'is - Amman - Jordan 1435/2014.[44]
  • Afw wa qisas az manzar-i Allama Jawadi Amuli (Madda Zilluh al-'Ali), written by Abd Allah Jawadi Amuli, Isra' Publication, Qom 2022.[45]
  • Rawishha-yi tarbiyati dar Qur'an: (Hikmat-amuzi, 'afw wa gudhasht, takrim wa ihtiram, rifq wa mudara, ihsan) written by Sayyid Ali Husayni Zadeh, Research Institute of Hawzah and University, Tehran.[46]
  • Sazigari wa gudhasht (mudara wa 'afw) written by Javad Iravani, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences Publication, Tehran, 2011.[47]

Notes

  1. ↑ Muṣṭafawī, Al-Taḥqīq fī kalimāt al-Qurʾān al-karīm, 1368 Sh, vol. 8, p. 182.
  2. ↑ Tehrānī, Akhlāq-i Ilāhī, 1402 Sh, vol. 6, p. 136; ʿĀmilī, Nūr al-ḥaqīqa wa nūr al-ḥadīqa, 1387 Sh, p. 257.
  3. ↑ Tehrānī, Akhlāq-i Ilāhī, 1402 Sh, vol. 6, p. 136.
  4. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, 1385 Sh, vol. 3, p. 421.
  5. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, 1385 Sh, vol. 3, pp. 410-411.
  6. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 3, p. 98.
  7. ↑ Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 107.
  8. ↑ Al-Laythī al-Wāsiṭī, ʿUyūn al-ḥikam wa l-mawāʿiẓ, 1376 Sh, p. 19.
  9. ↑ Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 107.
  10. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, Al-Wāfī, 1406 AH, vol. 4, p. 441.
  11. ↑ For instance see: Al-Narāqī, Jāmiʿ al-saʿādāt, Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, vol. 1, pp. 337-338; Al-Narāqī, Miʿrāj al-saʿāda, 1378 Sh, pp. 247-249; Tehrānī, Akhlāq-i Ilāhī, 1402 Sh, vol. 6, pp. 134-154.
  12. ↑ Tehrānī, Akhlāq-i Ilāhī, 1402 Sh, vol. 6, p. 143.
  13. ↑ Tehrānī, Akhlāq-i Ilāhī, 1402 Sh, vol. 6, pp. 143-144.
  14. ↑ Tehrānī, Akhlāq-i Ilāhī, 1402 Sh, vol. 6, p. 144.
  15. ↑ Warrām b. Abī Firās, Majmūʿat Warrām, 1410 AH, vol. 2, p. 120.
  16. ↑ Al-Karājikī, Kanz al-fawāʾid, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 135.
  17. ↑ Al-Nūrī, Mustadrak al-wasāʾil, 1408 AH, vol. 9, p. 7.
  18. ↑ Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 108.
  19. ↑ Tehrānī, Akhlāq-i Ilāhī, 1402 Sh, vol. 6, pp. 149-151.
  20. ↑ Qur'an 24:22.
  21. ↑ Al-Laythī al-Wāsiṭī, ʿUyūn al-ḥikam wa l-mawāʿiẓ, 1376 Sh, p. 27.
  22. ↑ Qur'an 42:40.
  23. ↑ Imām ʿAskarī (a), Al-Tafsīr al-mansūb ilā l-Imām al-Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī (a), 1409 AH, p. 646.
  24. ↑ Tehrānī, Akhlāq-i Ilāhī, 1402 Sh, vol. 6, pp. 151-154.
  25. ↑ Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, Akhlāq dar Qurʾān, 1391 Sh, pp. 383-388.
  26. ↑ Al-Laythī al-Wāsiṭī, ʿUyūn al-ḥikam wa l-mawāʿiẓ, 1376 Sh, p. 223; Āqā Jamāl Khwānsārī, Sharḥ-i Āqā Jamāl Khwānsārī bar Ghurar al-ḥikam, 1366 Sh, vol. 3, p. 374.
  27. ↑ Al-Shaykh al-Mufīd, Al-Irshād, 1413 AH, vol. 1, p. 298.
  28. ↑ Ibn Hishām, Al-Sīra al-nabawiyya, Dār al-Maʿrifa, vol. 2, p. 412.
  29. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, 1410 AH, vol. 5, pp. 68-69.
  30. ↑ Abū Mikhnaf, Waqʿat al-ṭaff, 1417 AH, pp. 213-215.
  31. ↑ Al-Laythī al-Wāsiṭī, ʿUyūn al-ḥikam wa l-mawāʿiẓ, 1376 Sh, p. 223.
  32. ↑ The beauty of politics is justice in authority and pardon with power.
  33. ↑ Nahj al-balāgha, ed. Ṣubḥī Ṣāliḥ, Letter 53, p. 428.
  34. ↑ Qānūn-i Asāsī-yi Jumhūrī-yi Īrān, 1397 Sh, p. 42.
  35. ↑ For instance see: Khumaynī, Ṣaḥīfa-yi Imām, 1378 Sh, vol. 17, p. 291; "ʿAfw wa takhfīf-i mujāzāt bi-munāsibat-i yawm Allāh 22 Bahman", The Office of the Supreme Leader; "Muwāfaqat bā ʿafw wa takhfīf-i mujāzāt-i taʿdādī az maḥkūmān bi-munāsibat-i dah-i fajr", The Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of Ayatollah Khamenei.
  36. ↑ For instance see: Khumaynī, Ṣaḥīfa-yi Imām, 1378 Sh, vol. 17, p. 367; "ʿAfw-i barkhī zindāniyān bi-munāsibat-i ʿīd-i nūrūz wa māh-i ramaḍān", Tasnim News Agency.
  37. ↑ For instance see: Khumaynī, Ṣaḥīfa-yi Imām, 1378 Sh, vol. 11, p. 19; "ʿAfw wa takhfīf-i mujāzāt-i maḥkūmān dar āstāna-yi ʿīd-i ghadīr khum", The Office of the Supreme Leader;
  38. ↑ For instance see: Khumaynī, Ṣaḥīfa-yi Imām, 1378 Sh, vol. 16, p. 398; "Muwāfaqat-i rahbar-i inqilāb bā ʿafw yā takhfīf-i mujāzāt-i bīsh az dū hizār nafar az maḥkūmān-i maḥākim", The Office of the Supreme Leader.
  39. ↑ For instance see: Khumaynī, Ṣaḥīfa-yi Imām, 1378 Sh, vol. 18, p. 138; "Muwāfaqat bā ʿafw yā takhfīf-i mujāzāt-i taʿdādī az maḥkūmān bi-munāsibat-i aʿyād-i qurbān wa ghadīr", The Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of Ayatollah Khamenei.
  40. ↑ For instance see: Khumaynī, Ṣaḥīfa-yi Imām, 1378 Sh, vol. 14, p. 364; "ʿAfw wa takhfīf-i mujāzāt-i jamʿī az maḥkūmān, bi-munāsibat-i farārasīdan-i ʿīd-i mabʿath", The Office of the Supreme Leader.
  41. ↑ For instance see: Khumaynī, Ṣaḥīfa-yi Imām, 1378 Sh, vol. 15, p. 477; "Muwāfaqat-i rahbar-i inqilāb bā ʿafw yā takhfīf wa tabdīl-i mujāzāt-i ḥudūd-i si hizār nafar az maḥkūmān", The Office of the Supreme Leader.
  42. ↑ For instance see: Khumaynī, Ṣaḥīfa-yi Imām, 1378 Sh, vol. 14, p. 425; "ʿAfw wa takhfīf-i mujāzāt-i maḥkūmīn bi-munāsibat-i nīma-yi shaʿbān", The Office of the Supreme Leader.
  43. ↑ Noor Digital Library 1 https://noorlib.ir/book/info/137175/
  44. ↑ https://noorlib.ir/book/info/157339 Noor Digital Library
  45. ↑ Iran Book and Literature House, https://ketab.ir/book/2e0e91ad-4e9f-4953-aac8-7d25b786ec3a
  46. ↑ Iran Book and Literature House https://ketab.ir/book/3e539c00-b75e-4ea0-a9ea-91b09e71823b
  47. ↑ Iran Book and Literature House, https://ketab.ir/book/756553b0-b3bc-4679-ac85-ce732179a863

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