Forgive others for Allah's sake
“Forgiveness is not about a relationship between you and the person.”
Forgiving those who wronged you is first and foremost about your relationship with Allah, not with the other person, so believers should forgive for Allah's sake regardless of whether the offender apologizes or deserves it.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Opening praise, taqwa verse, and hadith on obeying the Prophet's commands
- A real-life dispute prompts the question: how do you make up after differences?
- Core reframe: forgiveness is between you and Allah, not you and the offender
- Surah al-Baqarah 2:237, never let disagreements erase the good between you
- The Prophet's 'Makkah moment': refusing revenge and pettiness, contrasted with Hind's uncontrolled vengeance
- Forgiveness as worship: Allah forgives you repeatedly, so pardon others (Surah an-Nur 24:22)
- Hadith of Abu Hurairah: Allah increases the one who forgives only in honor
- Closing challenge, ask 'Do I want Allah's forgiveness?', plus duas for Guyana shipwreck victims and sick community members
In the khateeb's words
“You can have disagreement, but you cannot be disagreeable. This is what is important.”
“Forgiveness is not about a relationship between you and the person. It is more about a relationship between you and God, Allah.”
“Life is too short to walk around with anger and jealousy. Life is too short for that.”
“And the thing about it is that the person you are jealous or angry of, that person is chilling.”
For the dinner table
Today's khutbah was about how to make up when we have differences with people, because disagreement is a normal part of life. The khateeb explained that forgiving someone is not really about that person, it is about your relationship with Allah, and forgiving is an act of worship that brings you closer to Him whether or not the other person apologizes. He reminded us that life is too short to carry anger and jealousy in our hearts, and that holding a grudge hurts us while the other person is often just fine. He pointed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was wronged for years in Makkah yet chose not to be petty or seek revenge, and warned against letting anger control us. He also shared the Quranic reminder 'do not forget the good between you', never let a disagreement erase the good days you shared with someone. He ended by flipping the question: instead of asking whether the other person deserves our forgiveness, we should ask ourselves whether we want Allah's forgiveness.
- Is there anyone you're upset with right now, what would it feel like to forgive them for Allah's sake?
- The khateeb said you can disagree without being disagreeable, what does that look like in our house?
- What's one 'good day' memory you have with someone you've argued with?
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