Sūrat al-Jāthiya: Forgive Those Who Have Harmed You

Occasion: Transcription of a Fajr khatira delivered on 5 January 2026 Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

An Address to the Believers About Forgiveness

We pause at the words of Allah, blessed and exalted: ﴿قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَغْفِرُوا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ اللَّهِ لِيَجْزِيَ قَوْمًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ﴾ ("Say to those who have believed to forgive those who do not expect the days of Allah so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn")^[1].

Among the implications and concepts of this verse is that it is an address from the Lord of the worlds, glorified is He: ﴿قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَغْفِرُوا﴾ ("Say to those who have believed to forgive"), as though it were a kind of waiving of rights, a kind of pardoning of the mistake committed, a kind of yielding in the presence of Allah, blessed and exalted, and a kind of emptying the soul of the pains that have accumulated in it because of harm coming from other parties. Yet these parties who deliberately harm the believers do not hope to meet Allah: ﴿يَغْفِرُوا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ اللَّهِ﴾ ("to forgive those who do not expect the days of Allah").

Each Has Enough

And I have some simple and very quick questions. The first question: this verse came in Sūrat al-Jāthiyah, and from that it is understood that every soul is occupied with its own troubles; so no one is waiting for pain to come to him from others, each one has what is enough for him. It is already full, and has no need of more. So if you find harm that has come to you from others kneeling upon your chest with something heavier than mountains... the believer who tracks his deeds, his breaths and his steps has within himself an inner watcher who follows everything, so whenever a mistake, small or great, comes from him, he reproaches himself, rebukes himself somewhat and reviews himself. So he has self-reviews enough to make him feel sufficient pain and to feel the attempt at seeking forgiveness in the presence of Allah, glorified and exalted. So you already have what is enough for you, and then another person comes to you who curses you, or reviles you, or harms you, or slanders you, or falsely accuses you, and it is as though he is kneeling upon your chest with what at times you cannot bear.

Take On the Character of Allah

But when Allah, blessed and exalted, addressed the people of faith, He said: ﴿قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَغْفِرُوا﴾. The forgiveness expected from the people of faith is the very same forgiveness expected from the Lord of the people of faith; the people of faith seek from the Lord of the worlds, glorified is He, a forgiveness that they want to demonstrate the existence of in their own lives to begin with. So if you want something from the Lord of the worlds, let how you treat creation be of the same kind as what you ask of Him, glorified, majestic in His height, and to Allah belongs the highest example. Shaykh al-Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on him, used to say, in the sense of: take on the character of Allah; whoever seeks pardon from Allah, let him pardon; whoever is in need of the generosity of the Lord of the worlds, let him be generous in his life; and whoever seeks provision from the Lord of the worlds, glorified and exalted, let him be a cause of people's provision, and so on. And this is taking on the character of the names and attributes of Allah in the way that befits the servant.

Why Do They Not Hope for the Days of Allah?

But it is the matter of forgiving the one who has harmed you. So why do they not hope for the days of Allah? Look here: those who fabricate falsehood are the ones who do not believe in the signs of Allah.^[2] So it is as though you are standing before people who do not recognize for the Lord of the worlds, glorified is He, the station of the greatest, all-encompassing authority in their lives, so they overstep in their words with what Satan makes run on the tongues. So the son of Adam from whose tongue harm to people comes out, who made these words run on his tongue? A devil or an angel? A devil. So he is following Satan at one of those moments when he is weak before himself, and so on. And of course the reasons that lead people to harm others are many and need many details.

Our Character Today

But let this be among our characters that we learn today in the Fajr prayer: ﴿يَغْفِرُوا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ اللَّهِ﴾. Whoever you sense is harming you, know that he does not hope for any good from Allah the Exalted, and this is, to begin with, very far from being something to occupy yourself with, because he is not on the path of the faith that you are on. So seek pardon from Allah, ask Allah, blessed and exalted, for forgiveness, and hope from Allah, mighty and majestic, for a bounty that will suffice you, satisfy you, mend your heart, and draw His veil over you in this life and the next, and what is with Allah, mighty and majestic, is more lasting and more precious.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: Sūrat al-Jāthiyah, verse 14. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: The transcript has "Only those who do not believe in Allah fabricate falsehood," while the text of the verse is: ﴿إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ﴾ ("Only those who do not believe in the signs of Allah fabricate falsehood") [al-Naḥl: 105], so the sense was carried in the body text without a recitation. Al-Ghazali's saying is reported by its sense as it appears in the transcript, without verification of its exact source or location; and the phrase "take on the character of Allah" is not established as a ḥadīth attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. At the end of the transcript there is a truncated word ("May Allah keep safe…"), which was removed.