Islam & Forgiveness (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Muslim Teachings About Forgiveness

• Islam teaches that God is merciful and forgiving

• One name given to Allah is Al-Ghafoor, the All-forgiving

• Each surah in the Qur’an starts with a verse that says

• Muslims repeat this phrase often:

  • in prayer, when reciting the Qur’an

  • before eating or undertaking a task

• This reminds them of God’s mercy throughout the day 

• Because He is merciful, Allah can overlook people’s faults and forgive them if He chooses

• Muslims believe that on the Day of Judgement, God will reward or punish everyone for their actions

  • They can ask for God’s mercy at this time and if they are truly sorry and repent, Allah can forgive them at this time

• Therefore, Muslims must be prepared to show the same mercy towards others, as the Qur'an teaches

The teaching and example of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

• Muslims can look to the example set by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)to help them learn how to forgive:

  • Muhammad (pbuh) was exiled from his home city of Makkah for many years and his followers were oppressed for believing in Islam

  • Upon his return to Makkah, some of those who had persecuted Muslims were worried that the prophet would take revenge

  • Instead, Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘No retribution shall be exacted from you this day’ 

• Muslims have to try to follow both Muhammad’s (pbuh) example and the Prophet's teaching in hadiths such as this example

Islam and Restorative Justice

• Islam supports the use of restorative justice

• Restorative justice is a way for criminals to make amends for their offences

• It consists of three steps:

  • Repentance from the offender

  • Forgiveness from the victim or the victim’s family

  • Reconciliation between the two parties

• Restorative justice has been in practice since the early days of Islam

• It was laid out in the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) Madinah Charter

The benefits of restorative justice

• Restorative justice is important because:

  • it puts offenders in direct contact with those they have wronged

    • This helps them to understand the harm they have done and make amends

  • the offender and victims communicating directly can lead to reconciliation and restored relationships between the parties, as the Qur’an encourages

  • it has a high success rate, with around eighty percent of offenders saying that restorative justice has helped them to realise the effects of their deeds and so turn away from crime

  • it helps those who have committed crimes face up to them and repent properly, which will help them to please Allah on the Day of Judgment

The Forgiveness of Offenders in the Community

Why forgiveness in the community is needed

• There is a need for forgiveness of offenders in modern society because:

  • The prison system is expensive - prisons cost the UK taxpayer around £11 billion each year

    • If rehabilitation was more successful, this money could be used better in other areas of society

  • The current system is unsuccessful - up to 60 percent of offenders reoffend within a year of their release from prison

    • If rehabilitation was more successful, there would be fewer reoffenders and more people successfully reintegrated into society

  • Fewer offenders and reoffenders would mean society would have less crime and would be safer for everyone

    • The law and the prison system would be seen as effective and this would be a deterrent to others offending in future

• Therefore, the justice system needs to include the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders for the good of everyone

How forgiveness in the community is shown

• The UK government tries to rehabilitate offenders through the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act of 1974 (amended in 2012)

• Several business ventures aim to rehabilitate offenders into the community by offering them employment and training.

  • For example, The Joint in Brixton is a restaurant that offers jobs for those who train as chefs at chef Gordon Ramsay’s Bad Boys’ Bakery at Brixton prison

• Charities such as NACRO provide information and advice to help ex-offenders and their families when they complete their sentences