We should remember that forgiving all kinds of faults should not be considered as a merit. Forgiveness is a subject only in faults committed in personal matters. There are some crimes committed against society, religion and sacred things, which cannot be tolerated. In such cases, punishment is required in order to rehabilitate the criminals, establish justice and distinguish what is right and what is wrong. Otherwise forgiving these crimes will be a greater oppression to the society.
Aisha (RadiAllahu Anha) , the wife of Allah’s Apostleﷺ, told about Prophet’sﷺ approach towards forgiveness the following:
“Whenever heﷺ had to choose between two things heﷺ adopted the easier one, provided it was not sin, but if it was any sin heﷺ was the one who was the farthest from it of the people; and Allah’s Messengerﷺ never took revenge from anyone because of his personal grievance, unless what Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, had made inviolable had been violated.”
(Muslim, Faḍāil, 79; Abū Dawūd, Kitāb al-Adab, 4)
Just like inappropriate anger causes mischief and disorder among people, not getting angry when it is necessary is moral weakness which bears similar results. To be able to get angry for the sake of Allah, when it is necessary, is a requirement of faith. For instance anger against the enemy in the battlefield is manifestation of the excitement of faith in the heart and a sign of piety and patriotism. Showing anger against the crimes committed about the matters of the rights of the society, religious and public values is an indicator of the quality of one’s faith.
The Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ life is full of manifestations of such merits. He ﷺ not only forgave the sinners in personal matters but also he treated them with goodness.
Marhaba Ya Mustafaﷺ 