Allah likes excuse (accepting apology)

Allah, the Exalted, has opened a door for repentance that He will never close until the sun rises from the west because He likes to have mercy upon His slaves and He likes to accept their apology, the Prophet said: “None loves one's own praise more than Allah, the Exalted, does. For that, He has praised Himself, and none is more jealous than Allah and for that, He has prohibited immoralities, and there is none who loves to accept apologies more than Allah for that He has revealed the Book and sent the Messengers.”

On the authority of Anas Ibn Malik said: “The Prophet,  said: "Deliberateness is from Allah, the Almighty, and Hastiness is from Satan, and there is none who accepts apologies more than Allah" - which means that Allah does not punish His slaves for their wrong-doings until He excuses them again and again - “And there is nothing more beloved to Allah than praise”

Beware of what requires apology

Even though Allah, the Almighty, likes to accept the apology of His slaves, and even though the Islamic Sharee‘ah and morality recommend apologizing when people make mistakes, it would be better to avoid, as much as possible, deeds that need an excuse. Anas Ibn Malik reported that the Prophet said: “Beware of everything that necessitates an excuse (apology).” and he said: “Do not say something that necessitates apology.”

It is said: Beware of the arrogance of wrath, it leads to the humiliation of apology.

A poet said: “Whenever you feel the arrogance of wrath, remember the humiliation of apology.”

Accepting apologies is a trait of the nobles

A part of nobility and generosity is to accept the apology of the wrongdoer and to clear his fault.

For instance, we know the story of Yusuf and his borthers. When Yusuf’s brothers recognized him and saw how Allah favored him, they confessed their sins and apologized. Allah Says (what means): {They said, “By Allah, certainly has Allah preferred you over us, and indeed, we have been sinners”} [Quran 12:91] Yusuf neither blamed nor scolded them ever. On the contrary, he accepted their apology, forgave their guilt, and even prayed to Allah for them. In the Quran Allah, the Almighty Quotes the words of Yusuf . Allah Says (what means): {He said, “No blame will there be upon you today. Allah will forgive you, and He is the most merciful of the merciful”} [Quran 12:92]

One day, a man apologized to Ibraheem An-Nakha’i and he said: “I forgave you without apology, as apologies are tainted with lies.”

It was narrated that Al-Hasan Ibn Ali said: “If a man insults me in this ear, and apologizes in the other, I would accept his apology.”

Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qais said: “If someone apologizes to you, then delightedly receive him”.

A man apologized to Al-Hassan Ibn Sahl, for a fault he had committed. Al-Hassan told him: “Before the sin, you did a good deed, and you repented, your sin occurred in between the two good deeds, a sin cannot overpower two good deeds”.

We need to master the art of apology, how many animosities we could avoid by one single apology, how many families were devastated for the absence of the culture of apology, and how many souls changed and were filled with wrath when some of us fail to have the power of apology.

We pray to Allah, the Exalted, to forgive our sins. He is the most generous, the most munificent. Praise be to Allah, the Exalted, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.

The Courage to Apologize - I