The Virtue of Forgiveness from Proponents’ and Opponents’ View Point

In religious and ethical teachings, amnesty and forgiveness are among basic and practical notions in individual and social reform and transcendence. Today, an important question that arises is whether forgiveness is always a virtue. Forgiveness is at the core of Christianity and being forgiven by God is indebted to being forgiven by individuals. The ancient Greeks, and today, some Westerners not only believe forgiveness is not a virtue, but also think it indicates an individual's weakness and imperfection. This study examined the proponents and opponents' reasoning with regard to forgiveness.  According to Islamic teachings, forgiving every type of mistake with varying degrees of error and fault is not a virtue. Thus, the forgiver's capabilities, the extent and type of fault, the wrongdoer's dispositions such as remorse, compensation, or insistence on fault should be considered. Forgiveness is a great virtue in Islamic teachings, and although retaliation and administration of justice guarantee safety and security and control wrongdoers, such solutions as negligence, forgiving without any expectations in return, forgiving for the sake of righteousness, encompassing all individuals, etc. make it simpler to forgive, and by highlighting its earthly and unearthly and individual and social consequences, peace and tranquility for all are demanded.

Keywords:

Amnesty , forgiveness , Revenge , Islamic Ethics , Virtue