Page 142 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

The subjects of the experiments stated that they suffered less after
forgiving people who had wronged them. The research showed that
people who learned to forgive feel much better, not only emotionally
but also physically. For example, it was established that after the exper-
iment psychological and physical symptoms such as stress-related
backache, insomnia and stomachaches were significantly reduced in
these individuals.

In his book, Forgive for Good, Dr. Frederic Luskin describes for-
giveness as a proven recipe for health and happiness. The book
describes how forgiveness promotes such positive states of mind as
hope, patience and self-confidence by reducing anger, suffering,
depression and stress. According to Dr. Luskin, harboured anger caus-
es observable physical effects in the individual. He goes on to say that:
The thing about long-term or unresolved anger, is we've seen it resets the
internal thermostat. When you get used to a low level of anger all the
time, you don't recognize what's normal. It creates a kind of adrenaline
rush that people get used to. It burns out the body and makes it difficult
to think clearly-making the situation worse. 73
In addition, Dr. Luskin says, when the body releases certain
enzymes during anger and stress, cholesterol and blood pressure levels

go up-not a good long-term disposition to maintain the body in. 74
An article called "Forgiveness," published in the September-
October 1996 edition of Healing Currents Magazine, stated that anger
towards an individual or an event led to negative emotions in people,
and harmed their emotional balance and even their physical health. 75
The article also states that people realise after a while that the anger is
a nuisance to them, and wish to repair the damage to the relationship.
So, they take steps to forgive. It is also stated that, despite all they
endure, people do not want to waste the precious moments of their life
in anger and anxiety, and prefer to forgive themselves and others. 76
In another study involving 1,500 people depression, stress and

mental illness were observed to be less frequent in religious people. Dr.

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