Page 239 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd

Quranic Wisdom

Accept, Introspect, Make Amends

ne very important divine principle stated in the Quran is
Othat a bad deed, if temporary in its effects, can be forgiven
by God. The best way to make amends is to do a good deed
whenever you commit a bad deed. How to proceed is recorded in
the chapter Hud (Hud):
Say your prayers morning and evening, and during
parts of the night; surely good removes evil. This is a
reminder for people who pay heed. (11:114)
It is has been rightly said that to err is human. Man, being
no angel and being subject to numerous temptations, will quite
naturally make mistakes—generally because of making wrong
choices. Then, what to do?
The best course is to follow the advice given in the above verse
of the Quran. Man should first of all accept his mistakes, then
engage in introspection so that he may make amends for them.
This will mean that he must try to do a good deed after every bad
deed. This practice will save him from the consequences of his
error and misdeeds.
For example, if you flew into a rage and, swayed by your
anger, you abused someone, you would have to apologize to him
publicly and pray for him. Or, if you harmed someone physically,
you would have to try to compensate for the injury by the offer
of monetary or other help.
There are different kinds of bad deeds but, no matter what
kind of bad deed you have committed, after each one you should
feel repentant and try to erase the effects of your bad deed by
doing a good deed.

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