The Forbearing - Al-Ḥalīm

Al-Ḥalīm, The Indulgent

Al-Haleem is the One who is not hasty in punishing. As humans, we appreciate forbearance. We appreciate being given chances to rectify ourselves before seeing the consequences of our actions. If there was a rule that you would be sent to detention for not doing your homework, wouldn’t you be grateful that your teacher let it slide? How about the second time she does so, or the third? What about when a police officer catches you speeding, but doesn’t give you a ticket? Many of us would feel relief and then check ourselves to ensure we don’t do the same thing again. So God's forbearance is for us to return. And we should be grateful for this attribute, just like we would be grateful to anyone who overlooks our faults and mistakes.

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