COUNSEL & COMMENT
Allah Wants to Forgive You MARYAM AMIREBRAHIMI
M
ANY PEOPLE TALK to me about their struggles; about mistakes they’ve made, sins they’ve committed, addictions they yearn to overcome, relationships they regret. But regardless of the issue, there is one emotion that I’ve noticed threads through almost every struggle with the other: Incessant GUILT.
The guilt of these individuals is rooted in another belief: their inability to forgive themselves for what they did or are still struggling with doing. This is heightened by the fact that
many of their families have conditioned them to feel guilty for possibly bringing shame and dishonor to themselves and their families, and by some Muslim communities that do not provide
support for the development of individuals—and instead cast shame, judgment and isolation onto those who’ve made mistakes. Thus, even when they’ve
VOL. 28 ISSUE 04 Dhul-hijjah 1437 September - October 2016
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