{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 360: The Harder Turning [42:40]","description":"Allah says: \u201cThe recompense of evil is an evil like it. But whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is with Allah.\u201d (42:40) This verse recognizes something important: when someone harms us, we have the right to respond proportionally. Justice is permitted. But the verse then points to something higher. Whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, their reward is with Allah. Over the past few days we have been talking about tawbah \u2014 returning to Allah and repairing our relationship with Him. Today\u2019s verse shifts the focus to another dimension of repentance: repairing our relationships with other human beings. Imam Ali (as) explains this in Nahj al-Balagha (Saying 417) when he describes the conditions of true repentance. One of those conditions is returning to people their rights so that you meet Allah in a state where no one has a claim against you. In other words, our relationship with Allah cannot be fully repaired while our relationships with people remain broken. And this is the harder turning. It is easier to repent privately to Allah than to apologize to another human being. Allah already knows our weaknesses. He is perfectly forgiving. But a human being may still be hurt. They may respond with anger, silence, or grief. That vulnerability makes apology difficult. Yet spiritual maturity requires something simple but demanding: owning our part, regardless of the other person\u2019s behavior. A meaningful apology includes three things: \u2022 Genuine remorse and empathy \u2022 Taking full responsibility without deflection \u2022 Repair and commitment to change The response of the other person is not under our control. But the effort to repair carries its reward with Allah. Reflection \u2022 Is there someone whose right I have not yet returned? \u2022 Is there an apology I have been avoiding \u2014 or offering only halfway? Here are some blogs on the topic of apologizing - there are many more so please browse: The top 10 worst things to say to your loved ones  https:\/\/www.marziahassan.org\/blog\/The%20top%2010%20worst%20things%20to%20say%20to%20your%20loved%20ones The beginners guide to bad apologies(DW# 771 )  https:\/\/www.marziahassan.org\/blog\/the-beginners-guide-to-bad-apologies Alternatives to the generic apology(DW# 776 )  https:\/\/www.marziahassan.org\/blog\/alternatives-to-the-generic-apology Another alternative to the generic apology (DW# 777)  https:\/\/www.marziahassan.org\/blog\/another-alternative-to-the-generic-apology &amp;nbsp; ","author_name":"Loving and Living the Quran","author_url":"http:\/\/marziahassan.libsyn.com\/webpage","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/40475390\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/199678850"}