The Quest of a Curious Muslim — Page 81
81 forgiveness, then he should be punished, and not forgiven out of mere squeamishness, for, otherwise, he would be deprived of a chance of reforming himself, and it would be cruel and not merciful to forgive in such a case. 48 In addition, it is narrated in a tradition by Hazrat Ayesha ra that the Holy Prophet sa said, “Avert the legal penalties from the Muslims as much as possible. If he has a way out then leave him to his way, for if the Imam makes a mistake in forgiving, it would be better than making a mistake in punishment”. 49 This hadith further demonstrates that the teaching of Islam is to seek reformation and rehabilitation, not revenge. There is no place in Islam for holding a grudge. The bottom line is this: If a strict punishment is given to a serial rapist of children where his crime has been proven without a shadow of doubt, it would become a deterrent and save hundreds of lives in an entire generation. However, if a soft punishment is meted out to such a dreadful criminal, some others may be motivated to follow him and hundreds, if not thousands, of lives may be