A Comparative Analysis of Interpersonal Forgiveness in Islamic Teachings and Psychological Texts

As a psychological construct and moral virtue, forgiveness, has been the subject of speculation and inquiry in the West for a time due to its positive advantages to individuals and families. Religious beliefs are regarded as the source of forgiveness. Islam takes special care of the different dimensions of this construct. The present paper studies forgiveness in the light of Islam and psychological literature, using a descriptive- analytical method. Moreover, it seeks to provide a theoretical model approach to forgiveness in Islam by comparing between the attitude of each of Islam and psychology toward it. The results show that according to the religious teachings in Islam forgiveness is multidimensional with regard to the requirements of time and place, and the levels of forgiveness differ according to the different levels of individuals’ faith and piety. Furthermore, taking into account the scope of an offence, the offender's motive and the outcome of forgiveness can either be blameworthy or praiseworthy. Studying the dimensions and levels of forgiveness according to the religious teachings in Islam and providing a theoretical model for it can prepare the ground for applying and testing it through experimental studies in an Iranian-Islamic framework.