And that you pardon is nearer to godwariness. And forget not bounty among yourselves. Surely God sees what you do. Godwariness lies in pardon, and paradise lies in godwariness, just as He says: “The next world with thy Lord belongs to the godwary” [43:35]. The folk of realization have said that godwariness has a beginning and an end. The beginning is what He says: “And that you pardon is nearer to godwari- ness,” and the end is what He says: “And forget not bounty among yourselves.” Its beginning is that you recognize what is rightfully due to you from your brother, but then you pardon it and let it go. This is the way station of submission and the conduct of the worshipers. Its end is that you recognize what is rightfully due to him from you and you prefer him over yourself. As much as you see disloyalty and offense from him, you offer him your apology. This is the station of tawḤīd and the description of the state of the sincerely truthful. In its meaning they have sung, “When we are ill, we come to you and tend to you. When you sin, we come to you and apologize.” To this the Prophet alluded when he said, “Shall I point you to the best character trait of the folk of this world and the next? You join with him who cuts you off, pardon him who does you wrong, and bestow on him who deprives you.”
