You might have been hurt by someone close—a friend, colleague, or subordinate—without them ever intending harm? I teach leadership, and from my own experience, I’ve come to understand that a leader needs a big heart. A leader must learn to overlook people’s mistakes, and show compassion. If a leader isn’t kind, his followers drift away, leaving him alone in the end. Gentleness is a quality that Allah describes as part of His mercy. People make mistakes—so what should you do when it happens? You might have been hurt by someone close—a friend, colleague, or subordinate—without them ever intending harm. But their mistake still caused you loss or pain, so you feel disappointed and upset that they didn’t meet your expectations. I’ve been reflecting on this ayah for a while. It takes place after the Battle of Uhud, where the Prophet ﷺ was himself wounded, and great companions like Ḥaḍrat Ḥamzah (ra) and Ḥaḍrat Muṣʿab bin ʿUmayr (ra) were martyred. In a small community, losing seventy people brought tremendous grief. There were his companions, who shared the burden of responsibility of disobeying him... In that situation, Allah addresses His Beloved ﷺ: > فَبِمَا رَحۡمَۃٍ مِّنَ اللّٰہِ لِنۡتَ لَہُمۡ ۚ So by mercy from Allah, You are lenient with them.) وَ لَوۡ کُنۡتَ فَظًّا غَلِیۡظَ الۡقَلۡبِ لَانۡفَضُّوۡا مِنۡ حَوۡلِکَ ۪ And if you had been rude and harsh in heart, they would have left you.) فَاعۡفُ عَنۡہُمۡ So pardon them… وَ اسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَہُمۡ And pray for their forgiveness… وَ شَاوِرۡہُمۡ فِی الۡاَمۡرِ ۚ And consult them in the matter… فَاِذَا عَزَمۡتَ فَتَوَکَّلۡ عَلَی اللّٰہِ ؕ Then when you have decided, put your trust in Allah… اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یُحِبُّ الۡمُتَوَکِّلِیۡنَ Surely, Allah loves those who trust Him. (Āl ʿImrān 159) It’s not easy to forgive a serious mistake. But Allah, through His Prophet ﷺ, teaches us the power of forgiveness. Have you ever tried asking Allah to pray for someone, who wronged you? Even just doing that means clearing out your own heart. Maybe you can’t love them, but at least you can feel some sympathy—and that’s often hard enough. Then, after forgiving, include them in your consultations. We tend to push people away just because they have a different opinion. There’s even a term in organizational psychology called “ostracization,” describing how people isolate members of their own group after a mistake. Think about it. Reflect on it. What example is the Prophet ﷺ setting for us? #irfān Muḥammad Yaḥya Noori