A Teacher Not Forgiving His Student

Question

Zayd insulted his teacher, and the teacher was hurt at heart by these insolent words of his; but the boy is remorseful and ashamed of his mistake and insolence. Yet the teacher says: “I cannot forgive him now,” even though the boy repeatedly asks forgiveness for his mistake. What should the teacher do in such a situation, given that the teacher has already forgiven him three times before, and now [the boy] is asking forgiveness for a fourth time as well?

Answer

What noble character (makarim al-akhlaq) and compassion for the student require is precisely that the teacher forgive him; but if some measure of estrangement is fitting and beneficial as a form of discipline, there is no harm in that either.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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