the other party who has prevailed over him. But in reconciliation, hearts are put at ease and find rest. Even so, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, indicated that there may be an impediment and an obstacle to it, saying: “Yet souls are prone to selfishness” [al-Nisa’ 4:128]. That is, when people speak to a couple in dispute and seek reconciliation between them, one’s own soul is reluctant to let any of one’s rights be diminished, whatever the circumstances. Yet, in all cases, a person of sound judgment overcomes his own inclinations.

In Allah’s saying, “And strike them. But if they obey you, do not seek a way against them. Indeed, Allah is Most High, Most Great,” there are profound directives from the Lord, Mighty and Majestic. That is, He did not say: If they obey you and return to what is right, then remind them of what has passed, saying: You did such-and-such, and such-and-such; or, I said such-and-such; and the like—things that revive past incidents. Rather, He said: “Do not seek a way against them,” meaning: leave all that has passed behind; do not keep it in your minds at all. This is wisdom, for a person’s recalling past matters of this kind only increases estrangement and hardship: “Do not seek a way against them. Indeed, Allah is Most High, Most Great” [al-Nisa’ 4:34].