Virtues of Forgiveness, Mercy, and Restraint in the Teachings of Jesus: Lessons from Hadith and Gospel Story

 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Jesus, seeing a man stealing, asked him, 'Did you steal?, He said, 'No, by Allah, besides Whom there is none who has the right to be worshipped' Jesus said, 'I believe in Allah and suspect my eyes."

رَأَى عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَجُلاً يَسْرِقُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَسَرَقْتَ قَالَ كَلاَّ وَاللَّهِ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ‏.‏ فَقَالَ عِيسَى آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَذَّبْتُ عَيْنِي 

Sahih al-Bukhari 3444

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3444

There is a story in the Christian Bible in the Gospel of John 8:1-11, where Jesus confronted a group of people who were about to stone a woman caught in adultery. Jesus said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." After the crowd had dispersed, Jesus said to the woman, "Go now and leave your life of sin."

This story emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and mercy in the teachings of Jesus. It provides a lesson about how we should respond to wrongdoing with compassion and understanding rather than judgment and punishment. 

 Jesus in the hadith did not immediately accuse the man of stealing, but instead, he suspected his own eyes and refrained from making a false accusation. This teaches us to be cautious and avoid jumping to conclusions without sufficient evidence, as well as the importance of honesty and integrity in our dealings with others. Overall, both stories emphasize the importance of forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and fairness in the teachings of Jesus.