Struggling with Forgiveness and Justice in This Life
Assalamu alaikum, someone seriously hurt me to the point where I tried to end my own pain with sleeping pills, alhamdulillah Allah saved me and I’m not going down that road again. I’m constantly repenting for my sins since Allah gave me this second chance, and I even make dua for this person to be forgiven in the hereafter. But honestly, I can’t stop myself from taking steps that might make them face what they did in this world. I don’t want to cause harm, yet part of me wishes they could feel the same hurt I’m going through. Is it wrong? Should I just forgive them? They haven’t apologized or shown any remorse-didn’t even check on me after I was in the hospital. My heart says to forgive so Allah may have mercy on me, but I also don’t want them to face eternal punishment. I’ve even prayed for them to experience the same level of suffering here as I am, because forgiving feels impossible with their coldness and lack of regret. Plus, if I try to forgive, how do I convince my parents to drop the legal case after they saw me nearly gone? I don’t want this person jailed, but that might happen, or they could face a big financial penalty that would really strain them. They might settle out of court, but I’m not sure they’d agree to terms that I think are fair without making them suffer more than I am. I’m really stuck and don’t know what to do. Any advice?