---
title: "THE TRUTH MUST ALSO HAVE MERCY"
slug: the-truth-must-also-have-mercy
kicker: "PART TWELVE"
---

There is something else we must understand.

Humanity is imperfect.

People make mistakes.

People lie.

People repent.

People change.

And sometimes people who have done wrong become extraordinary examples of transformation.

The Institute of Truth must recognize that possibility.

**A PERSON IS MORE THAN THE WORST MOMENT OF THEIR LIFE.**

A person who has lied can begin telling the truth.

A person who has harmed others can acknowledge wrongdoing and seek to repair it.

A person who has spread misinformation can correct the record.

A person who has failed can learn.

And a person who has lost their way can return.

Allah says:

**قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ**

**“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah.’”**

**— Qur'an 39:53**

This is essential.

**THE INSTITUTE OF TRUTH MUST NOT BECOME AN INSTITUTE OF DESPAIR.**

It must be an institution where accountability and mercy can coexist.

Where correction is possible.

Where repentance is respected.

Where the record can document improvement.

Where people are encouraged to become better rather than permanently condemned.

**WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS.**

And being human means that we can fail.

But it also means that we can learn.

**THE TRUTH MUST BE DEFENDED WITHOUT FORGETTING HUMANITY.**