There are several manners for overlooking the fault of another. One is often equal to condoning it, excusing it. While outwardly this may be done, the more a mystic may apparently defend such a wrong doer, the more inwardly he must pray for him or condemn him, otherwise he will be partaking of that fault himself and will have to answer for it.

Another view is the heart view, which, while not excusing the person, recognizes the limitation, and knows positively the difference between the real personality and that one acting or reacting under conditions more or less trying. The heart recognizes the conditions and endeavors to free that person from the subjugation by the conditions. This is the real nature of overlooking.

But one must be careful in this for it is not in committing the same act that one is partaking of it; it is defending another openly for such an act when one is not aware of all circumstances that one partakes of it. Likewise if one wrongly condemns another of a sin, that one himself is guilty of a sin. Both these views come from the domination of mind by nufs, of will by mind.

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