I Hurt a Relative Through a Prank and Need Islamic Advice
Assalamu Alaikum,
I did something very thoughtless and need guidance.
I privately pranked a close relative by telling him that he owed a large amount of money in back taxes to a foreign government, even though he is not a citizen of that country. He became extremely frightened and panicked. Out of fear and anger, he made a supplication against me, saying that he would not forgive me and would claim his right against me before Allah on the Day of Judgment.
I immediately realized that I had made a serious mistake. I felt terrible for disturbing his peace of mind, so I went to him, admitted everything honestly, and gave him a sincere apology. I took full responsibility for the distress I caused.
However, I am still confused because I had given him some clear hints that the message was fake. Also**, some other relatives had encouraged me to do the prank in the first place. But after things went badly, they completely changed their position and started blaming me**, saying that I had done something very wrong and that the relative I pranked had serious personal issues.
What hurts me is that they never warned me about those issues beforehand. They knew things about him that I did not know, but they kept that information from me. If I had known about his condition or how badly this could affect him, I honestly would never have done it. I was not trying to harm him or cause serious fear. I wrongly thought it would be a short joke, but I now understand that my judgment was poor and that the impact was much more serious than I expected.
I understand that I am responsible for my own actions, and I am not trying to escape blame**. I am young and immature, and I often fail to understand the limits of a joke**. At the time, I did not realize how serious the matter could become or how badly it could affect him emotionally.
At the same time, I also feel hurt and betrayed because the same people who encouraged the prank later turned against me and began criticizing me harshly. I am not saying this to avoid responsibility, but it has added to my confusion and distress.
I want to know what I should do now Islamically and morally to make things right, especially since I have already apologized sincerely but he is still deeply hurt.
TL;DR:
I pranked a close relative with a fake tax related message, and he panicked badly. He made a supplication against me and said he would not forgive me. I apologized sincerely and admitted everything. Other relatives encouraged the prank but later turned against me and blamed me, saying he had serious personal issues, even though they never warned me beforehand. If I had known, I would never have done it. I accept responsibility and want to know how to make things right Islamically and morally.