الْغَفَّارُ
Al-Ghaffar: The Oft-forgiving
The One Who was and is known with the Attribute of Forgiveness. The One Who is described as having Forgiveness and Compassion. Everyone is in dire need of His forgiveness just as they are in dire need of His Mercy and Kindness. Allaah has promised forgiveness to the one who fulfils its conditions, He said,
"…and indeed I am All-Forgiving to him who repents, believes, does righteous deeds and then remains constant in doing them." (20:82)
"Whether you disclose a good deed, or conceal it, or pardon an evil... verily Allaah is the Forgiving, Most Merciful." (4:152)
God, the Exalted, said: “Declare (O Mohammad unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful”. (Al-Hijr: 49).
And, God, the Exalted, also said:
“I Said (to them): Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving”. (Nuh: 10).
The Linguistic Meaning:
Al-Ghufr: Concealment.
Allah, The Exalted, is Al-Ghafoor, Al-Ghaffarr: The concealer of His slaves’ sins, covers their sins so that none sees the sins except Him, and overlooking their flaws. He, the Exalted, forgives the slave’s sins time after time, forever, and whenever the slave repeats his repentance of the sin, the Lord repeats His Forgiveness. The difference in meaning is (Al-Ghafoor) is the One Who forgives the sins no matter how large they might be, and (Al-Ghaffarr) forgives the sins no matter how frequent they might be; therefore, (Al-Ghafoor) for the type of sins, and (Al-Ghaffarr) for the quantity of sins..
The Grandeur of Al-Ghafoor and Al-Ghaffarr
They indicate the Concealment of God, covering the ugly thing so as no one sees it, forgiving and overlooking; they are so Grand that no matter how great is the slave’s sin, if he repents it and asserts the Oneness (Monotheism) of God, God will forgive every sin, as it is said in the holy Hadeeth (Hadeeth Al-Qudsi): “ O son of Adam! If your sins reached the height of the sky and then you asked for My Forgiveness, I would forgive you, carelessly, O Son of Adam! If you come to Me, carrying sins the size of the earth, and then met Me, being not associating anything with Me (purely monotheist), I would come to meet you with equivalent size of forgiveness.”
This name occurs in 5 verses of 5 surahs.
وَإِنِّى لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَٰلِحًا ثُمَّ ٱهْتَدَىٰ ٨٢
But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.
And I am extremely forgiving and pardoning to one who repents to Me, does good deeds and is then firm on the truth.
رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفَّٰرُ ٦٦
Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver."
And He is the Lord of the heavens, the Lord of the earth and Lord of whatever is in between them. And He is Mighty in His kingdom, with nobody to overpower Him, and He is Forgiving of the sins of His servants who repent to Him”.
خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ يُكَوِّرُ ٱلَّيْلَ عَلَى ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ ٱلنَّهَارَ عَلَى ٱلَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِى لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى أَلَا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفَّٰرُ ٥
He created the heavens and earth in truth. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver.
He created the heavens and He created the earth with complete wisdom, not in vain as the unjust say. He enters the night into the day and the day into the night, so when one of them comes the other disappears. And He has made the sun and the moon subservient, each one orbits to a fixed time, which is the end of this life. Definitely, He is the Mighty who takes retribution from His enemies and nobody can overpower Him, Forgiving of the sins of His servants who repent.
تَدْعُونَنِى لِأَكْفُرَ بِٱللَّهِ وَأُشْرِكَ بِهِۦ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ وَأَنَا۠ أَدْعُوكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْغَفَّٰرِ ٤٢
You invite me to disbelieve in Allāh and associate with Him that of which I have no knowledge, and I invite you to the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver.
You are calling me to your falsehood in the hope that I disbelieve in Allah and worship alongside Him others, the truth of which I have no knowledge of, and I am calling you to have faith in Allah, the Mighty whom nobody can overpower, the Prevailing who has subdued everything.
