Al-Ghaffar
Allah is Al-Ghafaar and Al-Ghafoor. He sees ours sins and disobedience, yet he will still forgive and accept repentance of all those who turn to Him. He shows never ending compassion and forgives any sin, small or big, of his worshipers.
From the root gh-f-r which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to cover, veil, conceal, hide to pardon, to forgive, to set aright, to cover a thing to protect it from dirt.
But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance. (Quran 20:82)
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. (Quran 39:5)
You invite me to disbelieve in Allah and associate with Him that of which I have no knowledge, and I invite you to the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver. (Quran 40:42)
And said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. (Quran 71:10)
Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver. (Quran 38:66)
And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. And when the earthquake seized them, he said, “My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before and me [as well]. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is not but Your trial by which You send astray whom You will and guide whom You will. You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us;
and You are the best of forgivers. (7:155)
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Name: |
Al-Ghaffar |
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Ar-Ghaffar in Arabic: |
الْغَفَّارُ |
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Arabic root: |
(غ ف ر) |
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Ar-Ghaffar meaning in English: |
The Great Forgiver, The Forgiver, The Ever-Forgiving, The Most-Forgiving. |
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Ar-Ghaffar meaning in Urdu: |
بڑا بخشنے والا |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
5 times |
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Tasbeeh: |
Recite Ar-Ghaffar 200 times after Fajr prayers, then blow on a bottle of water and give it to a patient for three days. Insha’Allah the patient will recover. |
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Asma ul Husna with similar meaning: |
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The name ‘Al-Ghaffar’ also refers to Allah’s love of forgiveness. Allah loves to forgive His creation, especially when they seek forgiveness through Astaghfar and repentance.
In a Hadith-e-Qudsi, we learn the extent of Allah’s سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ forgiveness through His words:
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Allah, the Exalted, has said: 'O son of Adam, I forgive you as long as you pray to Me and hope for My forgiveness, whatever sins you have committed. O son of Adam, I do not care if your sins reach the height of the heavens, then you ask for my forgiveness. I will forgive you. O son of Adam, if you come to Me with an earth load of sins and meet Me associating nothing to Me, I would match it with an earth load of forgiveness."' (Riyad as-Salihin 442)
From the connotations of this Name, we should derive that the door of repentance and taubah is always open during our lives. It is never too late to ask for forgiveness from Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ, even if our sins are piled up to the heavens.
The only conditions for attaining this forgiveness are:
As Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ says in the Hadith above, these conditions will hopefully ensure that a servant of Allah gets the forgiveness they are praying for.
From this Hadith and the name ‘Al-Ghaffar,’ we should also understand that no sin, no wrongdoing is too large to forgive for Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ. Even thinking so is an insult to this attribute of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ. After all, the sins of a person will harm himself. He might not even be able to forgive himself, but he should always have faith that Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ will forgive him. This concept is further emphasized in the Quran:
۞قُلۡ يَٰعِبَادِيَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسۡرَفُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُواْ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًاۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
English Translation:
"Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'" — (Qur'an 39:53)
It is human to err, which is why we need the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ throughout our lives. It’s very difficult to stop ourselves from sinning and going astray all the time.
With the internet at our fingertips, sin's chances have increased. We may post something hurtful to others, see objectionable images, get jealous of someone else’s success, and so on. With these wrongdoings piling up, our bodies and minds remain tense and unsatisfied. With the attribute ‘Al-Ghaffar,’ though, Muslims should realize how their Lord is ready and willing to forgive them at any moment.
We can use this name as an invocation in our daily prayers and duas. It can also be a part of our daily adhkaar or remembrance of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ. For extra blessings, we can recite some tasbihs of the name ‘Al-Ghaffar’--frequent recitation will hopefully lead to the forgiveness of a person’s sins.
While there is no fixed number of repetitions for reciting this name, there is a certain wazifa attached to ‘Al-Ghaffar.’ Since this name is mentioned in the Quran 5 times, we might make it a routine of reciting it after each of the 5 daily prayers.
The wazifa of this name might include the following actions:
We may incorporate the name ‘Al-Ghaffar’ into our daily conversations and actions. Parents or teachers may start by telling their children or students that Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ is the All-Forgiving. Additionally, this name tells us that Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ also covers up our sins and hides them from other people.
In the same way, we should also take care to conceal the sins of our fellow humans. This includes avoiding back-biting, telling tales, and criticizing others for their shortcomings. It also means not looking for imperfections or issues in another person.
It is permissible to have the name ‘Ghaffar’ or ‘Abdul Ghaffar’ as a child's name. This connection will hopefully cultivate the attribute of being forgiving and merciful in the child.
The name ‘Al-Ghaffar’ comes from the roots (غ ف ر). These toots have the Arabic connotations of covering, hiding, concealing, forgiving, or protecting a certain thing. ‘Al-Ghaffur’ and ‘Al-Ghafir’ also have the same Arabic roots and connotations. All three names refer to Allah’s سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ attribute of being All-Forgiving.
There are also specific names with similar meanings mentioned in the Quran. These are sometimes paired with the leading names for Forgiveness and include the following:
Here are some more Quranic verses on ‘Al-Ghaffar’:
فَقُلۡتُ ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارٗا
English Translation:
"And said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver." — (Qur'an 71:10)
رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَا ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفَّـٰرُ
English Translation:
"Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver." — (Qur'an 38:66)
خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِٱلۡحَقِّۖ يُكَوِّرُ ٱلَّيۡلَ عَلَى ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ ٱلنَّهَارَ عَلَى ٱلَّيۡلِۖ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلۡقَمَرَۖ كُلّٞ يَجۡرِي لِأَجَلٖ مُّسَمًّىۗ أَلَا هُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفَّـٰرُ
English Translation:
"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." — (Qur'an 39:5)
تَدۡعُونَنِي لِأَكۡفُرَ بِٱللَّهِ وَأُشۡرِكَ بِهِۦ مَا لَيۡسَ لِي بِهِۦ عِلۡمٞ وَأَنَا۠ أَدۡعُوكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلۡغَفَّـٰرِ
English Translation:
"You invite me to disbelieve in Allah and associate with Him that of which I have no knowledge, and I invite you to the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver." — (Qur'an 40:42)
Another Hadith also refers to Al-Ghaffar as an attribute of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ:
Abu Huraira reported Allah's سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: The servant (who conceals) the faults of others in this world, Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ would conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection. [Sahih Muslim 2590b & Sahih (Al-Albani) Sunan Abi Dawud 4893]