Al-Ghafur
Allah is Al-Ghafoor, He is The One who completely forgives our sins and faults. His forgiveness is unlimited, and He is all compassionate. He is most high; His forgiveness extends to all who turn to him in humility and seek repentance.
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.
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Quran 2:173)
So, consume what you have taken of war booty [as being] lawful and good, and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Quran 8:69)
Then, indeed your Lord, to those who emigrated after they had been compelled [to renounce their religion] and thereafter fought [for the cause of Allah] and were patient – indeed, your Lord, after that, is Forgiving and Merciful (Quran 16:110)
As accommodation from a [Lord who is] Forgiving and Merciful.” (Quran 41:32)
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Name: |
Al-Ghafur |
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Al-Ghafur in Arabic: |
ٱلْغَفُورُ |
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Arabic root: |
(غ ف ر) |
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Al-Ghafur meaning in English: |
The All-Forgiving, The Oft-Forgiving |
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Al-Ghafur meaning in Urdu: |
بہت بخشنے والا |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
91 times |
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Tasbeeh: |
100 times |
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Asma-ul-Husna with similar meaning: |
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Among the 99 beautiful names of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is Al-Ghafur, which means the One who Entirely Forgives all sins and misdeeds. Al-Ghafur emphasizes Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) Unlimited Forgiveness and reiterates His Infinite Compassion for all His creatures who humbly and truthfully turn to him for repentance.
Al-Ghafur is derived from the Arabic root ghayn-fa-ra (غ ف ر), which has classical connotations to conceal, veil, cover, veil, hide, pardon, forgive, set right, and protect something from dirt. It comes in the Holy Quran:
نَبِّئۡ عِبَادِيٓ أَنِّيٓ أَنَا ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
[O Muhammad], inform My servants that it is I who am the Forgiving, the Merciful. (Quran 15:49)
There is another attribute of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) with the same connotations as Al-Ghafur. i.e. Al- Al-Ghaffar. While Al-Ghaffar glorifies Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) nature of being the Forgiver, Al-Ghaffar and Al-Ghafur highlight this attribute more glamorously, i.e., Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is the Great Forgiver and the All-Forgiving. These names occur together 98 times in the Holy Quran and Al-Ghafur occurs 91 times separately. Al-Ghafur also occurs in the Holy Quran with Ar-Rahim, another attribute of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) meaning The Most Merciful:
نُزُلٗا مِّنۡ غَفُورٖ رَّحِيمٖ
As accommodation from a [Lord who is] Forgiving and Merciful.
Allah’s attribute of infinite forgiveness has also been mentioned by the Prophet (ﷺ). It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Huraira (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) that Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) Messenger (ﷺ) said:
“If somebody commits a sin and then says, 'O my Lord! I have sinned, please forgive me!' and his Lord says, 'My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for it, I therefore have forgiven my slave (his sins).' Then he remains without committing any sin for a while and then again commits another sin and says, 'O my Lord, I have committed another sin, please forgive me,' and Allah says, 'My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for it, I therefore have forgiven my slave (his sin). Then he remains without committing any other sin for a while and then commits another sin (for the third time) and says, 'O my Lord, I have committed another sin, please forgive me,' and Allah says, 'My slave has known that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for it I therefore have forgiven My slave (his sin), he can do whatever he likes.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 7507)
The concept of Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) forgiveness as Al-Ghafur can be understood by this analogy. Whenever we commit a sin, we create cracks in our physical and spiritual being that expose us. If we turn to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) with a true heart and seek forgiveness, we are asking Him to have mercy on us and repair or conceal the cracks exposing us to public scrutiny. Hence, only Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is Al-Ghafur, the Oft-Forgiving, whom we turn to for forgiveness of all our small and big sins, and He is the only One capable of forgiving us every time and repairing our cracks.
Al-Ghafur teaches us the importance of مَّغْفِرَةٌ (maghfirah), i.e., seeking the forgiveness of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Remembering this attribute of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) reminds us that our Lord is Oft-Forgiving Lord and even if we make mistakes repeatedly, we will not be doomed and always have a chance to turn towards Him for guidance and mercy.
Moreover, recalling Al-Ghafur inspires us to be forgiving and give each other many chances to repent after committing wrongdoing. It also guides us to help uplift others when they are feeling low or lost and to hide each other’s faults rather than exposing them to the public.
Reciting this name regularly helps relieve fever, headache, and depression. Moreover, reciting this name 100 times at the time of Friday Salah invites Allah’s unlimited Mercy and Forgiveness on the reciter.
Naming children, Al-Ghafur will instill feelings of mercy and forgiveness in their hearts. They will be impartial in judgment and will pardon people’s wrongdoings.
Other names of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) that have a similar meaning or connection to Al-Ghafur are as follows:
Ar-Raheem – The Bestower of Mercy
Al-Mueed – The Restorer
Al-Afuww – The Supreme Pardoner
Although they share the same Arabic root and convey the idea of forgiveness, Al-Ghaffar and Al-Ghafur are not synonymous linguistically. While Al-Ghaffar describes Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) ability and will to Forgive wholly, it does not mention the people, circumstance, or degree of sin. Al-Ghafur, on the other hand, refers to Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) vast, infinite, and repeated nature of forgiving along with His ability to conceal our faults from the public.
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱلۡمَيۡتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحۡمَ ٱلۡخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيۡرِ ٱللَّهِۖ فَمَنِ ٱضۡطُرَّ غَيۡرَ بَاغٖ وَلَا عَادٖ فَلَآ إِثۡمَ عَلَيۡهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٌ
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Quran 2:173)
Hazrat Abu Hurairah reported the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) as saying:
“The servant (whose fault) Allah conceals in this world, Allah would also conceal (his faults) on the Day of Resurrection.” (Sahih Muslim 2590a).
“The servant (who conceals) the faults of others in this world, Allah would conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection.” (Sahih Muslim 2590b.