About
the Meaning
Allah
calls Himself Al-Ghaffaar— The All-and-Oft-Forgiving— five
times in the Quran. However from the same root comes the name Al-Ghafour, which
occurs more often. The names Al-Ghafour, Al-Ghaffaar and Al-Ghaafir all
denote forgiving or protecting.
Al-Ghaffaar has
the root ghaa- faa-raa, which has the following three main
meanings: 1). to cover, veil, conceal, and hide; 2). to pardon, forgive
and set aright; and 3). to cover a thing and to protect it from dirt.
Al-Ghaffaar is
the One Who forgives our sins, veils our shortcomings, and protects us from the
effects of our mistakes in this life and the next so we can go on without shame
or guilt.
Ghaffaar (غفّار)
is a hyperbolized noun, which points out that while we sometimes forgive and we
sometimes forget, Allah (swt) forgives and forgives and forgives. He is the
Oft-Forgiving. He, Al-Ghaffaar, forgives all kinds of sins
everywhere and at all times. He is the All-Forgiving.
Al-Ghaffaar is
the One Who forgives our sins and even turns them into good deeds as long as we
turn back to Him with full devotion and repent to Him sincerely.
A
Beautiful Ayah to Ponder
Allah Al-Ghaffaar gives
us a message of beautiful hope: “وانيلغفارلمنتابوءامنوعملصالحاثماهتدى”
And indeed, I am the perpetual forgiver to whoever repented, had faith, and performed a righteous deed. Then he is guided.[Quran, 20:82]
And indeed, I am the perpetual forgiver to whoever repented, had faith, and performed a righteous deed. Then he is guided.[Quran, 20:82]
After
mentioning His beautiful name Al-Ghaffaar, Allah reveals to us
what is expected from us: we must repent, believe, and do good deeds. Then, to
be guided is better than the whole world and everything in it.
How
Can You Live by This Name?
1.
Call upon Al-Ghaffaar.
Do this when you do wrong to others or even yourself and never give up asking Him to forgive you. Never stop turning to Al-Ghaffaar and never despair of His mercy and forgiveness, no matter how often you’ve sinned and no matter how big your sins are.
2.
Don’t hunt for other people’s mistakes.
As a true believer, always highlight the good of others and cover their faults. Never hunt for others’ mistakes!
3.
Follow up a bad deed with a good one.
Al-Ghaffaar tells us: Except for those who repent, believe, and work righteous deeds. For those, Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds, and Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Quran, 25 : 70] What often happens is that we sin and feel bad about it but remain passive. Never let a major sin go without repentance. Then Al-Ghaffaar will transform your evil deeds into good deeds. What a blessing!
4.
Practice forgiveness in your daily life.
We hold too many grudges. We have too much ill-feeling towards others, whether they’re family or not. Try to cleanse your heart from these and try to go to sleep without them. Think of Al-Ghaffaar and be inspired to forgive more.
Wallahu
ta’alaa ‘alem.
O
Allah, Al-Ghaffaar, forgive our sins, the first one, the last
one, the hidden and apparent, conceal our shortcomings in this
life and on the Day of Judgement, protect us from the effects of
our sins and aid us to be forgiving to others, ameen!
