الْغَفَّارُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Ghaffaar
The Most Forgiving
Al-Ghaffaar is the Forgiver, the One who forgives the sins of His slaves time and time again. Its verse is 20:82, the promise to whoever repents, believes, does good and then holds to guidance, and it is mentioned 5 times in the Quran. Repentance stays on offer, al-Sa'di says, whatever sins a person has done.
Key verse
﴿وَإِنِّى لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا ثُمَّ ٱهْتَدَىٰ﴾But I am truly Most Forgiving to whoever repents, believes, and does good, then persists on ˹true˺ guidance.”
The scholar's text
The Forgiver, The One who forgives the sins of His slaves time and time again.
(وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَىٰ) طه 20: 82
(But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.) Taha 20:82
It is mentioned 5 times in the Holy Quran
الغفار، الذي يغفر ذنوب عباده مرة بعد مرة.
(وَإِنِّى لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا ثُمَّ ٱهْتَدَىٰ) طه 20: 82
ورد في القرآن الكريم 5 مرات.
Whoever Repents, Believes, and Does Good
Ibn Kathir reads 20:82 for every sin: whoever turns back to Allah from any sin, Allah turns to him, so that He even accepted the repentance of those of the Children of Israel who had worshipped the calf. Each word of the verse is a step. To repent is to come back from disbelief, shirk, hypocrisy or sin; to believe is with the heart; to do good is with the body. Then guidance, which Qatada explained as holding to Islam until death. Al-Sa'di lists why these four bring forgiveness: repentance wipes out what came before it, faith and Islam pull down what came before them, and good deeds remove bad ones.
Arabic: لمن تاب وآمن وعمل صالحا
قال ابن كثير في آية طه: «كل من تاب إلي تبت عليه من أي ذنب كان، حتى إنه تعالى تاب على من عبد العجل من بني إسرائيل». ثم فسر كلماتها: «رجع عما كان فيه من كفر أو شرك أو نفاق أو معصية. وقوله: (وآمن) أي: بقلبه (وعمل صالحا) أي: بجوارحه»، ونقل في الهداية: «وقال قتادة: (ثم اهتدى) أي: لزم الإسلام حتى يموت». وجمع السعدي أسباب المغفرة في هذه الأربعة: «فإن التوبة تجب ما قبلها، والإيمان والإسلام يهدم ما قبله، والعمل الصالح الذي هو الحسنات، يذهب السيئات».
The Almighty, Most Forgiving
﴿تَدْعُونَنِى لِأَكْفُرَ بِٱللَّهِ وَأُشْرِكَ بِهِۦ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ وَأَنَا۠ أَدْعُوكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْغَفَّـٰرِ﴾You invite me to disbelieve in Allah and associate with Him what I have no knowledge of, while I invite you to the Almighty, Most Forgiving.
In 38:66, 39:5 and 40:42, Al-Ghaffaar comes after the Almighty. Ibn Kathir reads the pair in a few words: He forgives, with all His might and greatness. On 38:66 al-Sa'di says the forgiveness covers every sin, small or great, for whoever turns to Him and gives it up. In 40:42 the believer among Pharaoh's people tells his people: you call me to disbelieve, and I call you to the Almighty, Most Forgiving. Al-Sa'di explains the Name there: people go too far against themselves and dare what angers Him, and then, when they repent and come back, He removes their sins and what those sins would have brought on them, in this world and the next.
Arabic: العزيز الغفار
في آيات ص والزمر وغافر يأتي الغفار بعد العزيز. قال ابن كثير في آية ص: «غفار مع عزته وعظمته»، وقال السعدي: «لجميع الذنوب، صغيرها، وكبيرها، لمن تاب إليه وأقلع منها». وقال مؤمن آل فرعون: ﴿تَدْعُونَنِى لِأَكْفُرَ بِٱللَّهِ وَأُشْرِكَ بِهِۦ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ وَأَنَا۠ أَدْعُوكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْغَفَّـٰرِ﴾، قال ابن كثير: «هو في عزته وكبريائه يغفر ذنب من تاب إليه»، وقال السعدي: «الذي يسرف العباد على أنفسهم ويتجرؤون على مساخطه ثم إذا تابوا وأنابوا إليه، كفر عنهم السيئات والذنوب، ودفع موجباتها من العقوبات الدنيوية والأخروية».
Seek Your Lord's Forgiveness
﴿فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًا﴾saying, ‘Seek your Lord’s forgiveness, ˹for˺ He is truly Most Forgiving.
Noah's call to his people in 71:10 to 12 joins the Name to a promise. Seek your Lord's forgiveness, for He is truly Most Forgiving, and He will send abundant rain, give you wealth and children, and give you gardens and rivers. Al-Sa'di says Noah drew them with forgiveness and its reward first, then with the good of this world: rain that keeps coming, enough to bring life to the land and to the people. Ibn Kathir reports that Umar ibn al-Khattab went up on the pulpit to pray for rain and did nothing but ask forgiveness, reciting verses on it, this one among them.
Arabic: استغفروا ربكم إنه كان غفارا
دعا نوح عليه السلام قومه: ﴿فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًا﴾ ﴿يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا﴾ ﴿وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَٰلٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَـٰرًا﴾، قال السعدي في الغفار: «كثير المغفرة لمن تاب واستغفر، فرغبهم بمغفرة الذنوب، وما يترتب عليها من حصول الثواب، واندفاع العقاب»، ثم قال: «ورغبهم أيضا، بخير الدنيا العاجل، فقال: يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا أي: مطرا متتابعا، يروي الشعاب والوهاد، ويحيي البلاد والعباد». وقال ابن كثير: «وهكذا روي عن أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطاب: أنه صعد المنبر ليستسقي، فلم يزد على الاستغفار، وقرأ الآيات في الاستغفار. ومنها هذه الآية».
Who Forgives Sins but Allah?
﴿وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾˹They are˺ those who, upon committing an evil deed or wronging themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins, and who forgives sins except Allah? and they do not knowingly persist in wrongdoing.
3:135 describes people who wrong themselves and then remember Allah and ask forgiveness, and in the middle it asks: who forgives sins except Allah? They hurry to repent, al-Sa'di says, asking Him to forgive their sins and cover their faults, while they give the sin up and regret it. Earlier in the same surah, 3:17 praises those who pray for forgiveness before dawn. Al-Sa'di says they see themselves as sinners who fall short, and they wait for the hour when prayers are answered, the last part of the night. Ibn Umar, Ibn Kathir reports, would pray at night and then ask Nafi' whether that hour had come; if it had, he turned to supplication and seeking forgiveness until morning.
Arabic: ومن يغفر الذنوب إلا الله
تقول آية آل عمران: ﴿وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾، قال السعدي: «بادروا إلى التوبة والاستغفار، وذكروا ربهم، وما توعد به العاصين ووعد به المتقين، فسألوه المغفرة لذنوبهم، والستر لعيوبهم، مع إقلاعهم عنها وندمهم عليها». وفي أول السورة: ﴿ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ وَٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ وَٱلْقَـٰنِتِينَ وَٱلْمُنفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِٱلْأَسْحَارِ﴾، قال السعدي: «بل يرون أنفسهم مذنبين مقصرين فيستغفرون ربهم، ويتوقعون أوقات الإجابة وهي السحر». وقال ابن كثير: «وكان عبد الله بن عمر يصلي من الليل، ثم يقول: يا نافع، هل جاء السحر؟ فإذا قال: نعم، أقبل على الدعاء والاستغفار حتى يصبح».
By Night and by Day
Time and time again is the phrase in the definition, and a hadith qudsi gives it in Allah's own words: “O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you” (Sahih Muslim 2577, narrated by Abu Dharr). Another goes further, to sins that reach the clouds: “O son of Adam! Were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky, then you sought forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you, and I would not mind” (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3540, narrated by Anas, graded sahih by al-Albani).
Arabic: إنكم تخطئون بالليل والنهار
ومرة بعد مرة كلمة التعريف، وفي الحديث القدسي: «يَا عِبَادِي إِنَّكُمْ تُخْطِئُونَ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَأَنَا أَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا فَاسْتَغْفِرُونِي أَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ» (صحيح مسلم 2577، عن أبي ذر). وفي حديث آخر: «يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُكَ عَنَانَ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ اسْتَغْفَرْتَنِي غَفَرْتُ لَكَ وَلاَ أُبَالِي» (جامع الترمذي 3540، عن أنس، وصححه الألباني).
From the Sunnah
O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you
يَا عِبَادِي إِنَّكُمْ تُخْطِئُونَ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَأَنَا أَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا فَاسْتَغْفِرُونِي أَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ
A du'a with this Name
ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
who pray, “Our Lord! We have believed, so forgive our sins and protect us from the torment of the Fire.”
The Quran, Al Imran 3:16: the prayer of the God-fearing, who ask for forgiveness through the faith Allah gave them, as al-Sa'di explains
Related Names
Questions about Al-Ghaffaar
What does Al-Ghaffaar mean?
Al-Ghaffaar is the Forgiver, forgiving again and again: He keeps forgiving what His slaves do.
How many times is Al-Ghaffaar in the Quran?
Al-Ghaffaar is mentioned 5 times in the Quran. Its verse is 20:82: Allah is Most Forgiving to the one who repents and believes, does good, then persists.
Why is Al-Ghaffaar paired with the Almighty?
Al-Ghaffaar follows the Almighty in 38:66, 39:5 and 40:42, and Ibn Kathir reads the pair as forgiveness that comes with all His might and greatness.
What does seeking forgiveness bring, according to Noah?
Seeking forgiveness from Al-Ghaffaar brings rain, wealth, children, gardens and rivers, Noah tells his people in 71:10 to 12; Umar, Ibn Kathir reports, prayed for rain by asking forgiveness alone.