Name 14 of 99
الْغَفَّارُ
Al-Ghaffar – The Ever-Forgiving
- Transliteration
- Al-Ghaffar
- Meaning
- The Ever-Forgiving
- Arabic root
- غ ف ر
- Theme
- Forgiveness
Meaning of Al-Ghaffar
Al-Ghaffar is an intensive form meaning the One who forgives again and again. The root carries the idea of covering, so His forgiveness both pardons sins and covers them from exposure. However often a servant slips and returns sincerely, Al-Ghaffar forgives.
Al-Ghaffar in the Quran
Al-Ghaffar appears in the Quran as a name or description of Allah. Two of the verses where it occurs:
رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْغَفَّٰرُ
Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, the Mighty, the Pardoning.
وَإِنِّى لَغَفَّارٌۭ لِّمَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَٰلِحًۭا ثُمَّ ٱهْتَدَىٰ
And lo! verily I am Forgiving toward him who repenteth and believeth and doeth good, and afterward walketh aright.
Reflection
Repeated mistakes should lead to repeated repentance, never to despair.
Related names: forgiveness
Frequently asked questions
What does Al-Ghaffar mean?
Al-Ghaffar (الْغَفَّارُ) means "The Ever-Forgiving". Al-Ghaffar is an intensive form meaning the One who forgives again and again. The root carries the idea of covering, so His forgiveness both pardons sins and covers them from exposure. However often a servant slips and returns sincerely, Al-Ghaffar forgives.
Is Al-Ghaffar mentioned in the Quran?
Yes. Al-Ghaffar is mentioned as a name or description of Allah in Surah Sad 38:66 and Surah Taha 20:82.
The list of 99 names follows the order of the narration in Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3507, without the name “Allah”, and adds Al-Ahad from Sunan Ibn Majah 3861. The hadith that Allah has ninety-nine names is in Sahih al-Bukhari 2736 and Sahih Muslim 2677. Quran text: Tanzil (Uthmani); translation: Marmaduke Pickthall (1930, public domain).