Name 34 of 99
الْغَفُورُ
Al-Ghafur – The All-Forgiving
- Transliteration
- Al-Ghafur
- Meaning
- The All-Forgiving
- Arabic root
- غ ف ر
- Theme
- Forgiveness
Meaning of Al-Ghafur
Al-Ghafur emphasises the greatness and completeness of Allah's forgiveness, while Al-Ghaffar emphasises its repetition. In Surah az-Zumar Allah tells those who have wronged themselves not to despair of His mercy, for He forgives all sins for those who repent.
Al-Ghafur in the Quran
Al-Ghafur appears in the Quran as a name or description of Allah. Two of the verses where it occurs:
۞ قُلْ يَٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Say: O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ
And He is the Forgiving, the Loving,
Reflection
No sin is greater than Allah's forgiveness when a person sincerely repents.
Related names: forgiveness
Frequently asked questions
What does Al-Ghafur mean?
Al-Ghafur (الْغَفُورُ) means "The All-Forgiving". Al-Ghafur emphasises the greatness and completeness of Allah's forgiveness, while Al-Ghaffar emphasises its repetition. In Surah az-Zumar Allah tells those who have wronged themselves not to despair of His mercy, for He forgives all sins for those who repent.
Is Al-Ghafur mentioned in the Quran?
Yes. Al-Ghafur is mentioned as a name or description of Allah in Surah Az-Zumar 39:53 and Surah Al-Buruj 85:14.
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).