Photo: Paul Oka

Names of Allah Series:  Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV | Part XXVI | Part XXVII | Part XXVIII | Part XXIX | Part XXX | Part XXXI | Part XXXII | Part XXXIII | Part XXXIV | Part XXXV | Part XXXVI |Part XXXVII | Part XXXVIII | Part XXXIX | Part XXXX | Part XXXXI | Part XXXXII | Part XXXXIII 

This article was originally posted on August 15, 2012 and has been modified.

Sometimes we make a mistake or commit a wrong that other people know about. We may have given up the sin, or it may have been a one-off, but we just wish that we could erase the memory of that mistake from the minds of those other people. Similarly, when we commit a sin only Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He), knows about, even when we repent and hope for His forgiveness, we wish we never committed the wrong to begin with. We wish it would just disappear. Allah (swt), who is closer to us than our jugular vein, knows this. And so He has given us way of starting anew, insha’Allah (God willing).

The Last Ten and Pardoning

Subhan’Allah (glory be to God)—the last 10 days of Ramadan have begun. One of these nights will be Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) insha’Allah—a time for intensified reflection, worship and giving. Aisha radi allahu `anha (may God be pleased with her), realizing the magnanimity of this time, asked the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him): “O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?” He said: “Say:

اللهم إنك عفوتحب العفو فاعف عني

Allahumma innaka `afuwwun, tuhib al-`afwa fa`fu `anny

O Allah, You are the One who pardons, and You love to pardon, so pardon me.” (Bukhari)

Out of all of the things the Prophet ﷺcould have advised, he taught us to ask for ‘afw. ‘Afw is sometimes translated as ‘forgiveness,’ but so is maghfira [i.e. when we say astgahfirullah, I seek forgiveness from God]. Unfortunately, there is something that is lost in translation, because ‘afw is more expansive than maghfira—and here we will see why.

Meaning

One of the meanings ‘afw is the complete removal of something—removing its traces. For example,

هذه أرضٌ عَفْو

“This is a land with no traces on it, i.e. it is untouched.”

So what does this have to do with the du’a (supplication), “O Allah you are ‘afw, and You love al-’afw, so have ‘afw on me”?

When we ask for maghfira, we are asking for Allah(swt) to cover up our sin for us and to protect us from the effects of our sin. We ask Allah (swt) that even though we committed that sin, that He not punish us for it. When we ask for ‘afw, we are asking Allah (swt) to completely erase the sin, such that its traces are also removed. This means that our slate is literally wiped clean—there will be no questioning for those sins on the Day of Judgment insha’Allah. 

The Prophet ﷺteaches us about this difference in two ahadeeth (narrations). In the first hadith, the Prophet ﷺtells us about a person who is questioned by Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgment. Allah tells His servant, “O my servant, do you remember when you did such and such a sin?” and the servant will lower his head in shame, nodding, thinking that surely he will be of the people punished. Then Allah (swt) tells him, “I concealed these sins from people in dunya (world), and I will not shame you here. I have forgiven you (ghafartu lak).” (Ahmad)

That is maghfira.

In the second hadith, the Prophet ﷺis told that 70,000 of his ummah (global community of Muslim believers) will enter jannah (paradise) without reckoning because:

عفا الله عنهم

“Allah has pardoned them.”

And then the Prophet ﷺasks for more, so with every thousand people of those pardoned, Allah will pardon 70,000 more. And Allah is Al-‘Afuww’- He name Himself this to let you know that indeed He is the One that completely erases your sin. He knows everything we do, yet He chooses to wipe our slate clean.

Laylat al-Qadr and ‘afw

Sufyan ath-Thawri said, “During this night [i.e. Laylat al-Qadr] the most beloved thing for me to ask for is what the Prophet ﷺtold us to ask for.”

This is a night of ambition. We don’t simply ask for forgiveness, but for removing even the traces of our sin. We ask for a clean slate. The Prophet ﷺtells us of a person who goes to the Eid prayer after Ramadan and he does not have one sin in his book—it was all pardoned.

When Allah (swt) tells us about ‘afw in the Qur’an, it is usually with something major—as if to tell us, there is no sin too great. It can all be wiped away.

When the Children of Israel worshipped the calf, Allah (swt) tells us:

“And [recall] when We made an appointment with Moses for forty nights. Then you took [for worship] the calf after him, while you were wrongdoers. Then We forgave [pardoned/‘afawna] you after that so perhaps you would be grateful.” (Qur’an 2:51-52)

Allah pardoned, wiped away the greatest sin—the sin of shirk (polytheism). So if you come to Allah (swt) sincerely in these last 10 nights, if you come to the One who loves to pardon, then insha’Allah He will erase that sin you are so worried about, and those many sins for you.

O Allah! You are the One who pardons, and You love to pardon, so pardon us!

—

Source: Lecture by Amr Khaled

Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘anni.

“O Allah, indeed You are the Pardoner, You love to Pardon, so Pardon me.” [Tirmidhi]

From all of the du`a’ of the Qur’an and Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ specified this du`a’ for the last 10 nights, showing us how profound it is.

One of Allah’s beautiful names, al-‘Afuww (the Pardoner), appears five times in the Qur’an; four times with al-Ghafoor (the Most Forgiving) and once with al-Qadeer (the Creator). Al-‘Afuww comes from the root ‘afw, which means to hide, obliterate, or remove something. This meaning connotes ‘pardoning’, which is when one looks over a another’s error and does not take them to account for it. Technically, it means Allah’s protection from trials and  sicknesses for the believers (i.e., aafiyah, safety, and well-being).

Difference between ‘Afuww and Ghafoor

On the Day of Judgment, we may find that many sins we committed are not in our record; this is ‘afw, which is when Allah completely removes your sins from your record as if you never committed them. When it comes to ‘afw, Allah (swt) says:

And He pardons much. (42:34)

Al-‘Afuww pardons His Servants by not calling them to account for their sins and erasing their sins from their records. Not only does Allah pardon and remove our sins, but He (swt) loves to Pardon, as is implied in the du`a’ above.

Imam Al-Qurtubi indicates that this quality also indicates Allah’s mercy and ease  on His creation.

Shaykh ibn Uthaymeen rahimahullah (may Allah have mercy on him) states, “Al Afuww’ is the One who has always been and always will be known for His Pardoning. He effaces the sins of His slaves, relinquishing the punishment of the deserving thereof.”

Al-Ghafoor comes from the root ghafar, which means to cover, conceal, and shield. When Allah (swt) forgives a sin, it means that He covers it and conceals it. Al-Ghafoor is the One who does not expose the sins of His Slaves. He shields and protects His Slaves from the consequences of their sins and still forgives even though He is All-Aware of the wrong they committed.

When it comes to Al-Ghafoor, He will forgive the sins but they will appear in your record. Allah (swt) says:

“Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgives anything else, to whom He pleases.” (4:48)

Al-Ghafoor is the One who forgives any sin regardless of the size as long as one seeks sincere repentance. Al-Ghafoor even forgives sins when we don’t seek repentance; it is out of His Mercy that when a Muslim does certain acts, these acts will automatically have some or all of their sins forgiven.

The sins that Allah did not erase will appear in our record, but al-Ghafoor can still forgive them. The Prophet ﷺ said, “There would come people amongst the Muslims on the Day of Resurrection with sins as heavy as a mountain, and Allah would forgive them.” [Muslim]

When al-‘Afuww and al-Ghafoor are paired together, it shows how Merciful and Compassionate Allah is. He Pardons much, and for those sins He does not Pardon, He will forgive and conceal if He Wills.

Relation between al-Afuww and al-Qadeer

Al-Qadeer means the One Who has perfect, complete Power and Ability. Why would Allah mention He is the All-Capable and pair it with the All-Forgiving?

When you think about the act of pardoning, it becomes more difficult each time. Pardoning someone once may be easy, but after a few times, we will become annoyed and frustrated. It is the nature of humans that we are revengeful and want to have the upper hand. Rather, and Allah is the Highest Example, it is the One who is All Capable, The Perfect One, Compassionate, Loving, and Merciful who can constantly and consistently pardon. He does not want His Slaves to enter the Hell-Fire, and His Mercy encompasses all things. This is why al-Afuww and al-Qadeer are paired; it is only al-Qadeer who is able to pardon over and over again and can love doing so.

Why do we make this du`a’ during the last 10 nights? The scholars say that if this du`a’ is answered, we will insha’Allah (if Allah wills) come on the Day of Judgment with our sins completely erased from our records. Ramadan is the month of mercy and forgiveness, so how successful will we be if we not only have our sins forgiven but also have them completely erased!

Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘anni.

“O Allah, indeed You are the Pardoner, You love to Pardon, so Pardon me.” [Tirmidhi]