Would You Not Like Allah to Forgive You?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Allah, Whose Majesty reigns supreme, loves to pardon people. Some of Allah’s beautiful Names are al-‘Afuww (the Pardoner), al-Ghafoor (the Most Forgiving) and 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).

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 our sins from our record as if we never committed them. When it comes to ‘afw, Allah Almighty says:

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ الْجَوَارِ فِي الْبَحْرِ كَالْأَعْلَامِ ﴿٣٢﴾ إِن يَشَأْ يُسْكِنِ الرِّيحَ فَيَظْلَلْنَ رَوَاكِدَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ ﴿٣٣﴾ أَوْ يُوبِقْهُنَّ بِمَا كَسَبُوا وَيَعْفُ عَن كَثِيرٍ ﴿٣٤

And of His signs are the ships in the sea, like mountains. (32) If He willed, He could still the wind, and they would remain motionless on its surface. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful. (33) Or He could destroy them for what they earned; but He pardons much. (34)

[Qur'an Ash-Shura 42:34]

There are many verses in Qur’an urging us to pardon and suppress anger, for Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, describes those who pardon and suppress their anger as good-doers.

Allah Almighty says,

وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿١٣٣﴾ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٣٤

And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous (133) Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good; (134)

[Qur'an, AleImran 3:134]

...وَأَن تَعْفُوا أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ وَلَا تَنسَوُا الْفَضْلَ بَيْنَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ ﴿٢٣٧

And to forego it is nearer to righteousness. And do not forget graciousness between you. Indeed Allah, of whatever you do, is Seeing. (237)

[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:237]

وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٢

And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (22)

[Qur'an, An-Nur 24:22]

All these glorious verses and others have descended in different occasions, all exhorting to pardon and forgive.

Pardon was even extended to the one who spread the slander about Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), whose name was Musatah bin Athathah bin ‘Abbâs bin ‘Abdul-Mutalib bin ‘Abd-Manaf.

After the uttered slander, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) deprived Musatah of what he used to donate as charity (by ties of kinship and for his poverty), but Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, revealed the above verse..."Let them pardon and forgive," upon which Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) resumed giving him money and pardoned him. All this shows us to what extent the believers are asked to pardon, and not to return evil for evil, as affirmed by the hadith narrated on the authority of Ubayy, who said:

“When Allah, the Exalted and Ever-Majestic, revealed to His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) the Qur’anic verse saying 'خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ (Take forgiveness (as your habit), enjoin virtue, and ignore the ignorant (i.e don't punish them),’ [Qur'an, Al-A'raf 7:199], the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘What is this, O Jibril?’ He answered, ‘Allah has ordered you to forgive those who have wronged you, and give those who have deprived you, and to keep good relations with those (relatives) who have severed the ties of kinship with you.’”

‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “I met the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), I was the first to greet, then I clasped his hand and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Tell me the best of deeds.’ He said, ‘O ‘Uqbah! Keep good relations with those (relatives) who have severed the ties of kinship with you, give those who have deprived you and turn away from those who have wronged you.’”

When the mother of the believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wassallam to teach her a supplication to say on Laylatul Qadr [the Night of Revelation] – that blessed night on which the believer is the closest he can be to Allah – he taught her to say:

اللهم انك عفو كريم تحب العفو فاعف عني

Allaahumma innaka ‘afuwwun kareemun tuhibbu al-‘afwa fa‘fu ‘anni

O Allah, You are Ever Pardoning and Generous and You love pardoning, so pardon me. [Tirmidhi]

According to another authentic narration the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam gave a different wording:

اللهم انك عفو تحب العفو فاعف عني

Allaahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbu al-‘afwa fa‘fu ‘anni

O Allah, You are Ever Pardoning and You love pardoning, so pardon me. [Ibn Maajah]

May Allah pardon us and make us enable to pardon others who have wronged us. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakum Allahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

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