Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings to our Master Muhammad, the Faithful and the Honest. O Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us, You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge. O Allah, show us the righteous things as righteous and help us do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of It, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous servants.
Allah's Beautiful Name: Al Ghaffar:
Dear believing brothers, today we are discussing the ninth of Allah's Most Beautiful Names, Al-Ghaffar, which is mentioned in the Noble Quran under three forms, first of which is "Ghafir". Allah the All-Mighty says:
﴾ (The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Bestower (of favours), La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), to Him is the final return.) ﴿
The second form is "Al-Ghafour", as in the following Ayaat:
﴾ (And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of Mercy. Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened their punishment. But they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape.) ﴿
﴾ (And He is Oft-Forgiving, full of love (towards the pious who are real true believers of Islamic Monotheism),) ﴿
﴾ (Declare (O Muhammad PBUH) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.) ﴿
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) ﴿
These are some of the Ayaat in which we read Allah's Beautiful Name "Al-Ghafour".
The third form of this Divine Name is "Al-Ghaffar" as in Allah's Words:
﴾ (And verily, I am indeed Forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them, (till his death).) ﴿
It is also mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾ ("I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving* 'He will send rain to you in abundance* 'And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.' ") ﴿
In short, "Ghafir", "Ghafour" and "Ghaffar" are all used to the same purpose in the Noble Quran, for they are derived from the same root, "Al-Maghfirah" (i.e. Forgiveness). Some scholars said, "A person who disobeys Allah the All-Mighty, is described in the Noble Quran as being "Dhalim", "Dhaloum" or "Dhallam". For example, Allah, Most Gracious, says:
﴾ (You (O Muhammad PBUH) are only a warner (i.e. your duty is to convey Allah's Message to mankind but the guidance is in Allah's Hand).) ﴿
Here is another example from the Quran:
﴾ (Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah's Torment). But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results). ﴿
A third example is Allah's Words:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) ﴿
Hence, Al-Musrif (the transgressor against himself, as in the above Ayaat), means "Dhallam" (i.e. someone who does a lot of injustice to himself, or he wrongs himself). If man is "Dhalim" (i.e. a wrong-doer), Allah, Most Gracious, is "Ghafir" (i.e. the Forgiver); if man is "Dhaloum" (i.e. does a lot of injustice to himself), Allah, glory be to Him, is "Ghafour" (i.e. the All-Forgiving); and if man is "Dhallam" (frequently does wrong to himself), Allah, Most Merciful, is "Ghaffar" (i.e. the Oft-Forgiving). In other words, the way man commits sins or does wrong to himself determines the Way in which Allah, Most Gracious, responds and forgives such sins or wrong-doings.
The delicate point in this context is that man's sins and wrong-doings are by no means infinite, but Allah's Divine Forgiveness is really Infinite. Therefore, only those who disbelieve in Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, despair of His Infinite Divine Forgiveness! Only those who are ignorant despair of Allah's Infinite Divine Mercy! Only those who are ungrateful despair of Allah's Infinite Divine Grace!
If your sin is finite but Allah's Divine Forgiveness is Infinite, then it is most unwise, most ignorant, and most ungrateful to despair of Allah's Infinite Divine Mercy. Therefore, a desperate person is an ignorant ungrateful disbeliever.
One more delicate point with regards to this Divine Name "Al-Ghaffar" is that the Ayaat in which this Name is mentioned include verbs in the past form, as in Allah's Words:
﴾ ([Dawud (David)] said (immediately without listening to the opponent): "He has wronged you in demanding your ewe in addition to his ewes. And, verily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and they are few." And Dawud (David) guessed that We have tried him and he sought Forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down prostrate and turned (to Allah) in repentance* So We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to Us, and a good place of (final) return (Paradise).) ﴿
They also include verbs in the present form, as in Allah's following Words:
﴾ (Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.) ﴿
Here is another example:
﴾ (And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins; - and none can forgive sins but Allah - And do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know.) ﴿
They also come in the imperative form, as in Allah's Words in this Ayah:
﴾ ("Our Lord! Verily, we have heard the call of one (Muhammad PBUH) calling to Faith: 'Believe in your Lord, 'and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and remit from us our evil deeds, and make us die in the state of righteousness along with Al-Abrar (those who are obedient to Allah and follow strictly His Orders).) ﴿
They come as verbs in the root form too, as in Allah's following Words:
﴾ (The Messenger (Muhammad PBUH) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. They say, "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers" – and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all)." ﴿
Here is another example:
﴾ (They ask you to hasten the evil before the good, yet (many) exemplary punishments have indeed occurred before them. But verily, your Lord is full of Forgiveness for mankind inspite of their wrong-doing. And verily, your Lord is (also) Severe in punishment.) ﴿
This means that Allah, Most Gracious, forgives you your previous, present and future sins, for He is the Oft-Forgiving. Whenever you commit sins, He is Oft-Forgiving. Besides, He, Most Gracious, forgives all kinds of sins. In other words, for any sin or misdeed, He is the All-Forgiving. If you wrong yourself or others, He forgives you, but of course, after you have turn to Him with true repentance and sincere devotion.
I repeat, He, Most Merciful, forgives all kinds of sins everywhere and at all times, for He, glory be to Him, is the Oft-and-All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. In fact, I say such words so that the believing brothers may not despair of Allah's Infinite Divine Mercy, for only ignorant desperate disbelievers despair of Allah's Infinite Divine Mercy.
Now the question is, dear noble brothers, why does this Divine Name come in such different forms? This is a very reasonable question. The answer is that linguistically speaking, such variation of word-forms of Allah's Beautiful Name "Al-Ghaffar" denotes differences in both quantity, quality and frequency of occurrence, for Allah is Ghaffar in the sense that He is both Oft-Forgiving and All-Forgiving. In other words, whatever sins mankind commit, regardless of quality or quantity of such sins, or time or place of their occurrence, Allah forgives such sins, except for one unforgivable sin, namely associating other gods with Him in worship, which is by no means forgivable.
Pay attention to this Ayah, please:
﴾ (…and your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves.) ﴿
The Ayah indicates that Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, forgives mankind for their sins. The Ayah is as follows:
﴾ (Whosoever does righteous good deed it is for (the benefit of) his ownself, and whosoever does evil, it is against his ownself, and your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves.) ﴿
This refers to the fact that Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, never does injustice to any of His slaves, all of whom enjoy being under His Infinite Divine Justice.
One more thing: Linguistically speaking, the Arabic word "Ghafara (forgive)" means "to cover or hide", but this meaning is not always indicted when it comes to the Forgiveness of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, as He mentioned some of the wrongdoings of his Prophets, peace be upon them, as it is the case in the following Ayah, when Allah says about Musa (Moses), peace be upon him:
﴾ (He said: "My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me." Then He forgave him. Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.) ﴿
The same goes for our Master Muhammad, peace be upon him:
﴾ (That Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future, and complete His Favour on you, and guide you on the Straight Path…) ﴿
Accordingly, Allah's Forgiveness is interrelated with pardoning rather than with hiding sins or wrongdoings. He, glory be to Him, means that He pardons and forgives, i.e. He, Most Gracious, does not punish His Noble Prophets and Messengers but rather forgives them. The problem is that when we read one part of the Noble Quran, we forget about the other. For example, Allah the All-Mighty says:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) ﴿
We should not stop at this Ayah, but rather we should go on reading:
﴾ ("And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him, (in Islam), before the torment comes upon you, then you will not be helped.) ﴿
The Ayah means that Allah, is Ghafour (All-Forgiving) for those who turn to Him, for those who repent, for those who abstain from committing sins and misdeeds, for those who reform, and for those who ask for Forgiveness, but He the All-Mighty not Ghafour for those who insist on their sins and misdeeds and never think of repenting of them, thinking, wrongly and naively, that Allah the All-Mighty, is Oft-and-All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. To this effect, Allah the All-Mighty says:
﴾ (Declare (O Muhammad PBUH) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful* And that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment.) ﴿
Either you come to Allah the All-Mighty willingly or He forces you to do so. Concerning this fact, Allah, Exalted and Sublime He, says:
﴾ (Then, He accepted their repentance, that they might repent (unto Him).) ﴿
This means that if sinners and wrong-doers do not repent willingly from their sins, Allah forces them to do so. Some scholars said, "If a sinner delays his repentance to the Lord, All-Mighty, the Lord drives for him hardships and disasters that make him turn to the Lord with sincere repentance. A great many are those sinners who turn to the Lord with repentance after having been inflicted with a disaster or hardship." Regarding this point, Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ (Leave Me Alone (to deal) with whom I created Alone (without any means, i.e. Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumi)!* And then granted him resources in abundance* And children to be by his side* And made life smooth and comfortable for him!) ﴿
[ [Al-Muddathir, 12-14] ]
He addressed His Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him: "O Muhammad! If so and so does not respond to you, leave him to Me! I shall drive to him hardships and disasters that will force him to repent to Me."
In fact, the above Ayaat are very delicate, for due to His Infinite Divine Mercy, Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, makes a kind person give you a piece of advice in a gentle way supported by Quranic Ayaat and Prophetic Ahadeeth as well as stories and parables. If you do not respond, Allah has other hard methods and treatments that drive you to His Door. So, which is better for you: to come to Him willingly and gently or by the stick?! In this context, pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( (Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Allah wonders at those people who will enter Paradise in chains.") ))
Here is another Hadith:
(( (Narrated Abu Hurairah: Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said, "All my followers will enter Paradise except those who refuse." They said, "O Allah's Apostle! Who will refuse?" He said, "Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses (to enter it).) ))
The thing of which you have to be afraid most is that you are called to Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, gently and kindly by a loving believing brother, who advises you to lower down your gaze, to make your income lawful, to shun transgression or injustice, to shun aggression, …etc, but you do not respond to him, and, therefore, Allah the All-Mighty, drives to you hardships and disasters that cause you to repent to Him, i.e. He forces you to repent to Him:
﴾ (Then, He accepted their repentance, that they might repent (unto Him).) ﴿
Allah the Almighty accepts the sincere repentance of His slaves. In fact, Allah is Full of Forgiveness. He is both All-Forgiving and Oft-Forgiving. In a Hadith Qudsi, Allah, Most Gracious, says:
(( (Abu Dharr reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, reported that Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, said: "My slaves! I have forbidden injustice for Myself and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another. "My slaves! You err by night and day and I forgive wrong actions and do not care. Ask me for forgiveness and I will forgive you. "My slaves! All of you are hungry unless I have fed you, so ask Me to feed you, and I will feed you. All of you are naked unless I have clothed you, so ask Me to clothe you and I will clothe you. "My slaves! If all of you, the first of you and the last of you, the jinn among you and the men among you, were to be as godfearing as the most godfearing heart of any one of you, that would not add anything to My kingdom. If they were to be as corrupt as the most corrupt heart of any one of you, that would not decrease anything in My kingdom. If they were to join together in one place and then ask of Me, and I gave every man among them what he asked for that, that would not reduce My kingdom at all, except as the sea is decreased if a needle is dipped into it. "My slaves! It is only your actions which I have appointed for you. Whoever finds good should praise Allah. Whoever finds other than that should only blame himself.'") ))
The above Divine Hadith means that if man willingly turns to Allah in repentance, he guarantees Allah's Protection, Honor and Support to himself, but if he refuses and fails to respond, he will be afflicted by torment from where he does not reckon. That is why our Lord, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ (O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he (PBUH) calls you to that which will give you life, and know that Allah comes in between a person and his heart (i.e. He prevents an evil person to decide anything). And verily to Him you shall (all) be gathered.) ﴿
He also says:
﴾ (O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad) you cling heavily to the earth? Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter* If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment and will replace you by another people, and you cannot harm Him at all, and Allah is Able to do all things.) ﴿
If you do not come to Him, He drives you to His Door by force.
Some scholars said, "When once he turned to his Lord (in Du'a), Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said, 'O You (Allah), Who unveils that which is beautiful and veils that which is ugly!'" Just contemplate this Du'a: 'O You (Allah), Who unveils that which is beautiful and veils that which is ugly!' What does he mean by "ugly"? He means your evil thoughts, for lots of ugly thoughts visit man's mind: thoughts of evil things, and thoughts of committing sins.
A thought that does not please the Lord, All-Mighty, may occur to you, but do you not see that Allah, Praised and Glorified be He, covers all your evil thoughts and does not unveil them to other fellow humans? You may think of whatever things you like, and you may intend to do whatever you desire, nevertheless, you are respected by people, for Allah does not allow them to know your innermost thoughts and intentions unless you speak them out yourself. This fact is indicated in the following verses of a poet:
By Allah! If they knew my ugly thoughts,
Those who meet me would never greet me,
But rather they would turn away from me
and get bored with my company.
If either partner were to know what goes on in the mind of the other, they would both break up. If a husband were to know what goes on in his wife's mind, he would divorce her; and if she were to know what is in his mind, she would leave him. If a father were to know what goes on in his son's mind concerning his death, he would hate him. Sometimes, a son says to his father, "O father! Give me your hand so that I kiss it", but in his mind is another different thought. If the father were to know what is in his son's mind, he would not only hate him but send him away as well. Yes, indeed! Allah, Most Gracious, is the Coverer, Who veils your evil thoughts and intentions from others, and this is the meaning of the Prophet's Du'a:
(( (O You (Allah), Who unveils that which is beautiful and veils that which is ugly!) ))
Your innermost feelings, intentions, thoughts and ambitions are well-protected and well-covered. This is another meaning of Allah's Beautiful Divine Name Al-Ghaffar, i.e. He keeps your innermost thoughts and intentions hidden from other fellow people.
Another meaning of the above Prophetic Du'a is that without an outer skin man's body would look very ugly. In other words, man's inner muscles and innermost parts would look horrible if they were on the surface of his body, but due to Allah's Favor, the outer skin makes man's face and body look beautiful. This is also one of the meanings of the Prophet's Du'a:
(( (O You (Allah), Who unveils that which is beautiful and veils that which is ugly!" Also, Allah unveils man's face, which is beautiful and veils his private parts, which are ugly) ))
A third meaning of Allah's Beautiful Name Al-Ghaffar is that Allah, Most Gracious, veils the believer's sins and misdeeds and does not show them. In other words, if the believer visualizes the evil things that he formerly did when he was ignorant and heedless, he will get burnt of regret. When a believer turns to Allah with repentance, Allah forgives him his sins, but if he remembers the wrongdoings he did in times of ignorance, he will bite his fingers of regret. Therefore, due to His Infinite Divine Mercy, Allah covers all the believer's sins and misdeeds. This is, as some scholars say, the secret behind the decay of the human body upon death; the images are kept in man's memory, and when the body perishes, there remains the soul, which is pure, holy and perfect, because it is linked with the Divine Perfection.
When a true believer, who has previously committed sins and misdeeds, repents to Allah, what happens? If he remembers his times of ignorance, the evil things that he has committed and the indecent conditions he has undergone, the lowly moral standard at which he has been, and the illogical intellectual condition in which he has been, he will get burnt of regret; his present perfection will burn him.
This is in the present world, in which, as it is said, a believer is made to suffer humiliation, poverty or illness. But what is meant by humiliation? In fact, it is humiliation entailed by one's former ignorance before one has repented to Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. This is because when man repents of his sins and misdeeds and is completely cured of them, the minute he remembers such sins and misdeeds, he is burnt of regret resulting from his previous carelessness and heedlessness. Hence, due to His Infinite Divine Mercy upon believers in Paradise, Allah, Most Gracious, veils all their sins and misdeeds, so that neither they nor anyone else can see any of such sins or misdeeds. This fact explains why Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ (The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Bestower (of favours), La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), to Him is the final return.) ﴿
Some scholars interpreted these Ayaat by saying, "Allah forgives sins out of His Bounty; He accepts repentance out of His Grace; He is Severe in punishing disbelievers; and He bestows His Favors upon those whom He loves."
In the above Ayaat, there are three of Allah's Divine Names for believers and one Name for disbelievers. He is the Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Bestower of Favors, the Severe in punishment. It is said that He is the Forgiver of sin for those who wrong themselves, the Acceptor of repentance for those who are lukewarm and follow a middle course, and the Bestower of Favors for those who excel in good deeds.
Some believers are negligent and commit sins, others are straightforward and honest, and some others are excellent. Therefore, Allah, Most Gracious, is the Forgiver of sin for negligent believers, the Acceptor of repentance for lukewarm believers, the Bestower of Favors for excellent believers, the Severe in punishment for disbelievers. But why is it only one Name for disbelievers? This is because Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said:
﴾ (Disbelief is but one and the same creed. So, beyond the Truth, what is there except Falsehood?) ﴿
In other words, disbelief is only one, but belief has ranks and degrees.
Wahshi, who killed Hamzah, the Prophet's venerable uncle and Companion was blamed for that evil deed. Do you believe that there could ever be a dirtier, uglier, more horrible, or more disgusting deed than what Wahshi, the slave, did in return to his emancipation? He killed Hamzah and stabbed his abdomen with his spear. After having killed Hamzah, he regretted his evil deed and flew away to At-Ta'if, a town near Makkah. Then, he sincerely wrote to Allah's Messenger, "Is it possible for me to repent?" He was the one who killed one of the most beloved people to Allah's Messenger, Hamzah - and you can visit his tomb, dear reader, when you visit Madinah, for it is near Mount Uhud. He wrote to Allah's Messenger, "Is it possible for me to repent?" Therefore, Allah, Most Gracious, sent down this Ayah:
﴾ (Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.) ﴿
Wahshi thought to himself, "I might not be included in Allah's Will as mentioned, "but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases." Therefore, Allah, Most Gracious, sent down these Ayaat:
﴾ (And those who invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment* The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace* Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds, for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) ﴿
Yet, Wahshi still thought to himself, "My deed might not be righteous enough in the Sight of Allah to accept my repentance." So, Allah the All-Mighty sent down:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) ﴿
In other words, even if you turn to Allah with sincere repentance of as many sins as would fill the heavens and the earth, Allah forgives you and does not care, for He, Most Merciful, is happier with His slave's repentance than the lost one who finds his way, the barren father who suddenly has a baby, or the thirsty one who finds water.
We have some delicate points concerning the above Ayah:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! ﴿
In this Ayah, Allah, Most Gracious, does not say, "Say to My slaves who have committed sins and misdeeds, who have committed adultery, who have drunk wine, or who have committed genocide, …etc." He, Most Merciful, says:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! ﴿
This means that due to His Infinite Divine Mercy, Allah does not unveil the different grievous sins and misdeeds that sinners and wrong-doers have committed. He, Most Gracious, desires to cover them, so that they may turn to Him with sincere repentance and faithful devotion.
Another delicate point is indicated in Allah's Words:
("O 'Ibadi (My slaves)…)
These words denote that Allah, Most Gracious, still affiliates such sinners and wrong-doers to Himself, i.e. He does not dismiss them from His Infinite Divine Mercy, but rather He reassures them that He accepts their repentance if they turn to Him with sincere repentance. He also desires to comfort them and give them hope:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)!) ﴿
Therefore, they should be happy with Allah's affiliating them to Himself, and they should love Him and hasten to turn to Him with true faith and sincere repentance. They should never despair of His Infinite Divine Mercy and Love for His slaves.
There is a third delicate point in the above Ayah:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! ﴿
Allah the All-Mighty does not say that they transgressed against Him, because when they commit such sins and misdeeds and transgress against other fellow humans, they actually transgress against themselves, and they actually do harm to their own selves. None could possibly do harm to Allah the All-Mighty, for His Divine Character is far above being done harm to. Regarding this fact, He the All-Mighty, says in Hadith Qudsi:
(( (O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My dominion in anything.) ))
Hence:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! ﴿
This means that Allah's Divine Character is far above being done harm to:
﴾ (Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins.) ﴿
Consider this last part of the Ayah, please:
﴾ (Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) ﴿
The Ayah means that whether you commit sins or not, and whether your sins are grave or insignificant, it is His Infinite Divine Name and Attribute, everywhere and at all times, that He is Al-Ghaffour and Al-Ghaffar (the All-and-Oft-Forgiving).
As for Allah's Words:
﴾ (Declare (O Muhammad PBUH) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.) ﴿
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( (Ibn al-Mubarak reported through his chain of transmission from a Companion of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, came out to us from the door which the Banu Shaybah use and found us laughing. He said: "I see that you are laughing although you know that there are Jannah and Hell-fire?!" We felt sad about these words, and he retreated, but when he reached the buttress, he came back to us and said: "When I left, Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to me and said: Allah the Almighty says to you, 'Declare (O Muhammad PBUH) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.' ")
))
It is impossible for man to be in a good sound psychological state unless he combines equally both fear and hope in himself. If fear is stronger than hope, it is psychologically improper; and so is the case if hope is stronger than fear. Therefore, you have to be careful to keep both feelings in due balance.
In man's blood there is a special hormone for coagulation and another for liquefaction. They should both be in a state of complete balance, otherwise human life would be impossible. If the first hormone overcame the second, blood would stagnate in the blood-vessels; and if the second overcame the first, man would bleed to death at the slightest wound. Likewise, in your relationship with Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, there should always be a kind of balance between both fear and hope. A great many people wrongly say, "Do not be so strict! Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful!" Such naïve kind of hope is foolish, for if you read the Noble Quran you quite often find that Allah, glory be to Him, says:
﴾ (Then, verily! Your Lord for those who do evil (commit sins and are disobedient to Allah) in ignorance and afterward repent and do righteous deeds, verily, your Lord thereafter, (to such) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) ﴿
If you search for the Quranic Ayaat that have to do with the issue of Divine Forgiveness, you find a great many of them go like this:
﴾ (But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterwards and believed, verily, your Lord after (all) that is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) ﴿
In other words, hope without repentance and reform is a mere stupid kind of optimism; and fear to the degree of misery and utmost despair of Allah's Divine Mercy is nothing but deadly pessimism. You shall never be happy with Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, unless you combine both fear and hope. Allah the All-Mighty says:
﴾ (So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya (John), and cured his wife (to bear a child) for him. Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.) ﴿
He also says:
﴾ (Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "Who rescues you from the darkness of the land and the sea (dangers like storms), when you call upon Him in humility and in secret (saying): If He (Allah) only saves us from this (danger), we shall truly be grateful.") ﴿
Allah, Most Gracious, says:
﴾ (Declare (O Muhammad PBUH) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.) ﴿
The Ayah is addressed to Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, to reassure sinners and wrong-doers that Allah is All-and-Oft- Forgiving and that He is Most Merciful.
A Khalifah (Caliph) was once visited by two of his grandsons, one was the son of his son and the other one was the son of his daughter. "Whose sons are you?" The Khlifah asked. His daughter's son affiliated himself to his own father, while his son's son affiliated himself to the Khalifah himself. So, the Khalifah filled the lap of his son's son with jewels, simply because he affiliated himself to him (i.e. the Khalifah), while that of the daughter's son with sweets. The moral lesson of such a story is that if man invokes his Lord, "O Allah! You are my Lord! There is no god but You! I have none but You!", this Du'a is sure to bring him nearer to the Lord, Most Gracious, as he affiliates himself to Him the All-Mighty. Therefore, Allah, Most Merciful, honors you by affiliating you to Himself, as He says:
﴾ (Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves)…) ﴿
That is why those who read the Noble Quran should deliberate how Allah affiliates mankind to Himself:
﴾ (Declare (O Muhammad PBUH) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.) ﴿
Also, there is a repetition of the words:
﴾ (…that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.) ﴿
It is meant to reassure His slaves that He surly is the All-and-Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Some scholars said, "Allah's Name "Al-Ghafir" means that He forgives you your sin in the sense that He obliterates it from the Records of your deeds. As for His Name "Al-Ghafour", it means that He obliterates your sins from the Records of the Scribes (i.e. Angels who record man's deeds), and His Name "Al-Ghaffar" means that He makes you forget such sins altogether."
It is most Generous of Allah that on the Day of Judgment, you find that all your sins and misdeeds have been obliterated altogether: from the Records of your deeds, from the Records of the Angels, and from your own mind. That is why you are made to live in utmost never-ending Bliss in Allah's Paradise that is as wide as the heavens and the earth.
It is wise that a sinner repents at a young age, but it is also all right if he repents at an old age, for Allah's Favor upon His slaves is abundant. In this context, Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says in Qudsi Hadith:
(( (O My slave, you have got by now gray hair, weak sight and hunched back, so take Me into your consideration as I take you in My consideration.) ))
Let me tell you this story about an illiterate fifty-five-year-old man who admired a young Sheikh (religious scholar) and wished he could be like him. Remember in this context that Allah's High Ranks are granted only to those who are truthful and sincere. The elderly man mounted his donkey and headed for Cairo, where Al-Azhar university is located. He spent years at Al-Azhar university studying the Noble Quran and Islamic teachings until the end of his life. Actually, he did not pass away until he had assumed the highest degree at Al-Azhar, Namely Sheikh Al-Azhar (The Chief Scholar of Al-Azhar university).
At the age of fifty-five, he turned to the Lord, Most Gracious, with sincere repentance and set off on his trip of study and education, which he achieved most successfully. Every now and then, he used to make Du'a to his Lord, "O Allah! I have been late in coming to You! I have been very late! …". Due to Allah's Favor, he was not too late!
If man repents to the Lord, Most Gracious, and tastes the sweetness of such repentance, he says, "My heart is burning with regret for the great many years that I have spent in disobedience to Allah!" In other words, after having tried the taste of purity, the taste of intimacy with Allah, the taste of turning to Allah, the taste of righteous deed, the taste of Islamic knowledge, and the taste of honor, man says, "I wish I had known Allah before this age!"
That venerable scholar of Al-Azhar university used to invoke the Lord, "O Lord! I have been late in coming to you!" However, Allah, Most Gracious, casted into his heart that "O My slave! Do not say that! Verily, those who are late in coming to Me are those who pass away before they repent of their sins!" This means that if you still have only one day to survive, you can repent to the Lord. So long as your heart is still beating, there is great hope, but the sooner the better.
The question is: What is our relationship with Allah's Most Beautiful Name Al-Ghaffar (the All-and Oft-Forgiving)? The answer is: Allah, Most Gracious, is Al-Ghaffar (the Oft-and-All-Forgiving), and you, as a human being, can you not forget mistakes of other fellow humans? Do you not forgive them?! Scholars said, "A believer's share of this Name is that he should cover mistakes of other fellow humans, believers and non-believers, just as Allah covers his own mistakes." Such is the first and foremost thing a believer has to do towards Allah's Most Beautiful Divine Name Al-Ghaffar (the Oft-and-All- Forgiving).
At the time of the venerable Companion and Khalifa Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, a woman committed adultery. After having been punished, she repented sincerely. Later on, a man came to propose to her for marriage, but her brother came to Umar, saying, "O Amir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful), a man has come to propose to my sister for marriage. Shall I inform him about her previous sin and punishment?" Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said angrily, "If you inform him, I will kill you. Allah, Most Gracious, has covered her! Why would you uncover her?!"
If you, as a true believer, know that a friend of yours has committed a sin or a misdeed, you should cover it for him. You should never mention it to any other person if you are a true believer who believes in Allah's Name Al-Ghaffar (the Oft-and-All-Forgiving). Just as Allah, Al-Ghaffar, has forgiven you your sins and misdeeds and accepted your repentance, you should forgive your friends and conceal their mistakes. In this context, Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said:
(( (A sin is a misfortune for others than the one who has committed it, for if they speak about it, they slander him.) ))
If a friend of yours commits a sin, and you speak about it to the others, you slander him. If you blame him for it, you will be made to commit the same sin. Well, if you accept such a sin from him, you share with him the state of being sinful. Furthermore, if we are informed that a friend of yours has earned some money unlawfully, it is enough to say, "Well done! He has done this for a better living" to be as sinful as he is. Praising such a wrong-doer and trying to justify his evil deed makes us as sinful as he is; blaming him for committing such unlawful earning of money makes us fall in the same trap; and speaking about his sin to others means that we slander him. This is the case of those who have not committed the sin, so what about the one who has committed it?!
A person who overlooks other people's mistakes is a noble bounteous person. So, always try to be a positive person, and always try to mention other people's merits. While dealing with other people, try to overlook their faults and shortcomings and highlight their merits and good deeds if you really want them to love you. Unfortunately, some people are always inclined to forget all of the good things of others. Concerning this fact, Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said:
(( (O Allah! I seek refuge with You from an evil neighbor who if he sees something good, he conceals it; but if he sees something evil, he reveals it. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from an evil Imam (leader) who if you do something good, he does not accept it; but if you do something bad, he does not forgive (it).) ))
It is indeed most horrible to conceal people's merits and reveal their demerits. Therefore, a true believer is someone who overlooks people's faults and shortcomings and highlights their good deeds. In this context, Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said:
(Honor is helpful.)
If you have a son whom you know is trustworthy, try to praise him for being trustworthy. Some fathers are so critical about their sons, and they under-estimate their work. How come that he does not have any merit?!
(( (Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, was once asked, "O Allah's Messenger! What saves man from the Fire?" He, peace be upon him, replied, "Belief in Allah." "Should there be any work together with belief?" He, peace be upon him, was asked. "He should give from that which Allah has given him." He, peace be upon him, answered. "What if he does not have anything to give?" He, peace be upon him, was asked. "He should help a helpless person." He, peace be upon him, replied. "What if he cannot?" He, peace be upon him, was asked. "He should bid for a good thing." He, peace be upon him, answered. "What if he cannot do (that) well?" He, peace be upon him, was asked. "Do you not wish to leave for your fellow one any good thing?!" He, peace be upon him, asked.) ))
No human being is deprived of all merits. If you have an employee who is a little negligent but honest, try to tell him, "I am pleased with your honesty." A man entered upon Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, while he was performing Salah. Being very careful to catch up with Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, and his venerable Companions in Salah, the man made much noise and disturbance and spoiled their Salah. Allah's Messenger did nothing but gently addressed the man by saying:
(May Allah make you more careful, but do not do that again.)
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
In other words, he, peace be upon him, praised the man's carefulness to catch up with Allah's Messenger and his venerable Companions in Salah and bade him gently not to do that again.
Ibn 'Abbad, one of the Princes of Andalus (ancient Muslim Spain), was a poet. One day, in the garden of his palace, he began composing a verse saying, "The breeze has spread on the water Zarad (Chains of which an armor is made)", but he could not complete the verse. A maid of his, who was standing behind him, completed the verse saying, "What a strong armor it would be if it got frozen!" The prince greatly admired his maid and got married to her. Later on, he became king of Andalus and lived happily with her.
One day, she desired to remember former days of poverty, and she wanted to walk on mud, so he brought musk and camphor, mixed them with rose-water and said, "Here is some mud for you to walk on!" Days went by, and someone called Ibn Tashifeen came from Africa to defeat all the kings of Andalus and put them all in jail. When things became so bad for Ibn 'Abbad, his wife, who had previously been a maid of his and upon whom he had bestowed a great honor by making her a queen, reproached him saying, "I have never seen anything good of you!" He reminded her, "Not even the day of the mud?"
Why do you always blame your wife? Why do you always reproach your son? Does he not have any merits? If you keep reproaching him, you destroy him. Does your wife not have any merits? Is she not chaste and noble?! When you leave home for work, are you not sure of her chastity and honesty?! In fact, the true believer does not forget merits of other people.
On one of his battles against the infidels of Makkah, namely Badr Expedition, Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, saw his daughter's husband, among the captives. He had come with the infidels of Makkah to fight against his father-in-law, Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, who did not forget that he was his son-in-law, but he even praised him saying:
(( (By Allah! We have never known him to be a bad son-in-law!) ))
The best and most noble thing for you with Allah is to be fair to other fellow humans around you. If you have a wife, children, brothers, neighbors, friends, subordinates, employees, …etc, whose merits you know quite well, try, every now and then, to praise them for such merits. If you do, they will love you and accept your advice and even criticism. Remember what Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said to the man who made great disturbance in the Masjid, as above mentioned:
(( (May Allah make you more careful! Do not do that again.) ))
As a true believer, your good morals should be derived from the Most Beautiful Names of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. There is an amazing story from Sirah in this context: When 'Ikrimah Ibn Abu Jahl came to declare embracing Islam, what did Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him:
(( (Here comes 'Ikrimah to declare embracing Islam. Never speak badly of his father!) ))
Who was 'Ikrimah's father?! His father was Abu Jahl, one of Allah's Messengers worst enemies. However, Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, went on saying:
(( (This is because speaking badly of the dead hurts the living but does not reach the dead.) ))
As a true believer, you should always highlight merits of others and cover their demerits. Hunting for mistakes and shortcomings of other fellow people is by no means a believer's manner.
One day, the Noble Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, came past a stinking decaying cadaver – and I do not think there is, in the whole world, anything that looks or smells more horrible than a stinking decaying cadaver. His companions said "How horrible it smells!" He, peace be upon him, said: "Do not say that, but rather say, 'How white and beautiful its teeth are!' "
Perhaps the lesson we get from such wise words of the Noble Prophet, Jesus is that you can never be a good father, a good teacher, a good preacher, a good merchant, a good factory or hospital director unless you know merits of those who work with you and appreciate and highlight such merits. Once you do this, you may expect them to accept your advice. If, however, you forget or neglect such merits, and if you hunt for mistakes and shortcomings, they will surely turn away from you.
This is all I can say about Allah's Beautiful Divine Name "Al-Ghaffar"; and I pray to Allah for success. As you know, dear brothers, no one can ever know the reality of Allah except Allah Himself.
In this lecture I mentioned some Quranic Ayaat and Prophetic Ahadeeth that have to do with this Divine Name, "Al-Ghaffar", which should always motivate us all to ask Him for forgiveness, for He, glory be to Him, is the All-and Oft-Forgiving.
"O Allah! You are All-and-Oft-Forgiving, Most Generous! You like to forgive, so forgive us, O You, Most Generous!" This was one of the most favorite Du'as (supplications) of Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him. Therefore, we should always make it to Allah the All-mighty.
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