غفر
ghafara
God’s act of forgiving, and His acceptance of the repentant person as restored in relation to Him.
What it means
Ghafara is the verb for God’s forgiveness. Lexicographers connect the root with covering, as when the sin is covered and the person restored. The Quran calls out to those who have wronged themselves: “Do not despair of the mercy of God; God forgives all sins” (39:53). The condition is turning back to Him in repentance, since “I am Ever-Forgiving to the one who repents, believes and does good” (20:82).
Faruqi’s gloss stresses that God accepts the applicant as rehabilitated. Forgiveness is not the mere cancelling of a penalty. It brings the person back into right relation with God. The verb is paired with the request istighfār, “seeking forgiveness”. The Quran also notes that death in the state of shirk is not forgiven (4:48), because the sinner has not turned back.
Often misunderstood as
Rendered “to pardon” as if a ruler waived a penalty; the term includes the restoring of the repentant person to a right relation with God.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 41, listed as GHAFARA. The definition is restated here.