الغفور ، الغفّار
al-Ghafūr, al-Ghaffār
Topic
Divine names meaning the Forgiver and the One Who forgives again and again.
What it means
Al-Ghafūr and al-Ghaffār are two of the ninety-nine names of God. Both come from ghafara, to forgive, and the forms are intensive. Al-Ghafūr is by far the more frequent in the Quran, often joined with al-Raḥīm, the Merciful: “God is Forgiving and Merciful” (2:173). Al-Ghaffār appears in verses such as “the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving” (38:66). Believers recall these names whenever they ask for pardon.
The second form says that God forgives again and again. A verse says: “I am Ever-Forgiving to the one who repents, believes, does good and then follows guidance” (20:82). Believers use the names in supplication after prayer and when they ask for pardon. Many Muslims are named ʿAbd al-Ghaffār or ʿAbd al-Ghafūr, “servant of the Forgiver”. In this way, the names invite sinners to return and not to despair.
Often misunderstood as
Both names are rendered “the Forgiving” alike, which blurs the intensive form of al-Ghaffār, the One Who forgives repeatedly.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 41, listed as AL GHAFŪR, AL GHAFFĀR. The definition is restated here.