Mercy and forgiveness
Al-ʿAfuww ٱلْعَفُوّ
The Pardoner: He erases the offence rather than merely covering it.
7 āyāt · 5 sūrahs · root ع ف و
Why Allah uses this name
Al-Saʿdī distinguishes ʿafw from maghfirah — pardon wipes the record clean — and it is the name the Prophet ﷺ taught to be asked on .
Take this with you
Ask for erasure, not only for cover; and pardon others by the same measure.
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها asked what to say on ; he ﷺ said: 'Allāhumma innaka ʿAfuwwun tuḥibbu al-ʿafwa faʿfu ʿannī.'
Sunan al-Tirmidhī 3513 (ṣaḥīḥ)
Where it appears in the Qur'an
Counted from the muṣḥaf text as served by the Quran.com API. A few occurrences describe someone other than Allah; read the āyah in place to see which.
2. Sūrat Al-Baqarah البقرة
1 āyah
āyah 219
4. Sūrat An-Nisāʾ النساء
3 āyahs
āyah 43, 99, 149
7. Sūrat Al-Aʿrāf الأعراف
1 āyah
āyah 199
22. Sūrat Al-Ḥajj الحج
1 āyah
āyah 60
58. Sūrat Al-Mujādilah المجادلة
1 āyah
āyah 2
Names it closes āyāt with
The Qur'an often seals an āyah with two names together. These are the pairings this name appears in most.
Names close to this one
Ar-Raḥmān ٱلرَّحْمَٰن
The Exceedingly Merciful: mercy as an overwhelming, essential attribute reaching all creation.
Ar-Raḥīm ٱلرَّحِيم
The Bestower of Mercy: that same mercy in continuous action, and specifically toward the believers.
Al-Ghaffār ٱلْغَفَّار
The Repeatedly Forgiving: forgiveness given again and again to the one who keeps returning.
Al-Laṭīf ٱللَّطِيف
The Subtle and Gentle: He reaches the finest hidden thing, and arranges good by means you never see.
Al-Ḥalīm ٱلْحَلِيم
The Forbearing: He does not hasten punishment, though He has full power to.
Al-Ghafūr ٱلْغَفُور
The Ever-Forgiving: He covers sins and then does not expose their doer.
Ash-Shakūr ٱلشَّكُور
The Most Appreciative: He multiplies the reward of a small deed and never lets it go unnoticed.
Al-Wadūd ٱلْوَدُود
The Most Loving: He loves His believing servants and is loved by them.