14. Al-Ghaffar — The All-Forgiving
The root of the word Al-Ghaffar is sitr and taghthiyah, meaning "to conceal" or "to cover." So, maghfirah from Allah means that He conceals sins and forgives them out of His grace and mercy, not because of a servant's repentance or obedience. In one hadith Qudsi, Allah SWT says:
"My servant, were you to come to Me with sins as vast as the earth, I would come to you with forgiveness as vast as the earth, so long as you do not associate anything with Me."
Al-Ghaffar means the Essence Who shows what is good and conceals what is bad in this world, and forgives its punishment in the Hereafter.
As stated above, that the meaning of ghafara is satara (to conceal), the first thing Allah conceals from His servants is this: He makes the flaws of their bodies hidden within, covered by the goodness of their outward form. Second, He places their evil thoughts and bad intentions in the heart, so that no one can see them; if everything hidden in their hearts in the form of treachery, ill will, and every bad trait were to appear outwardly, they would surely be ruined by it. Third, through this maghfirah, Allah conceals the sins of mankind that would truly deserve to be exposed before others, yet He has promised to replace their evil deeds with good ones, and His promise is true.
A servant's good fortune with this name is indicated by the fact that he must conceal the faults of others just as he wishes others to conceal his own faults. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Whoever conceals the fault of a believer, Allah will conceal his fault on the Day of Resurrection."
It is told that one day the Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) and his followers walked past the rotting carcass of a dog. His followers said: "How foul the smell of this dog's carcass is!" But the Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) replied: "How fine and white this dog's teeth are!" He said this to remind them that what should be mentioned of anything is its good, not its bad.
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