العفو
Allah Azza wa Jall said in the Holy Quran (Only English translation is given here):
Surah Al-Hajj 60:
60. That (is so). And if one has retaliated to no greater extent than the injury he received, and is again set upon inordinately, Allah will help him: for Allah is One that blots out (sins) and forgives (again and again).
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Surah Al-Nisaa (An-Nisaa) verse 43:
43. O you who believe! Approach not As-Salat (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter, nor when you are in a state of Janaba, (i.e. in a state of sexual impurity and have not yet taken a bath) except when travelling on the road (without enough water, or just passing through a mosque), till you wash your whole body. And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you comes from place of relieving himself, or you have been in contact with women (by sexual relations) and you find no water, perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands (Tayammum). Truly, Allah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.
Surah Al-Nisaa (An-Nisaa) verse 99:
99. For these, there is hope that Allah will forgive: For Allah doth blot out (sins) and forgive again and again.
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To understand the meaning of the verse 99 of Surah An-Nisaa you should also read the meaning of the verses 97 and 98.
Surah Al-Mujaadilah verse 2:
2. Those among you who make their wives unlawful (Az-Zihar) to them by saying to them “You are like my mother’s back.” They cannot be their mothers. None can be their mothers except those who gave them birth. And verily, they utter an ill word and a lie. And verily, Allah is Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.
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The meaning of Al-’Afuww is that Allah Azza wa Jall has this quality due to which Allah Azza wa Jall not only forgives but also wipes out sins of people. An Example is given to understand the meaning. Suppose a criminal applied for forgiveness and he was forgiven by the court but his bad record existed with the result that he would face difficulties in finding job etc. Then he requested the court to make his record clean. The court accepted the request and omitted his crime so that even the traces of his bad record are erased. So the Attribute Al-Ghafoor forgives the sins but Al-‘Afuww even omits the sins. Al-Hamdulillah!!! In the above mentioned verses the two Attributes i.e. Al-Ghafoor and Al-‘Afuww are coming together. We must thank Allah Azza wa Jall for HIS great Mercy on us. But we must try to protect ourselves from sins and must do lots of Astaghfaar. A person shouldn’t commit sins with the hope that Allah will forgive him, remember that Allah knows our intentions. It may be that such a one may not get chance to say astaghfirullah and may suddenly pass away. So we all must fear Allah azza wa Jall and keep away from sins. Again we must remember that Allah All-Mighty’s Justice is very pure. A person is not allowed to attack the rights or honor or property of another person. If one does, then he will not be forgiven by saying astaghfirullah. He has to return the rights of the victim or if the victim forgives him then Allah Azza wa Jall will forgive him.
Allah Ta’aala said in surah Hood (Hud) verse 114:
114. Establish worship at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.
Another translation of the same verse 114 of the surah Hud is here for your understanding.
114. And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e. the five compulsory Salat (prayers)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice).
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According to the above verse good deeds omit sins. Also a hadeeth reported by Ahmad, At-Tirmidhee and Al-Haakim says: “ Do a good deed after a sin, it will omit the sin.” In Arabic it is: “وأتبع السيئة الحسنة تمحها”
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Aa-ishah rAa was advised to pray /ask du’aa in the nights of Al-Qadar as: “ Allahumma innaka ‘Afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa, fa’afu-‘annee ya kareem”.
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For more information, please read the Names Al-Ghaffaar and Al-Ghafoor.
