Posted by Umm Sahl in Ramadan | 6 Comments
Al-’Afuww: Who Forgives In the Last 10 Nights?
Aisha asked the Prophet (saw) “What should I say on Laylat-al-qadr?” He replied,
Say, “O Allah, You are Al-’Afuww and You love to ‘afw, so fa’fu me” (Tirmidhi).
What do all these italicized words mean? The common translation of the supplication above is,
O Allah indeed you are a Pardoner, and you love pardon, so pardon me.
That’s it? The supplication for the last 10 nights, THE supplication we are supposed to focus on, is just to be ‘pardoned’ by “The Pardoner”? Isn’t there more to it?
Seems a bit strange, let’s look at it in more detail.
The linguistic meaning of ‘afuww is to leave, neglect (pardon), to wipe away, and to increase. ‘Aafiyah is Allah’s defense of His servant from things like disease and tribulation. ‘Afu is the one who possesses great ‘afw.
The Name of Allah, Al-’Afuww, occurs in the Quran only five times (4:43, 4:99, 4:149, 22:20, 58:2). Four of these times, it is linked with Al-Ghafoor, and once with Al-Qadeer (4:149).
This Name implies that He ignores the sins of the servant. He knows the sins (you must know them before you can make ‘afw of them) but He does not call the servant to account for it. The servant is deserving of punishment, and Allah has full ability to punish His servants, but Allah does ‘afw for them. It is more than just pardoning or covering it up, it is wiping it away completely.
When the Name is paired with Al-Ghafoor, we see an extra level of forgiveness. Al-Ghafoor is the One who forgives no matter how large the sin.
When we look back at the original supplication, we see a more profound meaning. Allah is Al-Qadeer, with full power to do with us as He wants,
And if Allah were to seize mankind for their wrong-doing, He would not leave on it (the earth) a single moving (living) creature, but He postpones them for an appointed term and when their term comes, neither can they delay nor can they advance it an hour (or a moment). (16:61)
In spite of that warning, He wipes our sins away for us, no matter how major they are. Not only does He wipe them away, but He loves to wipe them away. SubhanAllah.
This is why we should make this supplication fervently, seeking for it to be answered in the night, in the most special of nights, seeking the forgiveness and mercy of Allah, humbling ourselves knowing the sins we have committed, and asking for Him to pardon us for our transgressions.
Source: www.muslimmatters.org
Umm Sahl, your sister in Islam, a wife and mother of 3 beautiful blessed babies
Subhanallah! This is something which gives immediate hope – Many of us live in a state of dispair after a crisis in our lives – when we know we wronged – but I guess we should try get out from that negative phase and work to counter the scales in our favour – May Allah forgive us for our sins and help us in our efforts to lead more righteous lives Inshallah – let’s try make the most of whatever few days left of this blessed month.
very true brother. Such articles gives us lot of hope that Allah is oft Forgiving most Merciful
Allah is ever ready to forgive us and waiting for us to repent. But it is we who are lazy to raise our hands and beg Allah for forgiveness.
Allah loves those who sin and repent so that Allah can forgive us.
May Allah forgive us for our shortcomings during this blessed month of Ramadan. Ameen
Subhan Allah, i used 2 recite this dua all time during the last nights of ramadan but jazakum Allah 4 sharing the deep meaning behind this supplication of forgiveness.
very informative,may allah blessu
Asslamu Alikum sister !!!
hope u are good !!
i didnt understand the last lines from neither
so plz can u explain me this …
And if Allah were to seize mankind for their wrong-doing, He would not leave on it (the earth) a single moving (living) creature, but He postpones them for an appointed term and when their term comes, neither can they delay nor can they advance it an hour (or a moment)
JAZAK ALLAH !! 🙂
Walaiakum Assalam sister…
This is the explanation from Tafsir Ibn Kathir
Allah does not immediately punish for Disobedience:
Allah tells us about His patience with His creatures, even though they do wrong. If He were to punish them for what they have done, there would be no living creature left on the face of the earth, i.e., He would have destroyed every animal on earth after destroying the sons of Adam. But the Lord – magnificent is His glory – is forbearing and He covers people’s faults. He waits until the appointed time, i.e., He does not rush to punish them. If He did, then there would be no one left.