Al Ghaffour “The Ever–Forgiving”
If you got tired from your wrongs and sins, you felt that its bad omen spoiled your life, their darkness and bitch-black days blocked the happiness of your nights and days from reaching your eyes and you stopped feeling the good sensation while performing your prayers, praying and performing your ritual worships, you would have to know that time is up to go through the world of humanity and forgiveness with insatiable soul aspiring for forgiveness and transcendence in the name of Allah “The Ever –Forgiveness”
Now, you are in need to understand the meaning of forgiveness, to understand how is Allah is called the Ever –Forgiveness and the Most –Forgiveness and the extend of your need to such forgiveness in all roles of your life.
Imprisonment
Having the soul inflicted with sins is greater than having the body inflicted with disease. Your soul is painfully suffering under the subjugation of committing sins. Your body may find an immediate pleasure while committing the sin, yet your soul is filing a painful complain to Allah.
Imagine yourself that you are in a very narrow prison and the width of its wall is one meter, thus how much suffocation will your feel?
Sins put your soul in prison similar to the aforementioned one! Sins surround you: “his sin surrounds him” and then sins suffocate your soul.
If there were neither hell nor paradise, sins alone are hell in themselves, they are like a drink of boiling water and they are a painful chastisement.
If you know that one of Allah’s names are the Ever –Forgiving, the Most –Forgiving and Forgiving as well as one of Allah’s divine blessings is that He forgive all committed sins, the walls of this prison will fall apart.
Do you know?
I ask you by the solemn oath of Allah to say: O Allah forgive me!
Do not just say it but rather contemplate the essence thereof: O Allah forgive me
Is there something more spiritually joyful than these words which if you just utter them from the deep of your heart, all of these devilish whispers, hallucinations and fears will entirety fall apart?
Do you know that all afflictions, such as disease, strain, stress or pain are because of your sin?
Read this verse:
“And whatever affliction befalls you, it is on account of what your hands have wrought, and (yet) He pardons most (of your faults)”
We are afflicted with gossiping, lie, cheating, envy, contempt, ingratitude, and desire to forbidden pleasures and delaying due duties much more than pains, burdens and sufferings.
We lose our face with a desire urging us to search for someone to lend us some money. Such need may be attributed to a sin committed by us. Yet, if we just say: O Allah forgive me with total subjugation to Him, we will not show such subjugation to His creatures.
We search for an incantator to tell him about the distress that we feel, the fear that spoils our life and the physiological changes that we feel. However, what has inflicted us may be attributed to a sin committed by us, and if we just say: “O Allah forgive me” with a living heart and with a heart desirous to repent and oft-turn to Allah, we will not be in need for such incantator!
My Sins
The trait of forgiveness never become so clear and so representative as it was when I moved through reading volumes of the life of Prophet Mohammed:
Omar Ibn Al Khattab was about to persecute all Muslims from their religion. He took the scourge with a firm hold to strike the flesh of his female slave then he put the scourge aside, saying to her: “l let you because I got bored”
Muslims were believing that the adoption of Al khattab’s donkey of Islam was more reasonable and believable than the adoption of Al Khattab of Islam. This was
because of the sever enmity of Al Khattab against Islam and his sever hatred against that religion. Then, Al Ghaffour opens His doors of repentance to him to become at the end of the day: Omar Al Farooq “Redeemer”!
What about the scourges which he used to strike the flesh of his slaves and female slaves? Where are them? All of them have been forgiven by Allah!
Khalid Ibn Al Walid climbed the mountain of archers in the Battle of Uhud and he was the cause behind the killing of Abdullah Ibn Al Jabbir and his companions –May Allah be pleased with them- who were on the mountain of archers. In addition, Ibn Al Walid was the cause behind the defeat inflicted upon the Islamic Army under the leadership of Prophet Mohammed –Peace be upon him-, he was the cause behind the injury of the Prophet of Allah who got a wound on his head, his front teeth damaged and the helmet penetrated his noble face.
Al Walid was the cause behind the blood flew on the face of Prophet Mohammed –peace be upon him-, and the Prophet said: “the wrath of Allah became sever on the people who caused the face of Allah’s Prophet to bleed”7. However, Allah says in the Holy Quran:
“you have no concern in the affair whether He turns to them mercifully or chastises them for surely they are unjust.”
Khalid Ibn Al Walid was one of those who won the repentance and forgiveness of Allah!!
He adopted Islam and Al Ghaffour forgives all of his sins. Allah the Exalted forgives all these sins. Al Walid went through a radical transformation from being the essential cause behind the defeat of Muslims in the Battle of Uhud into Allah’s unsheathed sword.
This honorable blood was shed by him? The helmet? And the honorable blood of the Prophet? All of these have been forgiven by Allah.
A man came to Prophet Mohammed –peace be upon him- with a crying heart due to the sins committed by him. He said to the Prophet: “Have you ever seen a man committed all sins never leave a sin uncommitted. He never left even a single sin uncommitted. Does he have a chance to repent? The Messenger of Mercy said to him: “Have you adopted Islam?” He replied, “I bear witness that there is no god to be worshipped but Allah and that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet said, “yes! You commit yourself to perform good deeds and abandon bad deeds, then Allah turns of them into blessings.” The man asked: “what about my sins and immoral deeds?” The prophet replied: “Even your sins and immoral deeds”
Have you forgotten?
Why do you feel that your sin is the greatest sin ever committed in this universe? Have you forgotten Al Ghaffour and Al Wadoud “The Most Loving”
Have you forgotten that Allah becomes the happiest with your repentance?
One of Prophet Mohammed’s companions saw a terrified woman among the captives searching for her son and when she found him, she hugged him passionately with a warm kiss imprinted on his face. Prophet Mohammed’s companions were amazed because of such overwhelming love and joy. Prophet Mohammed –peace be upon him- said, “Allah is happier with the repentance of His slave than the happiness of this woman with her son”
So what are you waiting for?
Say right now: “O Allah! Forgive me”
Say it with your heart, soul and tongue. Even your sins which want vigorously to convince you that forgiveness is an impossible target compel them to say: “O Allah! Forgive me!” Shout in the very inner most self with this divine saying: “O Allah! Forgive me!” Shout by the virtue of your shout that Al Ghaffour will forgive all of your sins not because of your shout but because of He is the Ever –Forgiving and the Most-Loving.
The sins of Abu Sofian Ibn Harb, Safwan Ibn Omima, Ikrima Ibn Jahl, Amr Ibn Al As and even more were disbelieving in Allah, fighting against religion and killing Prophet Mohammed’s companions, and then Allah – the Ever –Forgiving and the Most-Merciful covers them all with His forgiveness to be part of Prophet Mohammed’s companions! Do you know what does the word “companion”? Companion means the best-ranked people after Allah’s prophets!
What did forgiveness do with Ikrima, Safwan or others?
Forgiveness transformed them all from being Prophet Mohammed’s companions’ killers into honorable companions!
Feeling with your sins while they surround you makes your soul feel with pain, your thoughts incline to the black colors and make you words shiver. If you get a close vision, Allah’s forgiveness burns down such pain, blackness and tension.
Blessedness
Allah the Exalted forgives all sin by the saying of: O Allah! Forgive me.
Allah forgives by the virtue of repentance:
“Except those who repent after that and amend, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful”
Allah forgives by the virtue of blessings: “Surely good deeds take away evil deeds”
Allah forgives by the virtue of infliction: “Infliction is still befallen the believer in his self, his children and his money until he meets Allah the Exalted with no sins”10
Do you know what should be done more in this life? The thing that you should never get bored of is asking for Allah’s forgiveness. Our Prophet –peace be upon
him- said, “Blessedness is for those who find many request targeted for Allah’s forgiveness written down in their books”
You will find while the Day of Judgment takes place your friends and you will open your book full of requests targeted Allah’s forgiveness, saying to them: “behold! Allah has responded to all these requests targeted His forgiveness and He forgave me!
Therefore, asking for Allah’s forgiveness is permitted not only after committing a sin but also after performing a prayer!
Do not you say after your prayer: O Allah! Forgive me… O Allah! Forgive me... O Allah! Forgive me? As your prayer is full of defects subject to be repaired by the blessing of asking for Allah’s forgiveness.
Do not Despair!
Al Ghaffour calls Himself the Ever –forgiving; as you will burn into dust without His forgiveness. Your sins will eat you up. You will feel with real suffocation and you will be addicted to cry.
If you feel that your sin is great and the man of religion whom you asked for an opinion with reference to your sin did not take into consideration the dark details of such great sin. He might answer you with no much reference to your question to listen carefully to Allah who knows every sin committed by His servants starting from Adam until the Day of Judgment; Allah knows even the single details of all these sins and immoral deeds with all of their evil degrees:
“Say: O my servants who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; Surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving the Merciful”
Have your devilish whispers ended up? The One who said these words knows even from the revelation of this Holy Quran that you at a certain day will commit that sin. However, He said to you: “Surely; Allah will forgive the faults altogether” and your sin is undoubtedly one of these sins which are not beyond the forgiveness of Allah and are not greater than His mercy.
The most important thing is to ask for Allah’s forgiveness before giving up the sin and then you stop:
“But if they desist, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful”
How dare you say: O Allah! Forgive my sin and you still committing this sin?
How dare you delete your sin and you commit it again? Stop it in entirety so as to have your request for Allah’s forgiveness honest worthy to have the doors of heavens opened for well-receive.
The Greatest Will
Allah the Exalted wanted for you so many things:
He wanted your existence then you are. He wanted you healthy then you are. He wanted you sane then you are sane capable of reading and hearing. But, do you know what is the greatest will wanted by Allah to you as a gift?
It is to forgive your sins!
“And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is belonging to Allah; He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful”
It is surely the greatest will ever to have your fully qualified to enter Paradise by the virtue of His mercy.
Those whom Allah forgives their sins are subject to diseases similar to their fellows but their smiles are never to be deprived.
Those whom Allah forgives their sin are subject to fiscal distress similar to their fellows but their heads are never to be down.
Those whom Allah forgives their sins may have their eyes full of tears but never show despair against the divine mercy of Allah.
Then, you have to put all of these burdens, sufferings and diseases aside:
Those whom Allah forgives their sins sleep during their nights with peaceful tranquility; as the strangest expectation ever is to die, but what if they die? All of their sins are forgiven, so death is not for them that terrified monster!
I call you by Allah in High to read but rather feel the following verse:
“And whoever does evil or acts unjustly to his soul, then he asks forgiveness of Allah, he shall find Allah Forgiving, Merciful.”
Do not you miss finding Allah Forgiving, Merciful? Then, ask for Allah’s forgiveness!!
The Most Beautiful Ever
The Ever –Forgiving knew that sins will spoil your life, beat your soul, make water with unpleasant taste, food with unpleasant taste, night with sever loneliness, day with sever boredom, make relatives as hell, friends with doubts, turn the details of life into hallucinations, make sleep into suffocation and loneliness with tears dropping, then Allah says to you:
“Will they not turn to Allah and ask for His forgiveness?”
Is not that more beautiful than their status quo? Have you never got bored of these accumulated inflictions? Have not you missed to draw a smile coming directly from your heart? So why have not you yet asked for Allah’s forgiveness?
Do not Get Surprised!
Al Ghaffour always forgives, He forgives with generosity, He forgives what cannot be forgiven by humans and He surprises you with His forgiveness!
He always forgives:
As he forgives the sins between a prayer and the next prayer, between the visits to the House of Allah and the next visit, between the month of Ramadan and the next Ramadan and between pilgrimage and the next one if you get yourself away from committing deadly sins.
Thus, the life of Allah’s servants is a course of Allah’s permanent forgiveness, pardon and mercy.
Imagine with me that: you pray Al Fajr and then you go to your work where you commit sins and immoral acts –except for deadly sins- then you make your ritual ablution to pray your midday prayer. Before you end up saying: May peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you, all of your sins have been forgiven in entirety. The same is applicable the forgiveness between every prayer and the next one. What will we do if our Lord is not the Forgiving?
Allah forgives with generosity:
As He forgives all sins by fasting only for one day in the year!
He forgives all sins when you say, “Allah is free from imperfection and all praise is due to Him” one hundred times. In other words, two minutes saying that is enough to put down of your shoulders sins committed during the course of seventy years! Is there generosity comparable to Allah’s?
Allah forgives what cannot be forgiven by humans:
Allah forgives sins and immoral acts when give a thirst dog water!
Allah surprises you with His forgiveness:
This is to applied to what occurred in Badr Battle when Allah saw the believers and said to them: do what you want, I forgave you all!
All their sins committed or to be committed are forgiven!
Among those who are seen by Allah in the Battle of Badr is Haritha Ibn Soraqa who was a boy joined the army as an assistant not a fighter. He was just a watcher assigned to follow the battle from a place far away of the field. Then, he went to the well to drink water, yet he was killed by an undirected arrow which penetrated his throat to meet his sudden death. When Prophet Mohammed returned to Madina, he was received by the mother of Haritha saying to him: “O Prophet of Allah! Tell me about Haritha! If he is now in Paradise, I will cover my sadness with patience otherwise I will tearfully pray for him” and Prophet Mohammed –peace be upon him- said: “O Mother of Haritha! There are heavens in Heaven and your son is in the Seventh Heaven (Firdaws)”
Ibn Kathir said: “this is a great notification expressing the blessings targeted the soldiers of the Battle of Badr, he (Haritha) was not at the center of fighting and not in the struggle, he just was part of those who were assigned to watch the battle from a place far from the field. Although an undirected arrow killed him while he was drinking from the well, he was gifted the Seventh Heaven (Firdaws). So, what is your expectation regarding those who were at the middle of the battle.”
Start!
Start a new phase with the name of Al Ghaffuor. Enjoy as He forgives all sins and be quick in asking for His forgiveness and request His forgiveness by the virtue of complying with His orders and avoiding His prohibitions:
“Say: if you love Allah; then follow me and Allah will love you and forgive your faults and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful”
O Allah! Forgive all our sins whether implicit or explicit and the beginning of them and the end thereof, and classify us among those who find in their papers uncountable forgiveness.
