al-ʿAfuww

The Pardoner, who erases sin entirely

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Recited as it sounds in the Qur'an, 4:99.

Heard together with: al-ʿAfuww al-Ghafūr (4:43); al-ʿAfuww / al-Muntaqim

Start with what we know

Then take away everything it needs. What is left is not a bigger version of us. It is the Name.

Episode 1

In us

People forgive but remember.

But: Scars remain.

Episode 2

In nature

Some animals regrow tissue without scars (axolotls).

Episode 3

At our best

Tide and wind erase tracks on a beach within hours.

But: Erasure in nature is indifferent, not merciful.

Episode 4

The Break

Take away memory of the wrong, a scar, a record.

Forgiveness forgives the stain. al-ʿAfuww wipes away even where it was.

Read: 4:43; 4:99; 22:60; 42:30.

From the tradition: Laylat al-Qadr prayer: 'O Allah, You are Pardoning, You love pardon, so pardon me' (Tirmidhi 3513; graded ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī and Shākir, ḍaʿīf by Zubair Ali Zai). Micah 7:18 'Who is a God like You, forgiving iniquity'.

On screen

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Where it shows up

In scripture: Q 42:25; 4:99; 24:22; Micah 7:18.
The same thread in Jewish and Christian scripture: Micah 7:18. Strong.
In the universe: —
In nature: Shoreline time-lapse.
In people: 24:22: Abū Bakr is told to keep supporting a relative who had slandered his daughter (classical occasion).
In science: Erosion and deposition; wound healing.

Living it

Pardon and overlook (24:22).

Its kind

Act: something done: mercy shown, provision given, a prayer answered.

In the Qur'an: 4:43; 4:99; 22:60

Sources for this page

hadith-api eng-tirmidhi 3513