ʿafā paired with ghafrān
عَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ
ʿafuwwun ghafoor — Pardoning, Forgiving
In the verses given, the roots ع ف و and غ ف ر repeatedly appear side by side, either as paired divine names (عَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ), as a divine verb عَفَا beside the name غَفُورٌ, as paired imperatives or jussives sharing a single addressee within each verse, or as a human act of pardoning set against a divine act of forgiving, so that the two roots function as a fixed complementary pair.
The ten verses given keep the roots ع ف و and غ ف ر together in one verse, in three recurring patterns. In four verses the pairing is nominal — عَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ as two adjacent indefinite masculine singular names of Allah (4:43, 4:99, 22:60, 58:2) — while 3:155 and 5:101 pair a perfect verb عَفَا with the name غَفُورٌ. In 4:43 and 4:99 the two words are accusative after كَانَ; in 22:60 and 58:2 they are nominative after إِنَّ and its lām of emphasis. In three verses the pairing is verbal and imperative or jussive: وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا (2:286), فَٱعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ (3:159), and وَإِن تَعْفُوا۟ وَتَصْفَحُوا۟ وَتَغْفِرُوا۟ (64:14). In 24:22 the two roots are distributed across two clauses: humans are commanded وَلْيَعْفُوا۟, and the question أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ties their pardoning to Allah's forgiving. In the grammar, ع ف و takes the preposition عَنْ (2:286, 3:155, 3:159, 4:99, 5:101) or appears without an expressed object (24:22, 64:14), while غ ف ر takes لِ (2:286, 3:159, 24:22) or appears without an expressed object (64:14). The pair also attracts a third root: حَلِيم in 3:155 and 5:101, رَحِيم in 24:22 and 64:14, and ص ف ح in 24:22 and 64:14.
Where it occurs
- 2:286 Two parallel imperatives addressed to Allah: 'pardon us' (عَنَّا) and 'cover for us' (لَنَا), within a series of requests that continues with 'and have mercy on us' and 'so support us'.
- 3:155 Perfect verb عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ followed by the name غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ.
- 3:159 Two parallel imperatives: فَٱعْفُ عَنْهُمْ and وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ, the second in form X.
- 4:43 The paired names عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا, accusative after كَانَ, closing a verse about ritual purity.
- 4:99 Subjunctive يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ followed by the paired names عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا, the only verse in the set using the root ع ف و twice (verb يَعْفُوَ and name عَفُوًّا).
- 5:101 Perfect verb عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَنْهَا followed by the name غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ.
- 22:60 The paired names لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ, nominative with lām of emphasis after إِنَّ.
- 24:22 Jussive وَلْيَعْفُوا۟ commanded of humans, tied to subjunctive يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ by the rhetorical question أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ.
- 58:2 The paired names لَعَفُوٌّ غَفُورٌ after a verse describing a repudiated word and a falsification.
- 64:14 Two parallel jussives تَعْفُوا۟ and وَتَغْفِرُوا۟, separated by وَتَصْفَحُوا۟, with غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ closing the verse.
All Qur'anic expressions