Ghafir
( ar, غافر, ; "The All-Forgiving", referring to
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
), also known as Al-Muʼmin ( ar, المؤمن, link=no, ; The Believer), is the
40th chapter (
sūrah
A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah (''Al-Ka ...
) of the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
, with 85 verses (
āyāt). It takes its name from verse 28, which mentions a distinguished believer from among the clan of the
Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...
who supported Moses, referring to him as a "believing man," hence ''al-Mu'min;'' The Believer. However, this surah is most often called ''al-Ghafir'' (the All-Forgiving) because of the
Divine Name
The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', '' waw'', and ' ...
mentioned in verse 3.
Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed
revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.
Background
Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...
(''
asbāb al-nuzūl
Occasions or circumstances of revelation ( ''al-nuzūl'', ) names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''asbāb'' is ...
''), it is a "
Meccan surah
The Meccan surat are, according to the timing and contextual background of supposed revelation (''asbāb al-nuzūl''), the chronologically earlier chapters ('' suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronological order attrib ...
", which means it is believed to have been revealed in Mecca, rather than later in Medina.
Summary
*1-3 The Quran a
revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.
Background
Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...
from the only true God
*4 It is denied by none but
unbelievers
*4-6
Confederated infidels, however prosperous, are doomed
*7-9 The
angels
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...
intercede for true believers
*10-12
Infidels
An infidel (literally "unfaithful") is a person accused of disbelief in the central tenets of one's own religion, such as members of another religion, or the irreligious.
Infidel is an ecclesiastical term in Christianity around which the Church ...
shall
repent
Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better.
In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...
in
hell, but in vain
*13-15 God to be worshipped as the Supreme Being
*16-18
Judgment Day shall come suddenly
*19-21 Ungodly men shall have no
intercessor
*22-23 Former infidels destroyed to warn those coming after
* 24-25 Moses called a
sorcerer and a liar
*26-27 He and his followers persecuted by
Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...
and his people
*28 Moses takes refuge in the Lord
*29-30 A true believer espouses the cause of Moses
*31-37 He warns Pharaoh and his people against unbelief
*38-39 Pharaoh orders a tower to be built up to heaven
*40 Pharaoh regards Moses as a liar
*41-47 The true believer exhorts the Egyptians to believe in the God of Moses
*48 God delivers the true believer from the devices of Pharaoh and his people
*49 Pharaoh and his people condemned to hell-fire
*50-53 Infidels shall reproach each other in hell, and call on their keepers for help in vain
*54-55 God assists his apostles in this world and in the next
*56 Moses received the Book of the Law
*57 Muhammad commanded to be patient, and to ask pardon for his sin
* 58 Muhammad to fly for refuge to God against proud infidels
*59 God manifested to creation, but few men understand
*60 The righteous and the evil not equal
*61 The judgment-day sure to come 62 Rejectors of God shall be rejected
*63-66 The true God rejected by ungrateful men
*67-68 The true God alone to be worshipped
*69-70 God the Sovereign Creator of all things
*71-76 The miserable lot of those who reject
the Scriptures
*77 Muhammad to persevere patiently
*78 No apostle ever wrought miracles without God’s permission
*79-81 God revealed in his works of providence
*82-83 Former infidels were destroyed for their unbelief
*84-85 They all repented when too late to avail
Exegesis (
Tafsir
Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...
)
Q40:55
Translation: So be patient, Muhammad Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt Allah with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.
Infallibility is an indispensable attribute of
Islamic Prophet-hood according to Muslims. So according to Muslims, all the Islamic prophets are infallible in the sense that they do not sin or disobey God's orders. Here, God reminds the believers of an important fact to which Muslims must be attentive on the way to God.
References
External links
*
Quran 40Clear Quran translation
Mustafa Khattab is a Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, author, youth mentor, public speaker, imam, and university chaplain. He holds a professional ijâzah in the Ḥafṣ style of recitation. He is known for his translation of the Quran in ...
Q40:1 50+ translations, islamawakened.com
{{Authority control
Ghafir
Islamic theology