The word · The heart
العَفْو
'Afw
Pardon: dropping a wrong you are owed, without the other person having to earn it.
Also written · Afw · Afu · Afuw · Al-Afuww · Safh · Pardon · Forgiveness · Forgiving others · Letting go of a wrong · Excusing people
The meaning
What 'Afw means in Islam
The Qur'an asks whether you would not love Allah to forgive you, in the middle of telling a wronged man to pardon (Qur'an 24:22), and says the reward of the one who pardons and reconciles is with Allah (Qur'an 42:40). Scholars distinguish 'afw, letting the debt go, from safh, letting the resentment go with it. The Prophet peace be upon him said Allah only increases a servant in honour for pardoning, in Muslim.
Evidence · Qur’an · Stated directly in the Qur’an
Read beside it
Words that sit beside it
- HilmForbearance: the strength to stay calm and unhurried when you have every right to react.الحِلْم
- RahmahMercy: the disposition to spare, relieve and be gentle, in Allah first and in people after.الرَّحْمَة
- GhadabAnger, which is not a sin in itself, and is judged by what a person does while holding it.الغَضَب
- HasadEnvy: wishing a blessing would leave someone, rather than wishing you had one too.الحَسَد
More from The heart
- 'AynThe evil eye: real harm that can follow an admiring or an envious look.العَيْن
- GhibahMentioning something about a person, behind their back, that they would dislike hearing.الغِيبَة
- KhawfFear of Allah: the awareness of His justice that keeps a person from walking off the edge.الخَوْف
- NasihahSincere advice: wanting good for someone and telling them, privately and without an audience.النَّصِيحَة
- SakinahA stillness Allah sends down into the heart, usually at the moment it is least expected.السَّكِينَة
- TamimahAn amulet worn for protection, whose ruling depends on what has been put inside it.التَّمِيمَة