Arabic root

غ-ف-ر

Ghayn-Fa-Ra

6 words from this root family

About this root

Ghayn-Fa-Ra (غ-ف-ر) has 6 words in the Fahm dictionary: ghafūr (forgiving / oft-forgiving), istighfār (seeking forgiveness), ghafara (he forgave / he pardoned), istaghfara (he sought forgiveness), and 2 more.

In the Quran, words built on this root occur 234 times in 202 verses, across 56 of the 114 suras. The first is in 2:58. The form غَفُورٌ (forgiving / oft-forgiving) accounts for 91 of them.

Themes: Quranic

Words from this root

Word	Meaning	Type	In the Quran	Taught in
غَفُورٌ ghafūr	forgiving / oft-forgiving	adjective, A2	91×	Creation and Nature
اسْتِغْفَارٌ istighfār	seeking forgiveness	noun, B1	1×	Advanced Quranic Vocabulary
غَفَرَ ghafara	he forgave / he pardoned	verb, A1	65×	Quranic Verbs of Action
اسْتَغْفَرَ istaghfara	he sought forgiveness	verb, A2	40×	Quranic Verbs of Action
غُفْرَانٌ ghufrān	forgiveness / pardon	noun, B1	1×	Character, Community, and Worship
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ astaghfiru Allāh	I seek forgiveness from God	phrase, A1		Particles and Key Phrases

“In the Quran” counts every occurrence of that dictionary form, in any of its senses.

In the Quran

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ٱدْخُلُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا وَٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُولُوا۟ حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَـٰيَـٰكُمْ ۚ وَسَنَزِيدُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

And when We said: Go into this township and eat freely of that which is therein, and enter the gate prostrate, and say: "Repentance." We will forgive you your sins and will increase (reward) for the right-doers.

Quran 2:58

إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swineflesh, and that which hath been immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Quran 2:173

ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Then hasten onward from the place whence the multitude hasteneth onward, and ask forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Quran 2:199

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Uthmani 1.1), CC BY 3.0, tanzil.net. English: Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain, via Project Gutenberg. Counts and verse choice: Quranic Arabic Corpus morphology data (corpus.quran.com).

Word cards with examples

A2adjective

غَفُورٌ

ghafūr

forgiving / oft-forgiving

Example

نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

nabbiʾ ʿibādī annī ana al-ghafūru ar-raḥīm

Inform My servants that it is I who am the Forgiving, the Merciful (15:49)

Root: غ-ف-ر Quranic

Grammar

Intensive adjective (فَعُول pattern). Related: مَغْفِرَةٌ (forgiveness), غَافِرٌ (one who forgives), اسْتِغْفَارٌ (seeking forgiveness). Pattern indicates habitual, abundant action.

Culture

Al-Ghafūr (The Oft-Forgiving) appears 91 times in the Quran, usually paired with Ar-Raḥīm. God's forgiveness is emphasized as vast and always available to the sincere.

B1noun

اسْتِغْفَارٌ

istighfār

seeking forgiveness

Example

وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ

wa-mā kāna Allāhu muʿadhdhibahum wa-hum yastaghfirūn

But Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness (8:33)

Root: غ-ف-ر Quranic

Grammar

Masculine verbal noun (maṣdar) of اسْتَغْفَرَ (Form X = to seek forgiveness). The Form X pattern indicates seeking/requesting the root meaning. Here: seeking God's ghufr (covering/forgiveness).

Culture

Istighfār is a constant practice for Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ reportedly sought God's forgiveness over 70 times daily. The simple formula is 'Astaghfiru Allāh' (I seek God's forgiveness).

A1verb

غَفَرَ

ghafara

he forgave / he pardoned

Example

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا

rabbanā ighfir lanā dhunūbanā

Our Lord, forgive us our sins (3:147)

Root: غ-ف-ر Quranic

Grammar

Form I verb. Imperative: اِغْفِرْ (forgive!). Noun: مَغْفِرَةٌ (forgiveness). Related names: الْغَفُورُ, الْغَفَّارُ (the Forgiving).

Culture

Seeking God's forgiveness (istighfār) is one of the most emphasized acts of worship in Islam.

A2verb

اسْتَغْفَرَ

istaghfara

he sought forgiveness

Example

وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ

wastaghfirū rabbakum thumma tūbū ilayh

And ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him (11:3)

Root: غ-ف-ر Quranic

Grammar

Form X verb (اِسْتَفْعَلَ, seeking pattern). Imperative: اِسْتَغْفِرْ. Maṣdar: اِسْتِغْفَارٌ (q147). Used with direct object (اللَّه/رَبّ).

Culture

Istighfār is recommended at all times. The Prophet ﷺ said he sought forgiveness more than 70 times daily. Often paired with tawbah.

B1noun

غُفْرَانٌ

ghufrān

forgiveness / pardon

Example

غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

ghufrānaka rabbanā wa-ilayka al-maṣīr

We seek Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the destination (2:285)

Root: غ-ف-ر Quranic

Grammar

Masculine noun (fuʿlān pattern, maṣdar). From غَفَرَ (q175). Used in the accusative as a direct object of an implied verb: نَسْأَلُكَ غُفْرَانَكَ (we ask Your forgiveness).

Culture

This duʿāʾ from the last verses of Surah al-Baqarah is recited by Muslims nightly. Acknowledging the need for divine forgiveness is central to Islamic spirituality.

A1phrase

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ

astaghfiru Allāh