Forgiveness, in Islam, is a virtue of immense magnitude and a characteristic highly encouraged amongst believers. Through forgiveness, we can liberate our hearts from the shackles of resentment, as well as emulate the merciful nature of Allah (SWT), our Creator and Sustainer. This blog post gathers 25 powerful quotes and sayings on forgiveness in Islam, from the Holy Quran, Hadith, and Islamic scholars, to emphasize the essence of mercy in our daily lives and the beauty of Islam. By instilling these teachings, we may become people of virtue, evoking Allah’s mercy and forgiveness.
Indeed, in the vast ocean of Islamic wisdom and teachings, Allah’s forgiveness shines as a beacon of hope. This divine mercy is described as being greater than His wrath, a comforting reminder that no matter the magnitude of our mistakes, there’s always a path to seek and attain His forgiveness.
Understanding this principle is not a license to sin but a call to humility, constant repentance, and continuous efforts in improving ourselves. As we reflect on Allah’s boundless mercy, let’s keep in mind that each of us, as human beings, are prone to errors and sins. Yet, Allah (SWT), the Most Merciful, is always ready to accept our sincere repentance.
As we delve into these beautiful quotes about forgiveness, remember, they serve as a gentle nudge to turn back to Allah, seek His forgiveness, and strive to extend the same mercy and forgiveness to others in our lives. As Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stated, “Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish” (Quran 7:199).
Quotes on Forgiveness in Islam
Here are some of the most powerful quotes and sayings about forgiveness in Islam, sourced from the Holy Quran, Hadiths, and notable Islamic scholars:
English: “Say, O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
Arabic: (قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ)
Quran 39:53 (Surah Az-Zumar)
“Allah’s Apostle said, ‘Allah says, O son of Adam, as long as you invoke Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you.'”
Hadith Sahih Bukhari
English: “Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.”
Arabic: (إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ)
Quran 2:222 (Surah Al-Baqarah):
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you.”
Hadith Qudsi 34
English: “And cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. And invoke Him in fear and aspiration. Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.”
Arabic: (وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَا وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ)
Quran 7:56 (Surah Al-A’raf)
English: “But if you pardon and overlook and forgive – then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
Arabic: (فَإِن تَعْفُوا وَتَصْفَحُوا وَتَغْفِرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ)
Quran 64:14 (Surah At-Taghabun)
“The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: ‘The one who repents from sin is like the one who did not sin.'”
Hadith Sahih Bukhari:
English: “And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins – and who can forgive sins except Allah? – and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.”
Arabic: (وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ)
Quran 3:135 (Surah Al-Imran)
English: “Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said: ‘Every son of Adam sins, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.'”
Hadith Tirmidhi
English: “Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.”
Arabic: (إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا)
Quran 25:70 (Surah Al-Furqan)
“The person who is most forgiving is closest to Allah.
Saying by Imam Ali:
“The Prophet (PBUH) said, ‘Indeed, when Allah created mercy, he created it in one hundred parts. He held ninety-nine parts back and sent one part to the world. From this one part, creatures deal with one another with compassion so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it.'”
Hadith Ibn Majah
English: “If you do good openly or do it in secret or pardon an evil then surely Allah is Pardoning, Powerful.”
Arabic: (إِن تُبْدُوا خَيْرًا أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ أَوْ تَعْفُوا عَن سُوءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّا قَدِيرًا)
Quran 4:149 (Surah An-Nisa)
“Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, ‘He who does not show mercy to others, will not be shown mercy.'”
Hadith Sahih Muslim
English: “But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.”
Arabic: (وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَىٰ)
Quran 20:82 (Surah Ta-Ha)
“The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ‘Be merciful to others and you will receive mercy. Forgive others and Allah will forgive you.'”
Hadith Sahih Bukhari
English: “And let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
Arabic: (وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ)
Quran 24:22 (Surah An-Nur)
English: “And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous.”
Arabic: (وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ)
Quran 3:133 (Surah Al-Imran)
“Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘By Him in whose hand is my soul, if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who would sin and they would seek the forgiveness of Allah and He would forgive them.'”
Hadith Sahih Muslim
English: “And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.”
Arabic: (وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ يَجِدِ اللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا)
Quran 4:110 (Surah An-Nisa)
“By Allah, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than a person who has his camel in a waterless desert carrying his provision of food and drink and it is lost. He, having lost all hopes (to get that back), lies down in shade and is disappointed about his camel; when all of a sudden he finds that camel standing before him. He takes hold of its reins and then out of boundless joy blurts out: ‘O Allah, You are my servant and I am Your Lord.’ He commits this mistake out of extreme joy.”
Hadith Sahih Bukhari
English: “O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him.”
Arabic: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخ
Quran 66:8 (Surah At-Tahrim)
“Ask forgiveness for your sin and also for ignorance in your health and in your illness.”
Imam Ghazali
“Do not despair of the mercy of Allah, for surely no one despairs of Allah’s mercy, except the unbelieving people.”
Imam Ghazali
“Forgiveness Is The Fragrance Flowers Give When They Are Crushed…“
Rumi
Remember, the mercy of Allah is vast and His forgiveness is always within reach for those who sincerely repent and strive to correct their ways. These quotes serve as constant reminders of the forgiving and merciful nature of our Almighty Creator, urging us to embody the same virtues in our interactions with others.
In the end, it’s worth remembering that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has taught us the essence of forgiveness and its role in our daily lives. We, as believers, must strive to maintain the balance between hope in Allah’s mercy and fear of His retribution.
We all make mistakes and commit sins, be they major or minor, but the beauty of Islam lies in our ability to turn back to our Creator, seek His forgiveness, and correct our ways.
Recall the conquest of Mecca, where our Prophet showed unprecedented forgiveness, paving the way for many to embrace the truth of Islam. Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) embodied mercy, and his life was a living Quranic verse demonstrating the power of forgiveness.
Let us be mindful that with every sunrise is a new opportunity to seek Allah’s forgiveness, to shed past sins, and to open the door of repentance. Indeed, the best way to express gratitude for the blessing of good health and life that Allah SWT has bestowed upon us is through obedience, repentance, and the constant pursuit of doing good deeds for the cause of Allah.
May Allah, the Most Forgiving, shower His mercy upon us, guide us to the right path, and grant us the strength to overcome our bad habits. In the eyes of Allah, the quality of mercy is paramount, and every sin, every mistake, and every evil act is an opportunity for us to grow, learn, and draw closer to our Creator.
May Allah enable us to embody forgiveness in our lives as our beloved Prophet did. May we remember these powerful Duas and Quranic verses about forgiveness and incorporate them into our daily lives. The path to forgiveness is always open.
Ya Allah, we seek Your mercy and Your forgiveness. Ameen.”And Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.” (Surah Al-Anfal, 8:33)
Remember, the forgiveness of Allah is broader than the clouds of the sky and deeper than the oceans. It is upon us to seek it sincerely and live a life that is pleasing to our Almighty Allah.
Read more: Beautiful Islamic quotes about Patience
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