Quran verses about forgiveness
Forgiveness runs in two directions in the Quran. One is Allah's forgiveness of people. He is called al-Ghafur and al-Ghaffar, the one who forgives again and again, and the Quran keeps inviting people to ask for it, istighfar, no matter what they have done. Adam and his wife, and later Moses (Musa), are shown doing exactly this.
The other direction is people forgiving each other. The Quran uses several words here: 'afw, pardoning, safh, overlooking, and maghfira, covering a wrong. It praises those who restrain their anger and forgive, and in 24:22 it links the two directions directly, asking whether people would not love for Allah to forgive them. The verses below begin with Allah's forgiveness and how to seek it, then turn to forgiving others.
۞قُلۡ يَٰعِبَادِيَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسۡرَفُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُواْ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًاۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٥٣﴾
Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves: do not despair of Allah’s mercy, for Allah forgives all sins. He is indeed the Forgiver, the Clement.”
Az-Zumar 39:53 Allah tells those who have wronged themselves not to despair, because He forgives all sins.
وَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ سُوٓءًا أَوۡ يَظۡلِمۡ نَفۡسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسۡتَغۡفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمٗا ﴿١١٠﴾
Whoever commits evil, or wrongs his soul, then implores Allah for forgiveness, will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
An-Nisa 4:110 Whoever does wrong or harms themselves and then sincerely asks Allah for forgiveness will find Him forgiving and merciful.
وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَٰحِشَةً أَوۡ ظَلَمُوٓاْ أَنفُسَهُمۡ ذَكَرُواْ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسۡتَغۡفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمۡ وَمَن يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمۡ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُونَ ﴿١٣٥﴾ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم مَّغۡفِرَةࣱ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَجَنَّـٰتࣱ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَاۚ وَنِعۡمَ أَجۡرُ ٱلۡعَٰمِلِينَ ﴿١٣٦﴾
135And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins—and who forgives sins except Allah? And they do not persist in their wrongdoing while they know. 136Those—their reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever. How excellent is the reward of the workers.
Ali 'Imran 3:135–136 The righteous are described as people who, when they slip, remember Allah, ask forgiveness and do not persist in the wrong. Their reward is forgiveness and gardens.
قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ ﴿٢٣﴾
They said, “Our Lord, we have done wrong to ourselves. Unless You forgive us, and have mercy on us, we will be among the losers.”
Al-A'raf 7:23 After eating from the tree, Adam and his wife admit they have wronged themselves and ask Allah to forgive them and have mercy on them.
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمۡتُ نَفۡسِي فَٱغۡفِرۡ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُۥٓۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿١٦﴾
He said, “My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.” So He forgave him. He is the Forgiver, the Merciful.
Al-Qasas 28:16 After a man died from his blow, Moses admits he has wronged himself and asks forgiveness, and the verse says Allah forgave him.
فَقُلۡتُ ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارٗا ﴿١٠﴾
I said, ‘Ask your Lord for forgiveness; He is Forgiving.
Nuh 71:10 The prophet Noah (Nuh) urges his people to ask their Lord for forgiveness, reminding them that He is forgiving.
۞وَسَارِعُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ مَغۡفِرَةٖ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرۡضُهَا ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتُ وَٱلۡأَرۡضُ أُعِدَّتۡ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ ﴿١٣٣﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي ٱلسَّرَّآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَٱلۡكَٰظِمِينَ ٱلۡغَيۡظَ وَٱلۡعَافِينَ عَنِ ٱلنَّاسِۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ ﴿١٣٤﴾
133And race towards forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous. 134Those who give in prosperity and adversity, and those who restrain anger, and those who forgive people. Allah loves the doers of good.
Ali 'Imran 3:133–134 Believers are told to race toward their Lord's forgiveness, and among the qualities of those who reach it are holding back anger and forgiving people.
وَلَا يَأۡتَلِ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡفَضۡلِ مِنكُمۡ وَٱلسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤۡتُوٓاْ أُوْلِي ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَٱلۡمَسَٰكِينَ وَٱلۡمُهَٰجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۖ وَلۡيَعۡفُواْ وَلۡيَصۡفَحُوٓاْۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغۡفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورࣱ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٢﴾
Those of you who have affluence and means should not refuse to give to the relatives, and the needy, and the emigrants for the sake of Allah. And let them pardon, and let them overlook. Do you not love for Allah to pardon you? Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
An-Nur 24:22 Those with means are asked not to cut off help to relatives and the needy over a wrong, but to pardon and overlook, since they too would love Allah to forgive them.
وَجَزَـٰٓؤُاْ سَيِّئَةٖ سَيِّئَةࣱ مِّثۡلُهَاۖ فَمَنۡ عَفَا وَأَصۡلَحَ فَأَجۡرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ﴿٤٠﴾
The repayment of a bad action is one equivalent to it. But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward lies with Allah. He does not love the unjust.
Ash-Shura 42:40 A wrong may be answered by its equal, but whoever pardons and makes peace will have their reward from Allah.
وَلَمَن صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمِنۡ عَزۡمِ ٱلۡأُمُورِ ﴿٤٣﴾
But whoever endures patiently and forgives—that is a sign of real resolve.
Ash-Shura 42:43 Bearing a wrong patiently and forgiving it is described as a sign of real strength of resolve.
خُذِ ٱلۡعَفۡوَ وَأۡمُرۡ بِٱلۡعُرۡفِ وَأَعۡرِضۡ عَنِ ٱلۡجَٰهِلِينَ ﴿١٩٩﴾
Be tolerant, and command decency, and avoid the ignorant.
Al-A'raf 7:199 A short instruction to be tolerant, to call to what is good, and to turn away from those who act ignorantly.
وَمَا خَلَقۡنَا ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ لَأٓتِيَةࣱۖ فَٱصۡفَحِ ٱلصَّفۡحَ ٱلۡجَمِيلَ ﴿٨٥﴾
We did not create the heavens and the earth, and what lies between them, except with truth. The Hour is coming, so forgive with gracious forgiveness.
Al-Hijr 15:85 Because the Hour is certainly coming, the Prophet ﷺ is told to forgive with a gracious forgiveness.
قَالَ لَا تَثۡرِيبَ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَۖ يَغۡفِرُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡۖ وَهُوَ أَرۡحَمُ ٱلرَّـٰحِمِينَ ﴿٩٢﴾
He said, “There is no blame upon you today. Allah will forgive you. He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.”
Yusuf 12:92 Joseph (Yusuf), face to face with the brothers who threw him into a well, tells them there is no blame on them and prays that Allah forgive them.
The Quran keeps these two kinds of forgiveness close together. Asking Allah to forgive you can soften how you see others, and letting go of a wrong done to you can make it easier to believe you will be forgiven too. Neither has to happen all at once. A sincere request, made again tomorrow if needed, is what these verses ask for.
Questions
Does Allah forgive all sins?
In 39:53 Allah says He forgives all sins and tells people not to despair of His mercy. The Quran ties this to turning back to Him sincerely, as in 4:110 and 25:70.
What does the Quran say about forgiving others?
It praises those who pardon and overlook (24:22, 42:40, 42:43) and describes holding back anger and forgiving people as a quality of the righteous (3:134).
What is istighfar?
Istighfar means asking Allah for forgiveness. The Quran shows prophets doing it, such as Adam in 7:23 and Moses in 28:16, and Noah urges his people to do it in 71:10.