Quran verses by topic

Quran verses about forgiveness, from Allah and from us.

10 verses from the Quran about forgiveness, each in Arabic with transliteration and the Sahih International translation, and a line on its context.

۞ قُلْ يَٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٥٣﴾

Qul yaa'ibaadiyal lazeena asrafoo 'alaaa anfusihim laa taqnatoo mirrahmatil laah; innal laaha yaghfiruz zunooba jamee'aa; innahoo Huwal Ghafoorur Raheem

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."

Said to those who have wronged themselves: do not despair of Allah's mercy, He forgives all sins for those who repent.

وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا ﴿١١٠﴾

Wa mai ya'mal sooo'an aw yazlim nafsahoo summa yastaghfiril laaha yajidil laaha Ghafoorar Raheemaa

And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.

Whoever does wrong or wrongs himself and then asks Allah's forgiveness will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.

وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣٥﴾

Wallazeena izaa fa'aloo faahishatan aw zalamooo anfusahum zakarul laaha fastaghfaroo lizunoobihim; wa mai yaghfiruz zunooba illal laahu wa lam yusirroo 'alaa maa fa'aloo wa hum ya'lamooo

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.

The righteous are those who, when they slip, remember Allah, ask forgiveness and do not persist. Who forgives sins except Allah?

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ ﴿٢٣﴾

Qaalaa Rabbanaa zalamnaaa anfusanaa wa illam taghfir lanaa wa tarhamnaa lanakoonanna minal khaasireen

They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."

The dua of Adam and Hawwa after their mistake: our Lord, we have wronged ourselves.

فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًۭا ﴿١٠﴾

Faqultus taghfiroo Rabakam innahoo kaana Ghaffaaraa

And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.

Nuh to his people: ask forgiveness of your Lord; He is ever Forgiving. The next ayat promise rain, wealth and children.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوْبَةًۭ نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِىَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَٰنِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ ﴿٨﴾

Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aammano toobooo ilal laahi tawbatan nasoohan 'asaa rabbukum any-yukaffira 'ankum sayyi aatikum wa yudkhilakum jannaatin tajree min tahtihal anhaaru yawma laa yukhzil laahun nabiyya wallazeena aamanoo ma'ahoo nooruhum yas'aa baina aydeehim wa bi aymaanihim yaqooloona rabbanaaa atmim lanaa nooranaa waghfir lana innaka 'alaa kulli shai'in qadeer

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. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, "Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent."

Repent to Allah with sincere repentance (tawbah nasuha).

۞ وَسَارِعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿١٣٣﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِى ٱلسَّرَّآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَٱلْكَٰظِمِينَ ٱلْغَيْظَ وَٱلْعَافِينَ عَنِ ٱلنَّاسِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٣٤﴾

Wa saari'ooo ilaa maghfiratim mir Rabbikum wa Jannatin arduhassamaawaatu wal ardu u'iddat lilmuttaqeen Allazeena yunfiqoona fissarraaa'i waddarraaa'i wal kaazimeenal ghaiza wal aafeena 'anin-naas; wallaahu yuhibbul muhsineen

133 And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous 134 Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good;

Hasten to forgiveness and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for those who hold back anger and pardon people.

وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَٱلسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينَ وَٱلْمُهَٰجِرِينَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا۟ وَلْيَصْفَحُوٓا۟ ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٢﴾

Wa laa yaatali ulul fadli minkum wassa'ati ai yu'tooo ulil qurbaa walmasaakeena walmuhaajireena fee sabeelillaahi walya'foo walyasfahoo; alaa tuhibboona ai yaghfiral laahu lakum; wal laahu Ghafoorur Raheem

And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Revealed when Abu Bakr swore to stop supporting a relative who had spoken against Aishah: pardon and overlook; would you not love Allah to forgive you? He resumed it.

وَجَزَٰٓؤُا۟ سَيِّئَةٍۢ سَيِّئَةٌۭ مِّثْلُهَا ۖ فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ﴿٤٠﴾

Wa jazaaa'u saiyi'atin saiyi'tum misluha faman 'afaa wa aslaha fa ajruhoo 'alal laah; innahoo laa yuhibbuz zaalimeen

And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation - his reward is [due] from Allah. Indeed, He does not like wrongdoers.

The repayment of a wrong is its like, but whoever pardons and makes peace, his reward is with Allah.

۞ نَبِّئْ عِبَادِىٓ أَنِّىٓ أَنَا ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٤٩﴾

Nabbi' 'ibaadeee annneee anal Ghafoorur Raheem

[O Muhammad], inform My servants that it is I who am the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Tell My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Arabic: Tanzil, Uthmani script. English: Sahih International. Context notes are ours, drawn from the classical tafsir. Tap ▶ to hear a verse.

Guide

About these verses, and how to use them.

The Quran speaks of forgiveness in two directions: Allah's forgiveness of His servants, which no sin is too big for, and our forgiveness of each other, which Allah ties to His own. The most hopeful ayah, many scholars say, is 39:53: do not despair of the mercy of Allah, for He forgives all sins.

The 10 verses on this page

39:53, 4:110, 3:135, 7:23, 71:10, 66:8, 3:133-134, 24:22, 42:40, 15:49. Tap a reference to open that ayah with the verses around it, or read the full surah.

Other topics: trust in Allah (tawakkul), patience, women, life, death, parents, marriage, hardship and ease, rizq (provision), mercy, gratitude, Ramadan and fasting, peace, motivation, blessings and barakah, the signs of Allah in creation.

Questions

Good to know.

What is the most hopeful ayah about forgiveness?

Many scholars say 39:53: "Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins."

Does Allah forgive every sin?

Every sin a person sincerely repents from before death, including shirk. 4:48 says shirk is not forgiven for one who dies upon it.

What does the Quran say about forgiving others?

To pardon and overlook, because we too want Allah to forgive us (24:22), and that the reward for pardoning is with Allah (42:40).