Al-Ghafur is the All-Forgiving — from gh-f-r (غفر), meaning to cover and conceal a defect, like a coat of paint over a cracked wall that makes it as if the crack never existed. Unlike Al-Ghaffar which emphasizes the frequency of forgiveness, Al-Ghafur emphasizes the completeness and depth of each act of forgiveness — not a partial covering but a total concealment. The Quran often pairs this name with Ar-Raheem: the forgiveness and the mercy work together, so that after the sin is covered, the mercy of Ar-Raheem fills the space where shame used to live. Al-Ghafur's forgiveness is not a reluctant concession — the Quran repeatedly describes forgiveness as something Allah loves to give.