Divine Name Retreat: Ya Ghaffar

Bismillahirahmanirahim 

Beloved Shaykha Amina, Circle Guides and Companions in the Heart of Love 

Blessed Feast of Passover Pesach when the Angel of Death passed over the houses of the Community of Moses in Egypt

Blessed Day of Palm Sunday when Issa, alayhi salam, re-entered Jerusalem for his final teachings and his ascension to God

Blessed Dawning of the Day of Complete Forgiveness, forgiveness promised by the All Merciful to the Prophet Muhammad, saws, for all people

Blessings upon all the Prophetic Communities

We awake today after participating in the three full-moon nights of prayer, asking forgiveness for ourselves and for all human beings, together with the beloved Prophet Muhammad, may he be showered in the downpours of Divine Mercy. The beloved of Allah was invited to pray on these nights of the full moon of Shaban for the forgiveness of all humanity. In the dawn following the first night, Archangel Gabriel, peace be upon him, brought news from Allah that one third of the Ummat was forgiven. The heart of the tender Prophet was not satisfied and so he prayed fervently the second night, pleading with his Lord for absolving human beings of their egregious errors. In the dawn of the second day the Archangel returned with the news that two thirds of humanity was completely forgiven. And yet the intercessor for all humanity could not find peace with this news. And so he returned to begging his Lord and Lover on the third night for what was essential to him, the reason for his coming into the world, and that was for every single human being to find forgiveness and peace with their Creator. For all souls to return Home. At dawn of the third day his tender, burning heart rejoiced. Archangel Gabriel came with the glorious news that his prayers were granted by the Lover of humanity, the All Merciful Forgiver, Allah the Exalted. All humanity was to be forgiven.

Alhamdulillah! Alhamdulillah! Alhamdulillah!

How blessed to be part of this humanity who are completely forgiven by the All Gracious One! What a miracle to know that the ultimate fulfillment of our lives is rooted in the intercession of the Prophet of mercy. We are now invited to envision a drop of what this means - the complete forgiveness of all human beings no matter what kind of lives they have led. The forgiveness is promised by the True…the way and timing of it manifests uniquely for each. Some are threatened with the Fire of purification before they can manifest the fullness of forgiveness, even though essentially they are forgiven. During the lifetime of the Prophet, pbuh, Allah declared that those who had fought on the blessed side of the Prophet in the battle of Badr were completely forgiven, in advance, for all their actions for the rest of their lives.  All humanity has received this same news - on this morning of the third night of the full moon of Shaban and also in the Generous Koran. “Tell My servants that I am truly the One Who Forgives all wrongs and I am the Most Loving and Merciful.” (15:49)

How we receive this knowledge, whether we can even absorb it, and how we live it and give thanks for it and offer it to others is unique in each of us. 

Today we are invited to contemplate our new Beautiful Name, Ya Ghaffar, O Forgiver, O One Who Forgives all Wrongs and brings all beings back into Your Pleasure.

Let us begin our contemplation with the vision given to Allah’s beloved on the night of his ascension.  As recounted by Shaykh Muzaffer in Irshad:

Our Master reached the station of Two Bow Lengths. There he saw a huge chest made of light, on which there was a lock, also made of light. Our Master said: “My Lord, what does this great chest of light contain? I would like to see. Where is the key to it?” 

The Lord of Glory responded:

O My Messenger, the key to it is in you. It opens with ‘La ilahe ilallah Muhammad Rasulallah.’ Our Master then made this affirmation of Divine Unity and the box of light opened. Inside an infinite ocean was visible. Within the ocean was an island and on the island a tree and on the tree a bird was perched. On the bird’s claw there was a small piece of mud.

The Messenger inquired, ‘O Lord, what do these signs represent?’ The Lord and Lover of humanity answered, ‘My beloved, that infinite ocean is My Mercy, that bird is your Community, and the mud on the bird’s claw represents the wrong-doings committed by your Community. Compared to My Mercy their wrong-doings are no greater than the mud on the claw of the bird. When compared to the Ocean of My Mercy their wrong-doings are no greater than an atom. Just as a piece of mud will disappear when it falls into the sea, their offences are as nothing compared to My Mercy. I am the Most Merciful of the Merciful, I am All Forgiving and All Generous.’

Let us gaze with the beloved of Allah onto the infinite Ocean of Divine Mercy so that we can have a taste of Ya Ghaffar.

In the next letter we will look at some of the insights given by the friends of Allah onto this Beautiful Name.

We should not have the feeling that we are leaving the Name Ya Nur to proceed to Ya Ghaffar, rather we are gathering more Names, like petals on a rose of light that we pick and place in our heart, each petal enriching and illuminating the others.  

Ya Nur, Ya Rahman, Ya Ghaffar  Ya Huuu