Al-Ghaffar — The Great Forgiver
الْغَفَّارُ
Name 14 of the ninety-nine. The One who forgives the sins of His slaves time and time again
Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ is Al-Ghaffar (in Arabic: ٱلْغَفَّارُ), He sees our sins and disobedience, yet He still forgives and accepts the repentance of the sincere.
The root
From the root ghayn-fa-ra (غ ف ر), which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to cover, veil, conceal, hide to pardon, to forgive, to set aright, to cover a thing, to protect it from dirt.
Reflection
[2] The lesson behind this is not to conceal unlawful acts from authorities per se but rather to serve as a reminder to avoid searching for the ugliness in people. Some people actively look, and when they find it, they are delighted. They have an inherent distrust in people, and so when their suspicion is confirmed - they are pleased.
Others may find pleasure in seeing the fault in others as a way to avoid dealing with their deficiencies. What is better for the believer is to look for the good, just as Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ wants to forgive His servants. , to seek His forgiveness and to be better because of it. We should give people the same opportunity.
It does take being vulnerable to some extent, but that is not a weakness. Lead with love, trust, and compassion. Only once your kindness is taken advantage of should you review your terms of interaction with that particular individual. Be oft-forgiving and avoid growing bitter towards humanity at large.
Where it appears
[1] Riyad as-Salihin 442,[2] Sahih Muslim 2590b & Sahih (Al-Albani) Sunan Abi Dawud 4893