عَفَاmay pardon

Example sentences

• إِنْ تَكُنْ خُنْتَنَا فَعَنْكَ عَفَا اللَّهُ وَإِنْ كُنْتُ خُنْتُكُمْ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

  If you betrayed us, may God forgive you; and if I betrayed you, forgive me.

  عَفَا — may pardon. A past-tense verb with its 'he' subject built in, read here as a prayer 'may He forgive', a common use of the past form for invoking a wish. It delivers the consequence of the first 'if'. Person and tense ride inside.

  From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →