Quran Universe
38:66

رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَا ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡغَفَّـٰرُ

Rabbu alssamawati waalardi wama baynahuma alAAazeezu alghaffaru

Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver."

Word by word
  1. رَبُّLord
  2. ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ(of) the heavens
  3. وَٱلۡأَرۡضِand the earth
  4. وَمَاand whatever
  5. بَيۡنَهُمَا(is) between them
  6. ٱلۡعَزِيزُthe All-Mighty
  7. ٱلۡغَفَّـٰرُthe Oft-Forgiving
Sad · 38:66Makkah

Lord of the heavens and earth, the Mighty, the Ever-Forgiving.

Power and forgiveness in the same breath

Two names together
Lord of allheavens, earth, between
al-AzizAlmighty
al-GhaffarOft-Forgiving
What power means here
power to crushonly
power to forgiveagain and again

Ibn Kathir says Allah is the Sovereign of all that and in control of it. He is Oft-Forgiving as well as being Almighty. The warning of the Prophet ﷺ comes with an open door.

Your boss has power and uses it to punish mistakes. Maybe you are like that with your kids. Allah's might sits right next to His forgiveness. The One who could crush you keeps forgiving you.

Someone that powerful must be harsh with my mistakes.

The Almighty is also the Ever-Forgiving, so I come back to Him without fear of a closed door.

Try this

Say Ya Ghaffar, forgive me, three times today, thinking of one specific mistake.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 38:65)

Say: "I am only a warner and there is no God (worthy of worship) except Allah the One, the Irresistible, (65)"The Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving. (66)Say: "That is a great news, (67)"From which you turn away! (68)"I had no knowledge of the chiefs (angels) on high when they were disputing and discussing. (69)"Only this has been revealed to me, that I am a plain warner. (70)

The Message of the Messenger ﷺ is a Great News

Allah tells His Messenger ﷺ to say to those who disbelieved in Allah, associated others in worship with Him and denied His Messenger: 'I am a warner, I am not as you claim.'

وَمَا مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

(and there is no God (worthy of worship) except Allah, the One, the Irresistible,) means, He Alone has subjugated and controlled everything.

رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا

(The Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them,) means, He is the Sovereign of all that and is in control of it.

الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ

(the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.) means, He is Oft-Forgiving as well as being Almighty and All-Powerful.

قُلْ هُوَ نَبَأٌ عَظِيمٌ 

(Say: "That (this Qur'an) is a great news,") means, 'something very important, which is that Allah has sent me to you.

أَنْتُمْ عَنْهُ مُعْرِضُونَ 

(From which you turn away!) means, 'you neglect it.'

مَا كَانَ لِيَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ بِالْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلَىٰ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ

(I had no knowledge of the chiefs (angels) on high when they were disputing and discussing.) meaning, 'were it not for the divine revelation, how could I have known about the dispute of the chiefs on high (the angels)?' This refers to their dispute concerning Adam, peace be upon him, and how Iblis refused to prostrate to him and argued with his Lord because He preferred him (Adam) over him. This is what Allah says: