The Intended Meaning of Forgetting Allah (Mighty and Majestic)

Question:
He, the Exalted, said, addressing the disbelievers while they are in the Fire: (So today We will forget you as you forgot the meeting of this day of yours). And He, the Exalted, said in another verse: (In a Record in which there is no error and no forgetting for my Lord). How do we reconcile these two verses?

Answer:
The meaning of the forgetting mentioned in the two verses is different. The forgetting that Allah negated for Himself is the forgetting that means heedlessness and distraction, and Allah, the Exalted, is free from that, because it is a defect and a flaw. As for the forgetting affirmed for Allah in His saying, the Exalted: (They forgot Allah, so He forgot them) [Al-Tawbah: 67], its meaning is that He left them in their misguidance and turned away from them. This is a matter of reciprocity and recompense, for when they abandoned His commands and turned away from His religion, Allah left them and turned away from them. The word "forgetting" is a shared term that is interpreted in each context according to its specific circumstances and linguistic implications. This is similar to how the Exalted is described as taking revenge on those who plot against Him, mocking those who mock, and ridiculing those who ridicule. All of this is a matter of recompense and reciprocity, and it is justice and perfection from Him, the Exalted.