Khuda Hafiz (Persian: خداحافظ, romanized: Khodâ Hâfez), Pashto: خداۍ حافظ (khuday hafiz), Bengali: খোদা হাফেজ (Khoda Hafej), Urdu: خُدا حافِظ, Hindi: ख़ुदा हाफ़िज़, (Xudā Hāfiz), Kurdish: خودا حافیز, (kẖwạ ḥạfy̰z), Azerbaijani: Xüdafiz), is a common parting phrase originating in the Persian language. It is most commonly used in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and in South Asia,[1] where it is also sometimes used by non-Muslims including some Christians and Parsis.[2][3] Additionally it is also used by some Azeris, Kurds, and Jews of recent Iranian heritage.[4]
In Persian it is colloquially often shortened to Khodafez.
Meaning edit
Literally translated it is: "May God be your Guardian". Khoda, which is Persian for God, and hāfiz in Arabic means "protector" or “guardian”.[5] The vernacular translation is, "Good-bye". The phrase is also used in the Azerbaijani, Sindhi, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali and Punjabi languages.[5][6] It also can be defined as "May God be your protector."
Romanization edit
Transliterations may also include Khudā Hāfiz, Khudā Hāfez, and Khodā Hāfiz. One would traditionally respond with replying Khudā Hāfiz. Khuda Hafiz and the English term Goodbye have similar meanings. Goodbye is a contraction of "God be with ye".[7]
Variations edit
A variation of this includes Allah Hāfiz which became prevalent in Pakistan after Islamization[1] and in Bangladesh since Islam is more related to Arabic than Persian as the Qur'an is written in Arabic. In Pakistan, this variation was used as a counter to the original Khuda Hāfiz. Despite the word Allah being Arabic, Allah Hāfiz is not used as a parting phrase in the Arab world, where Ma'a Salamah is said.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c Ali, Syed Hamad (17 April 2012). "In Pakistan, saying goodbye can be a religious statement". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Allah Hafiz instead of Khuda Hafiz, that's the worrying new mantra". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
- ^ Shamim, Almas Kiran (7 June 2011). "Allah Hafiz vs. Khuda Hafiz". Two Circles. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ "khodafez - Jewish English Lexicon". jel.jewish-languages.org. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Khuda". Digital Dictionaries of South Asia: A dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
- ^ "Hai Khuda Hafiz". Hindi Lyrix. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
- ^ "good-bye. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary". dictionary.com. Retrieved 29 April 2015.