Khuda Hafiz
Persian parting phrase
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Khuda Hafiz (Persian: خدا حافظ, romanized: Xòdā Ḥāfiẓ, lit. 'God be your guardian'), also known as Khudafiz, is a common parting phrase originating from the Persian language.
It is most commonly used in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and in the Indian subcontinent (mostly by Muslims),[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 Iranian heritage.
Meaning
The meaning is translated as: "God be your guardian". Khuda, which is Persian for God, and hafiz which is the Arabic word for "protector" or "guardian".[4] The vernacular translation is, "goodbye". The phrase is used widely in Indo-Iranian and other nearby langauges.[4][5] It also can be defined as: "may God be your protector".
Other transliterations also include Khudā Hāfiz, Khodâ Hâfez, Khudā Hāfez and Khodā Hāfiz. The English term "goodbye" (which is a contraction of God be with ye) has similar meanings.[6]
Variations
A variation of this Khuda Hafiz includes Allah Hafiz which became prevalent in Pakistan after Pakistani Prime Minister Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization[1] and in Bangladesh; in a way to counter Persianate influence and focus more on Arabic-oriented Islamic influence.
In Pakistan, this variation was used as a counter to the original Khuda Hafiz. Despite the word Allah being Arabic, it is not used as a parting phrase in the Arab world, where Ma'a Salamah (مع ٱسلامة) is said.[1]
