fakir

American  

[fuh-keer, fey-ker] / fəˈkɪər, ˈfeɪ kər /

Also faqir,

noun

1. a Muslim or Hindu religious ascetic or mendicant monk commonly considered a wonder-worker.

2. a member of any Islamic religious order; dervish.

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fakir British  

/ fəˈkɪə, ˈfeɪkə, fəˈkɪə /

noun

1. a Muslim ascetic who rejects wordly possessions

2. a Hindu ascetic mendicant or holy man

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Etymology

Origin of fakir

First recorded in 1600–10, fakir is from the Arabic word faqīr “poor”

Explanation

A fakir is a Muslim Sufi holy man or woman who lives on only what he or she gets by begging. A fakir is a kind of wandering Middle Eastern or South Asian monk. Most fakirs follow the Islamic faith, or its more mystical practice, Sufism, though there are also fakirs in Hinduism. As many religions do, Islam places importance on the idea of giving up worldly goods — a fakir owns nothing, only eating what he begs for. In Arabic, in fact, faqir means "poor man." Pronounce fakir with an emphasis on the last syllable, which sounds like "keer."

Example Sentences

In 2022, Fakir released his memoir “I’ll Be There,” about his colorful life at Motown’s peak, and only retired from the group in 2024.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2024

A representative for the family said in a statement that Fakir died of heart failure on Monday.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2024

Fakir D'oudairies tried to challenge but he had too much to do and finished four and a quarter lengths back.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2023

Fakir said Mantashe had sometimes obstructed reforms and, while the obvious solution was to appoint someone else as energy minister, but he was likely to object.

From Reuters • Dec. 22, 2022

It took only a few days to cause the name of Fakir to be completely forgotten, and now Ansar for the men and Ansariat for the women have been adopted throughout the Sudan.

From Ten Years' Captivity in the Mahdi's Camp 1882-1892 by Wingate, F. R.