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• hafiz
  hafiz

  noun

  a title of respect for a Muslim who knows the Quran by heart.
• Hafiz
  Hafiz

  noun

  Shams ud-din Mohammed, c1320–89?, Persian poet.

hafiz

¹ American  

[hah-fiz] / ˈhɑ fɪz /

noun

1. a title of respect for a Muslim who knows the Quran by heart.

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Hafiz ² American  

[hah-fiz] / hɑˈfɪz /

noun

1. Shams ud-din Mohammed, c1320–89?, Persian poet.

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Hafiz ¹ British  

/ ˈhɑːfɪz /

noun

1. Shams al-Din Muhammad (ˌshæmz ælˌdɪn məʊˈhæmɪd). ?1326–90, Persian lyric poet, best known for his many short poems about love and wine, often treated as religious symbols

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hafiz ² British  

/ ˈhɑːfɪz /

noun

1. a title for a person who knows the Koran by heart

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Etymology

Origin of hafiz

First recorded in 1655–65; from Persian, from Arabic ḥāfiẓ literally, “a guard, one who keeps (in memory),” from ḥāfiẓa “to guard, memorize”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hafiz Hafiz

One fighter was a hafiz, someone who has memorized the entire Quran.

From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2021

Around the time Mr. Shekau killed himself, the hafiz began secretly listening to recordings of sermons by imams preaching a completely different, and peaceful, interpretation.

From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2021

In Islam, the hafiz are followers of Muhammed who have memorised the Koran completely.

From Economist ● Nov. 3, 2017

“He’s a hafiz of the Qur’an. Watch your mouth,” she says.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

“Khuda hafiz, Auntie and Uncle. Thank you for having us.”

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

A new speaker, Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, and his deputy, Kayser Kamal, were elected to office.

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

Sameera Hafiz, policy director of the Immigration Legal Resource Center, called the move “very shocking and very concerning.”

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2025

Amjid Hafiz owns Latte Caffe on Abbeydale Road in Sheffield, which has served as a newsagents and sweet shop since it was first built as a toilet.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025

The thing I love about kind internal self-talk is that as you start to bring a little kindness into the equation, you then start to become like one of my favorite Persian poets, Hafiz.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025

In the evening, the Franks were again summoned to pay Hafiz Bey a visit, but neither Mr Lascelles Hamilton nor the accomplished Mohammed, the dragoman of Mr Ringlady, could be found.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 383, September 1847 by Various

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