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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”

Example Sentences

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

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

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

“Khuda hafiz, beti,” Salma Auntie says to me.

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

He was a hafiz, one who knows the Qur’an by heart, and he sang it in a slow, simple chant.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel