The rise of the ‘Allah Hafizites’....

Society Religion & Philosophy
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The rise of the ‘Allah Hafizites’! —Khaled Ahmed

A former UN official Mahfuzur Rehman wrote in “The Daily Star” (18 November 2003) of Dhaka that “many signboards, especially those at the boundaries of local administrative districts, that not so long ago wished Khoda Hafez to the exiting travellers, now say Allah Hafez instead.

“A great wave of Allah Hafez is sweeping Khoda Hafez aside in Bangladesh. Say Khoda Hafez as a parting wish to a friend and you can now be sure to receive an Allah Hafez in return. My brother, cousins, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, one and all, reel off an Allah Hafez to my Khoda Hafez.

“A close relative of mine glared at me the other day and solemnly proclaimed: ‘To say Khoda Hafez is act of gunah’. Five-year-olds have returned my Khoda Hafez with a defiant Allah Hafez. And, yes, television and newscasters now end their news bulletin with Allah Hafez. Ministers and political leaders never fail to end their speeches with Allah Hafez.”

So a wave of something or the other is sweeping across Bangladesh. And Mr Rehman doesn’t like it. He thinks Khuda Hafiz is still okay. Since he is an erudite man he tells us in the article that Allah comes from Ilah and is pre-Islamic. The father of the Prophet PBUH was named Abdullah (servant of Allah).

He also gives us the etymology of khuda and says it means self-created, which makes it very close to the description Allah gives of Himself. He says it is Persian and is put together with an Arabic hafiz, which may have put off the rising pietist of Bangladesh.

In Persian khuda is also used for lord of any sort. Boatman is nakhuda (na is actually nao meaning boat). Katkhuda is master of the house since kat (or kad) means home in Persian. (It goes back to the root that made cottage in English and kuttya in Urdu.) In wedding invitations we somehow think that the word nakat-khuda appended before the name of the bride denotes her virginity. The dictionary says it means unmarried woman. In Pakistan too the Allah Hafizites are on the upswing. This is the baggage of piety of Islamisation and aggressive jihad. But I suppose Bangladesh beats us in intensity. There the pro-Pakistan Bangladesh National Party of Khaleda Zia uses Allah Hafiz; and the pro-India Awami League still uses Khuda Hafiz!

Columnist Rehman says outlawing khuda would lead to the bowdlerisation of Nazrul Islam’s poetry in Bangladesh, which will be tantamount to censoring Allama Iqbal in Pakistan. In fact, in Pakistan, it will lead to more terrible consequences. We will have to rewrite our national anthem!

We used to write Khuda-dad on our banknotes to describe how we got our republic, but we have amended that to remove khuda. Pakistan itself is Persian. (Pak in Persian means pure and today’s mood is for Arabic.) The Sikhs were more pious; they took an Arabic name for the state they never got, Khalistan!

Ilah must be the same word as El of Old Testament. The reverential plural is Elohim. There are two phases of God in Old Testament, the mild early El and the powerful and scary Jehovah or Yahweh who chastised the Jews.

Some Muslim scholars have complained that when the Bible was translated into English, Ilah was spelled as El to avoid identity with the Muslim God. This must be true because in Mel Gibson’s new film The Passion of the Christ, which is in spoken Aramaic, Christ clearly says on the cross: “Ilahi, Ilahi, lama sabakhatni?” (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) The Bible version is “Eli, Eli…”.

Are the Arabs completely ignorant of the word khuda? Arabic and Persian are not complete strangers. There are Persian words in the Quran. In Egypt the Turkish viceroy was called khedive. The word came along with Egypt’s Hanafi Islam because of the Mamluk and Ottoman rule there for many centuries.

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Very nice. I've often wondered about this.

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Thanks for sharing.

Ive seen the same thing happening, when I was younger we always use to say khuda hafiz, now all of a sudden most people have started using Allah hafiz.

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yeah, this craze isnt very recent. it first started some 10-15 yrs ago when certain muslamans of the sub continent somehow came across the knowledge that the word "Khuda" was used for God by the ancient Persians who incidentally worshipped the fire too. maybe it was the zoroastrians. so the theory our musalmans came up with was that since Khuda was a part of Persian language it came into Urdu and we subcontinent musalmans adopted it and used it to refer to the Divine God ALLAH. BUT, the catch discovered was that according to the scholarly muslamns, Allah should be referred to only by His names and nothing else, especially not with a word which was used to refer to fire! hence rose the "Allah Hafizites".
now as far as i think, this is just one of those issues which ppl create to make the religion look like a puzzle. if the hindus use the word 'bhagwan' for an idol, they have their god inmind. if a muslim uses the wiord 'khuda hafiz' does he have fire in mind!? it's all in the intention! the niyat! with Khuda we mean Allah so whats wrong with that!?
many ppl switched for khudahafiz to Allahhafiz, but i refuse to as the word khuda hafiz is common in our culture in the subcontinent and we refer to Allah alone when we say Khuda!

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Well I've noticed this too. In my family we always said goodbye with Khuda Hafiz but last few years there's a definite push by other people to use Allah Hafiz instead. It sounds forced and unnatural when you have used Khuda all this time so I still stick with what I'm used to everyone else can like it or lump it.

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very true.

excellent article.

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Very good article! We used to say Khuda Hafiz but shifted to Allah HAfiz. This happened without even thinking. Allah HAfiz is just better!

Farsi has many messes up meanings. Its a beautiful language but Arabic is superior! Khuda also means King in Farsi. They also say Khudawand for King. So its better to directly say the right word Allah. Why use a substitute?

Allah Hafiz is so pure and beautiful!

  • How close we are to our brothers in Bangladesh!
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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Islamabad: *
Very good article! We used to say Khuda Hafiz but shifted to Allah HAfiz. This happened without even thinking. Allah HAfiz is just better!

Farsi has many messes up meanings. Its a beautiful language but Arabic is superior! Khuda also means King in Farsi. They also say Khudawand for King. So its better to directly say the right word Allah. Why use a substitute?

Allah Hafiz is so pure and beautiful!

  • How close we are to our brothers in Bangladesh! [/QUOTE]

What the? Bro, I take it that you're a Farsi scholar and you speak of your vast knowledge of Farsi...NOT.

Actually, the word Khoda in Farsi DOES NOT mean king, but actually means GOD. And "Khodawand" does not refer to king [like uh, one of them English kings...Charles is it?] it refers to God, and only God.

Take it easy man.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by aZiZiQaNdaHaRi: *

What the? Bro, I take it that you're a Farsi scholar and you speak of your vast knowledge of Farsi...NOT.

Actually, the word Khoda in Farsi DOES NOT mean king, but actually means GOD. And "Khodawand" does not refer to king [like uh, one of them English kings...Charles is it?] it refers to God, and only God.

Take it easy man.
[/QUOTE]

Yes Khudawand means King or higher authority. Go read some farsi literature and you will discover that a King was also called khudawand.

Take it easy.....i understand your confusion:)

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Etymology of the Word “God”
(Anglo-Saxon God; German Gott; akin to Persian khoda; Hindu khooda).

God can variously be defined as:

the proper name of the one Supreme and Infinite Personal Being, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, to whom man owes obedience and worship;
the common or generic name of the several supposed beings to whom, in polytheistic religions, Divine attributes are ascribed and Divine worship rendered;
the name sometimes applied to an idol as the image or dwelling-place of a god.
The root-meaning of the name (from Gothic root gheu; Sanskrit hub or emu, “to invoke or to sacrifice to”) is either “the one invoked” or “the one sacrificed to.” From different Indo-Germanic roots (div, “to shine” or “give light”; thes in thessasthai “to implore”) come the Indo-Iranian deva, Sanskrit dyaus (gen. divas), Latin deus, Greek theos, Irish and Gaelic dia, all of which are generic names; also Greek Zeus (gen. Dios, Latin Jupiter (jovpater), Old Teutonic Tiu or Tiw (surviving in Tuesday), Latin Janus, Diana, and other proper names of pagan deities. The common name most widely used in Semitic occurs as 'el in Hebrew, 'ilu in Babylonian, 'ilah in Arabic, etc.; and though scholars are not agreed on the point, the root-meaning most probably is “the strong or mighty one.”

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Mr Xtreme: *
Well I've noticed this too. In my family we always said goodbye with Khuda Hafiz but last few years there's a definite push by other people to use Allah Hafiz instead. It sounds forced and unnatural when you have used Khuda all this time so I still stick with what I'm used to everyone else can like it or lump it.
[/QUOTE]

exactly and its when they look down on those who still stick to Khuda Hafiz which makes me mad. its as if they have more of a claim on god while we are infidels

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Islamabad: *

Yes Khudawand means King or higher authority. Go read some farsi literature and you will discover that a King was also called khudawand.

Take it easy.....i understand your confusion:)
[/QUOTE]

My confusion? Dude do you even speak Farsi? Didn't think so.

It would be the same if I started talking about the Japanese language when I don't speak a lick of Japanese. And then a person who is very familiar with that language corrects me and I put them aside.

This guy.

NO, "KHODAWAND" DOES NOT MEAN "KING," WHY DON'T YOU GO ASK AN SOMEONE WHO KNOWS FARSI TO SEE WHAT IT MEANS.

And by the way, I totally disagree with changing our own words to Arabic words. Unlike some of you, I'm not an Arab worshipper, we've got our own culture and language to be proud of, instead of changing our way of life and the way we do things just to be like them [not taking anything away from them, Arabic is a beautiful language, but I gotta say, I'm just even more proud of my own language and culture].

What's the point of changing it?? Allah=God=Khodai=Khoda, they are all the same to me, and I see NO POINT IN CHANGING THEM...

P.S. Don't try to come back with that "Khodawand" argument my friend, you're not doing so good...

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by aysh: *

exactly and its when they look down on those who still stick to Khuda Hafiz which makes me mad. its as if they have more of a claim on god while we are infidels
[/QUOTE]

Skrew them. I will N.E.V.E.R. use "Allah Hafiz/Pa'Aman." Does this not say enough to any of you? Is this not proof enough that these IDEAS are all FORIEGN?

[QUOTE]
“A close relative of mine glared at me the other day and solemnly proclaimed: ‘To say Khoda Hafez is act of gunah’.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, so I guess all the people BEFORE this "great revolution" were doing sins, eh? ;-) BULLSH*T.

So now it's all O.K. that some people say this? What the hell? Even in Pashto I've seen a lot of people use, "Allah Pa'Aman."

TO ISLAMABAD AND OTHER "ALLAH HAFIZITES":
These genious people who decided to change it to Allah Hafiz, why didn't they change it completely to Arabic? What's with having Hafiz in there, but taking out Khoda? Hafiz is also a Farsi word. They blew it big time, and you know it. So don't come up here and say "why use a substitude" when THEY MEAN THE SAME EXACT THING [Allah and Khoda].

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by aZiZiQaNdaHaRi: *

Skrew them. I will N.E.V.E.R. use "Allah Hafiz/Pa'Aman." Does this not say enough to any of you? Is this not proof enough that these IDEAS are all FORIEGN?

TO ISLAMABAD AND OTHER "ALLAH HAFIZITES":
These genious people who decided to change it to Allah Hafiz, why didn't they change it completely to Arabic? What's with having Hafiz in there, but taking out Khoda? Hafiz is also a Farsi

take it easy man. calm down and long breath. good suggestion though switch completely to arabic along with their Thobe and head gear.

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this might sound silly and I have no proof for this but I think Khuda hasn't been used in QuraaN but Allah is.. I switched to Allah hafiz as well not because of the trend but just because I thought Allah is one of the names of God but I dun see Khuda there.. it might be a very silly reason for saying Allah hafiz rather than Khuda Hafiz but just my two cents and another prospective to look at apart from farsi origin of words. :-)

by the way I always thought Khuda means Khud-AA (created by its own), as I knew Allah has no father so I just thought we saY khuda becase He was created all by Himself and we dunno about it.. please dun drag me into any religious or linguistic conversation.. its just what I used to think when I was only 8 years old.

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I think we're making issues out of non sense. If you say Khuda Hafiz, are you saying something wrong? I don't think so. Unless your imaan is so weak that by saying Khuda you mean some other false G-d. If I say G-d, Allah, Khuda or the Almighty, does that make a difference, if you are referring to the only and true Allah of Islam & the Qur'an?

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If you say Khuda HAfiz : ITS WRONG!!! Khuda is not equal to god and not equal to Allah. Period. Khuda can be plural, god can be plural, ALLAH is the most beautiful word told by Allah himself which does not have any plural. Its true that it all depends on Niyat but in this way farsi word (khuda) is also foreign for us. SO why this bias towards Arabic?

azizqandhari: go check the dictionary an dsome books of knowledge or maybe ask some knowledgeable people if you don’t believe me. Hafiz is originally an Arabic word. IN FACT HAFEEZ WHICH IS VERY CLOSE TO HAFIZ IS ONE OF THE ASMAA AL HUSNA (A BEAUTIFUL NAME OF ALLAH)

[thumb=H]3917338_3513689.JPG[/thumb]

ARABIC IS THE LANGUAGE OF JANNAH (HEAVEN)

ARABIC IS THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THE GREATEST MIRACLE QURAN WAS REVEALED

ARABIC IS THE LANGUAGE OF MUHAMMAD :saw: MERCY TO ALL MANKIND

EVERY LANGUAGE IS BEAUTIFUL BUT ARABIC IS SUPERIOR TO ALL!

I pray that when i am dying i am saying these most beautiful ARABIC words: Ashadu an la ilaha ilaAllah wa ashadu an Muhammad abduhu wa rasulu.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by aysh: *

I look forward to the day when we would be proud about speaking Arabic and form one nation from Morocco to Indonesia and also be proud to wear what the Prophet :saw: used to wear. Like it or not, people like you and your party have miserably failed.

It is so nice to see that “Allah HAfiziites” have prevailed not only in Pakistan but also in Bangladesh. Like it or not, face the reality and go cry somewhere at this great change which Pakistanis and others have adopted without anybody even pushing it.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Islamabad: *
If you say Khuda HAfiz : ITS WRONG!!! Khuda is not equal to god and not equal to Allah. Period. Khuda can be plural, god can be plural, ALLAH is the most beautiful word told by Allah himself which does not have any plural. Its true that it all depends on Niyat but in this way farsi word (khuda) is also foreign for us. SO why this bias towards Arabic?

[/QUOTE]

Islamabad bro, I did not say to offend. Are you aware of the word Allah during the Jahiliya? Also please show some respect by capitalizing G-d. Bro, if you look below to my signature: it says Allahu Akbar meaning G-d is great, it doesn't say Khudahu Akbar because it doesn't sound right. If I say G-d bless you to a non Muslim person, aren't I speaking about the same Allah?

It seems to be that you find the Arabic (Allah) and English (G-d) acceptable whuile the Farsi (Khuda) unacceptable, why is that?

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by RajputFury: *

Islamabad bro, I did not say to offend. Are you aware of the word Allah during the Jahiliya? Also please show some respect by capitalizing G-d. Bro, if you look below to my signature: it says Allahu Akbar meaning G-d is great, it doesn't say Khudahu Akbar because it doesn't sound right. If I say G-d bless you to a non Muslim person, aren't I speaking about the same Allah?

It seems to be that you find the Arabic (Allah) and English (G-d) acceptable whuile the Farsi (Khuda) unacceptable, why is that?
[/QUOTE]

Farsi word khuda and English word God is acceptable in cases we are preaching and making our point clear. In our own countries, where everyone is Muslim, why do we need to take support of any inaccurate word? I mean, its just so simple. Its no big deal but what stops us from saying the exact right word - ALLAH? Besides every word which is accurate and in Arabic and from Quran has blessings , sawab for us. Why do you want to miss it?