It is an Arabic word used to identify the one who entirely memorizes and recites the Qur´an, the holy book of Muslims, which is over 600 pages with more than 6,000 verses. The word hafiz is also used for those who memorize the sayings of Prophet Muhammad in certain numbers, but these are rare.
The first to memorize the Qur´an was naturally Prophet Muhammad as the Qur´an was revealed to him. Given that the Prophet was an unlettered man, his early followers eagerly recorded and memorized each new revelation as it was revealed. By the time the Prophet passed away, many had memorized its entirety. This custom has been kept up throughout the Muslim world, and hundreds of thousands have memorized it. Although the number of those who endeavor to memorize the whole Qur´an seems to have been decreasing in the age of computerization, it is still one of the highest goals in Muslim life to become a human repository of the Qur´an. Being hafiz is still one of the most rewarded honorifics in Muslim...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
Ayten, A. (2010). Hafiz. In: Leeming, D.A., Madden, K., Marlan, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_281
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_281
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-71801-9
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-71802-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science