الحفيظ
al-Ḥafīẓ
Topic
A divine name meaning He Who keeps, constantly and for ever.
What it means
Al-Ḥafīẓ is an intensive form from the root of ḥafiẓa, to keep or guard. The Quran says: “My Lord is Guardian over all things” (11:57), and “Your Lord is Guardian over all things” (34:21). The form tells of a keeping that does not lapse. The sense includes preserving creation, guarding the believer from harm, and keeping a record of deeds.
A recorded account is also part of this keeping, since the Quran says every soul has a guardian over it (86:4). Believers recite verses of protection at night and morning, trusting in the Keeper. The name appears in the Quran with both the form ḥāfiẓ and ḥafīẓ. The second is the intensive and is the one that Faruqi’s entry stresses with the words constantly and eternally.
Often misunderstood as
Confused with the form al-Ḥāfiẓ for the Quran memorizer; al-Ḥafīẓ is the divine name for the constant Keeper.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 30, listed as AL ḤAFĪẒ. The definition is restated here.