Khuda or Khoda ( fa, خدا) is the Persian word for "Lord" or " God". Originally, it was used in reference to

Ahura Mazda Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...

(the name of the God in Zoroastrianism). Iranian languages, Turkic languages, and many Indo-Aryan languages employ the word. Today, it is a word that is largely used in the non-Arabic

Islamic world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...

, with wide usage from its native country Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and some Muslim-majority areas of India, as well as southern and southwestern Russia.

Etymology

The term derives from Middle Iranian terms ''xvatay, xwadag'' meaning "lord", "ruler", "master", appearing in written form in Parthian ''kwdy'', in Middle Persian ''kwdy'', and in Sogdian ''kwdy''. It is the Middle Persian reflex of older Iranian forms such as

Avestan Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...

''x^va-dhata-'' "self-defined;

autocrat Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perh ...

", an epithet of

. The Pashto term ''Xdāi'' (خدۍ) is a variant of this. Prosaic usage is found for example in the Sassanid title ''katak-xvatay'' to denote the head of a clan or extended household or in the title of the 6th century '' Khwaday-Namag'' "Book of Lords", from which the tales of

Kayanian dynasty The Kayanians (Persian: دودمان کیانیان; also Kays, Kayanids, Kaianids, Kayani, or Kiani) are a legendary dynasty of Persian/Iranian tradition and folklore which supposedly ruled after the Pishdadians. Considered collectively, the Kay ...

as found in the '' Shahnameh'' derive.

Zoroastrian usage

Semi-religious usage appears, for example, in the epithet ''zaman-i derang xvatay'' " time of the long dominion", as found in the ''

Menog-i Khrad The ''Mēnōg-ī Khrad'' () or ''Spirit of Wisdom'' is one of the most important secondary texts in Zoroastrianism written in Middle Persian. Also transcribed in Pazend as Minuy-e X(e/a)rad and New Persian ''Minu-ye Xeræd'', the text is a Zoroastr ...

''. The fourth and eighty-sixth entry of the Pazend prayer titled ''

101 Names of God In Zoroastrianism, there are 101 names and titles used to refer to Ahura Mazda. The list is preserved in Persian language, Persian, Pazend, and Gujarati language, Gujarati. The names are often taken during ''Baj'' (Zoroastrian prayer, ceremonial ...

'', ''Harvesp-Khoda'' "Lord of All" and ''Khudawand'' "Lord of the Universe", respectively, are compounds involving ''Khuda''. Application of ''khuda'' as "''the'' Lord" (

) is represented in the first entry in the medieval ''

Frahang-i Pahlavig ''Frahang-ī Pahlavīg'' (Middle Persian: 𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭭𐭢 𐭯𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭩𐭪 "Pahlavi dictionary") is the title of an anonymous dictionary of mostly Aramaic logograms with Middle Persian translations (in Pahlavi script) and translitera ...

''.

Islamic usage

In Islamic times, the term came to be used for God in Islam, paralleling the Arabic name of God ''Al-Malik'' "Owner, King, Lord, Master". The phrase

Khuda Hafiz Khoda Hafez ( fa, خداحافظ, Pashto: خداۍ حافظ, bn, খোদা হাফেজ (''Khoda Hafej''), ur, , hi, ख़ुदा हाफ़िज़, Kurdish: , az, Xüdafiz), usually shortened to Khodafez in Persian is a com ...

(meaning ''May God be your Guardian'') is a

parting phrase Parting phrases, which are valedictions used to acknowledge the parting of individuals or groups of people from each other, are elements of parting traditions. Parting phrases are specific to culture and situation, and vary based on the social st ...

commonly used in across the

Greater Iran Greater Iran ( fa, ایران بزرگ, translit=Irān-e Bozorg) refers to a region covering parts of Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Xinjiang, and the Caucasus, where both Culture of Iran, Iranian culture and Iranian langua ...

region, in languages including Persian, Pashto and Kurdish. Furthermore, the term is also employed as a parting phrase in many languages across the Indian subcontinent including Urdu,

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

Deccani Deccani, also ''Dekhani'', ''Dakkani'', ''Dakhini'', ''Dakhni'', etc., is anything related to the Deccan region of India. Specifically, it may be, * Deccani language *Deccani people *Deccani painting * Deccani architecture See also * Deccani film ...

, Sindhi, Bengali and

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Barua ...

. It also exists as a popular loanword, used for God in

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

(''Hüdâ''), Bengali (খোদা), Hindi-Urdu (ख़ुदा, خُدا),

Kazakh Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kazakhstan *Kazakhs, an ethnic group *Kazakh language *The Kazakh Khanate * Kazakh cuisine * Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan *Qazax, Azerbaijan *Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...

(''Xuda/Quda/Qudaı), Uzbek (''Xudo''), Tatar (''Ходай'') and other Indo-Aryan languages and Turkic languages.

Christian usage

In the Indian subcontinent, Christians who speak Hindi-Urdu translate the word "God" as "Khuda" (ख़ुदा, خُدا), though His personal name is rendered as " Yahovah" (यहोवा, یہوّاہ) or " Yahvah" (यहवा, یہوہ). Bible translations into Hindi and Urdu use these terms.

References

{{Reflist Names of God in Islam Names of God in Zoroastrianism ur:خدا