حفظنا الله
Hafidhana Allah
The English phrase 'may allah protect us' is translated into Arabic as حفظنا الله (Hafidhana Allah).
حفظنا الله is a prayer used to ask God to keep people safe from harm. It is commonly used as a prayer or as a reaction when hearing about a potential danger, a frightening situation or a calamity.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb hafidha (to protect or preserve), the suffix -na (us) and Allah (God).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase حفظنا الله, the verb hafidha is in the past tense form, but within this specific syntactic structure, it functions as a supplication (du'a) expressing a wish for the future. You can change the object of the prayer by modifying the suffix: to change the object from 'us' to 'you' (singular, masculine), replace the suffix -na with -ka to get حفظك الله. To change the object to 'you' (singular, feminine), replace the suffix -na with -ki to get حفظكِ الله.
How do you pronounce it?
Hafidhana Allah
Did you know?
- The root حفظ (to protect) is used in Arabic to describe both the act of guarding someone from harm and the act of memorizing a text by heart.
- The word الله is thought by some linguists to be a contraction of the phrase 'al-ilāh', which means 'the deity'.
- Depending on the region, the phrase حفظنا الله may be used as a polite way to end a conversation or a phone call rather than just in response to danger.
Examples in context
- يقول الأب لأفراد العائلة قبل بدء الرحلة 'ليحفظنا الله'The father says to the family members before starting the journey, 'May Allah protect us.'
- حفظنا الله من كل سوء.hafazana Allahu min kulli su'May Allah protect us from all evil.
- حفظنا الله في سفرنا هذا.hafazana Allahu fi safarina hadha.May Allah protect us on this journey of ours.
- حفظنا الله وأهلنا جميعاً.hafazana Allahu wa ahlana jami'an.May Allah protect us and all our families.
Example conversation
Ziad and Nour are discussing a dangerous storm in the news.
- زياد Ziadانظري إلى قوة العاصفة يا نور!Unzuri ila quwwat al-asifa ya Nour!Look at the strength of the storm, Nour!
- نور Nourإنها مخيفة حقاً، حفظنا الله.Innaha mukhifa haqqan, hafizana Allah.It is truly scary, may Allah protect us.
- زياد Ziadآمين، أتمنى أن تمر بسلام.Amin, atamanna an tamurra bi-salam.Amen, I hope it passes peacefully.
- نور Nourإن شاء الله، سنكون بخير.In sha' Allah, sanakunu bikhayr.God willing, we will be fine.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries الله, CC BY-SA 4.0.
