What is a Hafiz?

[KhanAltaf]

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

As you may know, there were some scholars who were given the title of al-hafiz, such as al-Hafiz al-Nawawi, Hafiz al-Dhahabi, Hafiz Ibn Jawzi, etc.; the question is: what is a hafiz? I'm not talking about the Qur'an hafiz, one who has memorized the entire Qur'an, but the hadith hafiz. Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller defines it as a hadith scholar and someone with 100,000 hadith by memory. But I don't know the real meaning of a hafiz. Are there any hafiz from today's scholars? How does one become a hafiz? Can someone shed some light on this topic?

[UmmTaaha]

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

But I don't know the real meaning of a hafiz. Are there any hafiz from today's scholars? How does one become a hafiz? Can someone shed some light on this topic?

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Literally Hifz means to memorise and Hafiz is the one who memorises.

Yes there are hafiz al Quran in the present day Ulema.

I do not know the method of memorising the entire Quran. It is taught in madarsas where children start memorising from a very early age.

[Travelleress]

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

As you may know, there were some scholars who were given the title of al-hafiz, such as al-Hafiz al-Nawawi, Hafiz al-Dhahabi, Hafiz Ibn Jawzi, etc.; the question is: what is a hafiz? I'm not talking about the Qur'an hafiz, one who has memorized the entire Qur'an, but the hadith hafiz. Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller defines it as a hadith scholar and someone with 100,000 hadith by memory. But I don't know the real meaning of a hafiz. Are there any hafiz from today's scholars? How does one become a hafiz? Can someone shed some light on this topic?

Asalaamu 'alaykum,

Yes that is what Respected Shaykh Nuh Keller defines a Hafiz as. I think aswell as knowing the Hadith by rote you also need to the chain of narration with the grading of the hadith...

I don't think there are any hafiz today?

I maybe wrong, judging by the memorisation techniques in Mauritania there are probbaly a few there.