Hadra (word)

The Arabic word ḥaḍra, and its derivatives in languages of the Persianate world are used to form various styles in the Arab world, Iran, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Central Asia and South Asia. In Urdu, the term has also come to be formally used to refer to a male in general, such as in the literary phrase .

Syntax

In Arabic styles, the word حضرة ḥaḍra is used in its construct state, followed by a possessive suffix or by a noun in the genitive case. In Persian styles, the word حضرت ḥażrat is typically used with an ezafe followed by the complement. In Turkish styles, the word hazret may be found in the plural with possessive form, as an honorary suffix.

The title is used for the prophets of the Islamic faith in Arabic, Persian, Pashto, Turki, Urdu. The twenty-five great Hazrat include Muhammad, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jesus. It carries connotations of the charismatic and is comparable to traditional English honorifics addressing high officials, such as "Your Honour", "Your Majesty", or "Your Holiness".
This word may sometimes also appear after the names of respected Muslims, such as imams, sheikhs, and ulama e.g. Turkish Hazretleri in Islamic culture. This is similar to the French honorifics Monsieur and Madame, and Japanese honorific nocat=y. The term was also loaned by Turkish into Albanian and Bosnian as Hazreti. In Urdu, the term is formally used to refer to a male in general, such as in the literary phrase , while is more common in informal contexts.
The term is not exclusively used by Muslims, as Arabic and Persian-speaking Bahá'ís also use the term to refer to individuals of religious significance, such as prophets and their successors.