Hajji (sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al hage, Al hag or El-Hajj) is a title which is originally given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel, and in many Muslim societies as an honorific title for a respected man. The title is placed before a person's name; for example Saif Gani becomes Hajji Saif Gani.
Contents
"Hadži" is also used in Christian Orthodox religion for people who go on pilgrimage to the grave of Christ in Jerusalem. It can be then added to the surname for men (e.g. Hadži-Petrović) or before the first name for women (Hadžika).
Hajji is derived from the Arabic ḥājj, which is the active participle of the verb ḥajja ("to make the pilgrimage"). The alternative form ḥajjī is derived from the name of the Hajj with the adjectival suffix -ī, and this was the form adopted by non-Arabic languages. In some areas the title has become a family name, for example in the Bosniak surname Hadžiosmanović ("son of Hajji Osman").
In other languages
Arabic: حاج Ħājj or حجّي Ħajjī; Egyptian Arabic: حجّ/Ḥagg, pronounced [ħæɡ]; Persian: حاجی Hâji/Hāji or حاج Hâj/Hāj; Pashto: حاجی, Hāji; Greek: Χατζής; Albanian: Haxhi,; Bulgarian: Хаджия, Hadžija, حاجىيا; Macedonian: Хаџија, Hadžija; Bosnian: Hadžija/Хаџија, حاجىيا; Belarusian: Хаджы, Chadžy, خاجِ; Kurdish: Hecî, Һәщи, ھەجی; Serbian: Хаџи/Hadži; Azerbaijani and Turkish: Hacı; Hausa: Alhaji. All mean "pilgrim".
Women who complete the Hajj are referred to as Hajjah or حاجة ḥājjah, Egyptian Arabic: Ḥagga, [ˈħæɡɡæ]; Hausa/Fulani: Hajia or in Yoruba: Alhaja.
Use
In Arab countries, ḥājj and ḥājjah (pronunciation varies according to the form of Arabic spoken) is a commonly used manner of addressing any older person respectfully, regardless of whether or not the person in question has actually performed the pilgrimage.
The term is also used in the Balkan Christian countries that were once under Ottoman rule (Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, Macedonia and Romania) for a Christian who had traveled to Jerusalem and the Holy Lands.
In Cyprus the title became so prevalent as to be permanently integrated into some Greek Christian family names, such as Hajiioannou. This was due to Cyprus being so close to the Holy Lands and Jerusalem, as Cyprus became a place where Christians and Muslims intermixed freely for many centuries.
In Iran the honorific title Haj (حاج) is sometimes used for IRGC commanders, instead of the title Sardar ("General").
Racial slur
Hajji, Haji, Hadji or Hodgie has become a phrase used as a racist term for Iraqis, Arabs, Afghans, or Middle Eastern and South Asian people in general. It is comparable to the term "gook," used by U.S military personnel during the Vietnam War.