What it means
اجرتون با خدا (ajretun bâ khodâ) is a fixed blessing that translates as “may God reward you” or “your reward is with God.” اجر (ajr) comes directly from Arabic أجر (ajr), meaning reward or recompense, and is one of several Arabic borrowings embedded deeply in Persian ritual speech. با (bâ) means with and is Persian, and خدا (khodâ), meaning God, is of pure Persian and Avestan origin. The phrase is most commonly said to someone who has helped during a death or bereavement, thanking them in a way that acknowledges the spiritual dimension of their act. It can also be said to anyone who has performed a selfless deed when a simple thank you feels insufficient.
How to use it
- خیلی زحمت کشیدین، اجرتون با خدا. (khili zahmat keshidin, ajretun bâ khodâ.) “You worked so hard, may God reward you.”
- اجرتون با خدا که تو این روزا کنارمون بودین. (ajretun bâ khodâ ke tu in ruzâ kenâremun budin.) “May God reward you for being by our side during these days.”
- هر کاری کردم وظیفهام بود، اجر با خداست. (har kâri kardam vazife-am bud, ajr bâ khodâst.) “Whatever I did was my duty, the reward is with God.”
- اجرتون با خدا، ما هیچ وقت فراموشتون نمیکنیم. (ajretun bâ khodâ, mâ hich vaght farâmushtun nemikonim.) “May God reward you, we will never forget you.”
Cultural note
This phrase belongs to a category of Persian ritual expressions that invoke divine reward rather than personal gratitude, reflecting the Islamic cultural framework woven into everyday Iranian speech. It is especially prominent at funerals and mourning gatherings, where helpers and consolers receive it from bereaved family members. Saying اجرتون با خدا is also a way of acknowledging that the act performed was beyond ordinary courtesy, elevating it to the level of a pious deed. The phrase is understood and used across generations and regions, making it one of the more universally recognized expressions in Persian ritual language.