What it means
استعفا (este’fâ) is the act of resigning from a job, position, or official role voluntarily. The word is a direct loanword from Arabic, where it is the Form X verbal noun (masdar) of the root ع-ف-و (ayn-fa-waw), carrying the sense of asking to be excused or released from a duty. In Persian it is used for everything from a minister stepping down to an employee handing in notice. The key contrast with اخراج (ekhrâj) is that استعفا is always the person’s own choice, whereas اخراج is imposed by the employer.
How to use it
- استعفا دادم. (este’fâ dâdam.) “I resigned.”
- استعفاش رو قبول کردن. (este’fâsh ro qabol kardan.) “They accepted his resignation.”
- وزیر استعفا داد. (vazir este’fâ dâd.) “The minister resigned.”
- داری فکر استعفا میکنی؟ (dâri fekr-e este’fâ mi-koni?) “Are you thinking about resigning?”
Cultural note
In Iranian political life, استعفا carries considerable weight. A senior official offering their resignation is seen as a gesture of accountability or protest, and whether the resignation is accepted or rejected by a superior is itself a public signal of power dynamics. During periods of political pressure, mass resignations by ministers or parliamentarians have been a recurrent form of collective statement. In ordinary workplaces, resigning without giving adequate notice is considered poor form, and employees are generally expected to submit a formal written استعفانامه (este’fânâme), a letter of resignation.