Elif, name meaning in Islam

Elif (أَلِف) is a Turkish name for girls. It means Alif, the first letter. The Turkish form of alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. In Turkish poetry it stands for a slim, upright figure.

Is Elif in the Quran?

No. Elif is not a word in the Quran. A name does not need to be in the Quran to be a good Muslim name: what matters is that its meaning is good. The Prophet ﷺ changed names with bad meanings and kept names with good ones.¹

How to say and write Elif

Say it eh-LIF. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Alif. In Arabic it is written with 3 letters, from right to left: أ alif with hamza + ل lam + ف fa.

Choosing Elif

A Muslim name does not have to be Arabic. Scholars allow names from any language as long as the meaning is good and the name is not tied to another religion. Elif has a good meaning, so it is fine to use. With the father's name it becomes Elif bint (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.

Names like Elif

• Ayla
• Eda
• Asma

1. Sahih Muslim 2139, the Prophet ﷺ changing a name with a bad meaning.
2. Sahih Muslim 2315.
3. Sahih Muslim 2132.
4. Meanings follow classical Arabic usage and the standard name dictionaries; our teachers will check each one.

Our teachers will check the Arabic spelling and meaning on this page before launch.