Iffat, name meaning in Islam

Iffat (عِفَّت) is an Urdu name for girls. It means chastity, modesty. The Urdu and Persian form of the Arabic iffah.

Meaning and root

In Arabic, words are built from a root of usually three letters. Iffat comes from the root ع ف ف, and words from the same root share its core meaning. Similar names from the same family of words are listed below.

Is Iffat in the Quran?

No. Iffat 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 Iffat

Say it IF-fat. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Iffah and Effat. In Arabic it is written with 3 letters, from right to left: ع ʿayn + ف fa + ت ta.

Choosing Iffat

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. Iffat has a good meaning, so it is fine to use. With the father's name it becomes Iffat bint (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.

Names like Iffat

• Afifa
• Haya
• Batool

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.