Zulfiqar, name meaning in Islam

Zulfiqar (ذُو الْفِقَار) is an Arabic name for boys. It means the sword of the Prophet ﷺ, later Ali's. Dhul-Fiqar means "the one with grooves". It was a sword the Prophet ﷺ took at Badr and later gave to Ali (reported by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah). As a name it is used mostly in South Asia.

Meaning and root

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

Is Zulfiqar in the Quran?

No. Zulfiqar 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 Zulfiqar

Say it zul-fi-QAAR. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Dhul-Fiqar, Zulfikar and Zulfaqar. In Arabic it is written with 8 letters, from right to left: ذ dhal + و waw + ا alif + ل lam + ف fa + ق qaf + ا alif + ر ra.

Choosing Zulfiqar

Zulfiqar is a name with a good meaning, which is what the Sunnah asks for. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The most beloved of your names to Allah are Abdullah and Abdur-Rahman",³ and after these, any name with a good meaning is a sound choice. With the father's name it becomes Zulfiqar bin (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.

Names like Zulfiqar

• Saif
• Ali
• Hamza

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.