Hawramani Encyclopedia of Muslim Baby Names

Ali (Name)

Ali (transliteration: ʿAlī, Arabic: عليّ) is an Arabic name for boys that means “strong”, “fierce”.1. Its literal meaning is “lofty”, “exalted”, “sublime”, “great in rank”.23 Ali is the name of the fourth Rashidun caliph, who was also a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and married to the Prophet’s daughter Fatima. There are also many other Companions of the Prophet Muhammad named Ali, listed below. Ali is also one of the names of God in Islam, used in multiple places in the Quran.4

The name Ali may also be spelled Alee, Aly and Eli.

Below are two examples of verses of the Quran in which the word Ali is used:

That is because God is the Reality, and what they invoke besides Him is vanity, and because God is the Sublime, the Grand.5

That is because God is the Reality, and what they worship besides Him is falsehood, and because God is the Exalted, the Supreme.6

There are 17 Companions of the Prophet Muhammad named Ali. Their full names are as follows:

  • Ali bin Abi Talib علي بن أبي طالب
  • Ali bin Himail from Bani Ubaidah علي بن حميل بن بني عبيدة
  • Ali bin al-Hakam al-Sulami علي بن الحكم السلمي
  • Ali bin Abi Raafi` علي بن أبي رافع
  • Ali bin Rifaa`ah al-Qardhi علي بن رفاعة القرظي
  • Ali bin Rukaanah علي بن ركانة
  • Ali al-Sulami father of Sadrah علي السلمي والد سدرة
  • Ali al-Sulami علي السلمي
  • Ali bin Shaiban bin Amr bin Muhriz علي بن شيبان بن عمرو بن محرز
  • Ali bin Talq bin al-Mundhir bin Qais علي بن طلق بن المنذر بن قيس
  • Ali bin Abi al-Aas bin al-Rabee` علي بن أبي العاص بن الربيع
  • Ali bin Ubaidullah bin al-Harith علي بن عبيد الله بن الحارث
  • Ali bin Alqamah علي بن علقمة
  • Ali bin Maajid al-Sahmi علي بن ماجد السهمي
  • Ali al-Numairi علي النميري
  • Ali al-Hilali علي الهلالي
  • Ali bin Hubar bin al-Aswad علي بن هبار بن الأسود

Below is the name Ali written in Arabic naskh script:

Below is the name Ali written in Arabic kufi script:

Footnotes

  1. Al-Qamoos al-Muheet by Fairuzabadi (d. 1414 CE), entry for عُلْوُ.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Maqayees al-Lughah by Ibn Faris (d. 1004 CE), entry for عَلَوَ.
  4. Al-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb al-Hadeeth wal Athar by Abu Sa`aadaat Ibn al-Athir (d. 1210 CE), entry for عَلَا.
  5. The Quran, verse 22:62.
  6. The Quran, verse 31:30.
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