Ilham, name meaning in Islam

Ilham (إِلْهَام) is an Arabic name for girls. It means inspiration. Elham is the Persian form.

Meaning and root

In Arabic, words are built from a root of usually three letters. Ilham comes from the root ل ه م, and words from the same root share its core meaning. Similar names from the same family of words are listed below.

Is Ilham in the Quran?

No. Ilham 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 Ilham

Say it il-HAAM. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Elham. In Arabic it is written with 5 letters, from right to left: إ alif with hamza below + ل lam + ه ha + ا alif + م mim.

Choosing Ilham

Ilham 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 Ilham bint (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.

Names like Ilham

• Ruya
• Alima

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.