Saif, name meaning in Islam.

Saif (سَيْف) is an Arabic name for boys. It means sword.

Meaning and root

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

Is Saif in the Quran?

No. Saif 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 Saif

Say it SAYF. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Sayf and Seif. In Arabic it is written with 3 letters, from right to left: س sin + ي ya + ف fa.

Choosing Saif

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

Famous people named Saif

• Khalid ibn al-Walid, called Sayf Allah, the Sword of Allah

Names like Saif

• Khalid
• Sinan
• Faris

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.