Is Naming a Girl Malika Haram Because You Are Calling Angels Female?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Is naming a girl “Malika” (which means angel) Haram because you are calling angels female?

Answer

Thank you for your question.

Malika

Malika means queen, it does not mean angel, and it is permissible to use.

Malak

Arabs use the word Malak (or Malaak) to name their children “angel”, even Christian Arabs. I have heard scholars say that they dislike this name due to “tazkiyat al-nafs” (claiming that one has purified one’s soul). Scholars recommend avoiding it and instead using the names of righteous women from Islamic history, lady companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and other names with righteous meanings.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani mentions, “The only texts indicating the contrary would appear to apply when there are clear negative connotations in such namings–such as when it resembles the pre-Islamic habit of considering the angels the ‘daughters of God.’”

Please also see this link: Is it Permissible to Name Children with Names of Angels?

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.