عَلِيّ
Ali
“High, exalted, noble; name of Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)”
بلند، عالی مرتبہ؛ حضرت علیؓ
In the Quran
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِنَا وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ عَلِيًّۭا
اور ان کو اپنی رحمت سے (بہت سی چیزیں) عنایت کیں۔ اور ان کا ذکر جمیل بلند کیا
And we gave them of Our mercy, and assigned to them a high and true renown.
What scholars say side by side
Deobandi
Ali alone is good.
Deoband: permissible / correct - Ali alone is fine, no prefix needed.
4 more rulings
Deoband: permissible / correct - correct alone, or with Muhammad/Ahmad before or Akbar/Asghar after.
Deoband: recommended by Deoband - blessed name.
Deoband: recommended by Deoband - suggested for a convert.
Deoband: recommended by Deoband - suggested.
Barelvi
Divine attribute that may be used for creation; allowed alone or as Al-Ali.
Arab & international fatwa bodies
Shared meaning; Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Famous people named Ali
Cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet ﷺ, husband of Fatimah, fourth caliph; known as al-Murtada and Abu Turab.
Son of Imam Husain who survived Karbala, celebrated for devotion and for the prayers collected in al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya.
Scholar and long-time head of Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow; prolific Arabic and Urdu author who received the King Faisal Prize in 1980.
Sufi saint of Lahore, author of Kashf al-Mahjub, the earliest Persian treatise on Sufism; his shrine is Data Darbar.
What the references say
- Jamia Banuri Town names listDerived from Asma-ul-Husna Open →
- Dawat-e-Islami, Naam Rakhnay Kay Ahkamسرکارِ مدینہ صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ کے 5 نواسوں کے مقدس نام Open →
- Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah (Ibn Hajar)Sahabi, Tabi'i, Contemporary of the Tabi'een (Taqrib tabaqah 6), Hadith narrator (later generation), Hadith narrator (no Taqrib tabaqah) - e.g. علي بن حر بن النعمان المرادي العطيفي Open →
- Darul Uloom Deobandrecommended Open →
- Quranic Arabic Corpusexact lemma: عَلِيّ (Noun, 8x) Open →
- Qabas Arabic lexiconroot ع ل و | ع ل ي; gender Boy; type صفة; Same word (vowels match)
Questions about Ali
What does Ali mean?
Ali means “High, exalted, noble; name of Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)”. In Urdu: بلند، عالی مرتبہ؛ حضرت علیؓ.
Is Ali a boy or girl name?
Ali is a boy's name.
What is the origin of Ali?
Ali is of Arabic origin. Its Arabic root is ع ل و.
Is Ali in the Quran?
Found in the Quran. See Surah Maryam, ayah 19:50.