إِسْكَنْدَر
Iskandar: meaning of the name
Boy Greek origin Iskandar
Arabic form of Alexander (Greek Alexandros, “defender of men”)
Iskandar in Islam
Some authors identified Alexander with Dhu al-Qarnayn of Surah al-Kahf (18:83-98), the just king who built a wall against Yaʾjuj and Maʾjuj. Many commentators, including Ibn Kathir, rejected this identification with the Macedonian king. The Quran does not name Iskandar.
Meaning of the name Iskandar
Iskandar is the Arabic and Persian form of Alexander, from Greek Alexandros, “who wards off the enemy, defender of men”, the name of the king of Macedon who conquered the East in the 4th century BC and founded Alexandria (al-Iskandariyya). Skander is the Tunisian form, İskender the Turkish. The name is not Arabic and does not occur in the Quran.
- In Arabic
- إِسْكَنْدَر إسكندر
- Transliteration
- Iskandar
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Greek
Is Iskandar in the Quran?
No: the name Iskandar does not appear in the Quran. A name can be beautiful and permissible without coming from the Quran.
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Iskandar in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.
Read the rules for choosing a name
This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.
Writing Iskandar in each language
- French
- Skander, Iskander, Iskandar
- English
- Iskandar, Iskander, Skander
- Spanish
- Iskandar, Skander
- Turkish
- İskender
- Arabic
- إِسْكَنْدَر