إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ ٱلْقَدْرِ ١
Indeed, We sent it [i.e., the Qur’ān] down during the Night of Decree.
لَيْلَى
Layla: meaning of the name
Girl Arabic origin Laylā
A name formed on layl, “night”; the heroine of Layla and Majnun
Layla in Islam
The name is not in the Quran, but night has a large place there: the words layl and layla, from its root, occur 92 times. Surah 97 celebrates the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr), “better than a thousand months” (97:3), and the Quran calls to prayer at night (73:2). Among the female Companions, Layla bint Abi Hathma was in the first group of emigrants to Abyssinia, with her husband ʿAmir ibn Rabiʿa.
Meaning of the name Layla
Layla is formed on layl, “night”, and lexicographers call a long, very dark and hard night laylaʾ or layla. A woman’s name since pre-Islamic times, it became the emblem of poetic love through the story of Qays, called Majnun Layla, “the one mad for Layla”, retold by the Persian poet Nizami in the twelfth century and sung throughout the literatures of the East. It is spelled Layla, Laila or Leila in English.
- In Arabic
- لَيْلَى ليلى
- Transliteration
- Laylā
- Root
- ل ي ل · 92 occurrences in the Quran
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Arabic
Is Layla in the Quran?
The name Layla does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (ل ي ل) occurs 92 times. Examples:
لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ٣
The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَٰرَكَةٍ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ ٣
Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind].
All the words of the root ل ي ل in the Quran (92 occurrences)
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Layla 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 Layla in each language
- French
- Leïla, Leila, Layla, Laïla
- English
- Layla, Laila, Leila, Leyla
- Spanish
- Leila, Layla, Laila
- Turkish
- Leyla, Leylâ
- Arabic
- لَيْلَى