مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ٤
Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.
مَالِك
Malik: meaning of the name
Boy Arabic origin Mālik
CompanionIn the Quran“The owner”, one who possesses and holds something
The word as it is recited in the Quran: Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary, Al-Fatihah 1:4.
Malik in Islam
The Quran also gives this name to the angel who guards Hell (43:77). The Companion Malik ibn al-Huwayrith came with young men of his tribe to spend twenty days with the Prophet ﷺ, who told them as he sent them home: “Pray as you have seen me pray” (al-Bukhari 631). Imam Malik ibn Anas, the scholar of Medina and author of the Muwattaʾ, gave his name to the Maliki school, followed in North and West Africa.
Meaning of the name Malik
Malik (Maalik) is the active participle of malaka, “to own, to hold in one’s hand” (root m-l-k): it means the owner, one who has something at his disposal. It should not be confused with malik (مَلِك), “king”, without the long vowel: al-Malik, “the King”, is one of the names of Allah. The two words meet at the beginning of al-Fatiha, read, according to the canonical readings, Māliki or Maliki yawm al-din, “Master” or “King of the Day of Judgement” (1:4).
- In Arabic
- مَالِك مالك
- Transliteration
- Mālik
- Root
- م ل ك · 206 occurrences in the Quran
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Arabic
Is Malik in the Quran?
Yes: the word Malik appears in the Quran 4 times, in 4 surahs.
قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ بِيَدِكَ ٱلْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ٢٦
Say, "O Allāh, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.
وَنَادَوْا۟ يَٰمَٰلِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ قَالَ إِنَّكُم مَّٰكِثُونَ ٧٧
And they will call, "O Mālik, let your Lord put an end to us!" He will say, "Indeed, you will remain."
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِّمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَآ أَنْعَٰمًا فَهُمْ لَهَا مَٰلِكُونَ ٧١
Do they not see that We have created for them from what Our hands have made, grazing livestock, and [then] they are their owners?
All the words of the root م ل ك in the Quran (206 occurrences)
In the hadiths
Authentic
Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 631
We came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and stayed with him for twenty days and nights. We were all young and of about the same age. The Prophet (ﷺ) was very kind and merciful. When he realized our longing for our families, he asked about our homes and the people there and we told him. Then he asked us to go…
ارْجِعُوا إِلَى أَهْلِيكُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا فِيهِمْ وَعَلِّمُوهُمْ وَمُرُوهُمْ ـ وَذَكَرَ أَشْيَاءَ أَحْفَظُهَا أَوْ لاَ أَحْفَظُهَا ـ وَصَلُّوا كَمَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي أُصَلِّي، فَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلاَةُ فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ…
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Malik 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 Malik in each language
- French
- Malik, Malek
- English
- Malik, Maalik, Malek
- Spanish
- Malik, Malek
- Turkish
- Malik, Mâlik
- Arabic
- مَالِك
