وَإِنَّهُمْ عِندَنَا لَمِنَ ٱلْمُصْطَفَيْنَ ٱلْأَخْيَارِ ٤٧
And indeed they are, to Us, among the chosen and outstanding.
مُصْطَفَى
Mustafa: meaning of the name
Boy Arabic origin Muṣṭafā
Name of the Prophet ﷺIn the Quran“The chosen one”; an epithet of the Prophet ﷺ
The word as it is recited in the Quran: Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary, Sad 38:47.
Mustafa in Islam
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah chose Kinana from the descendants of Ismaʿil, Quraysh from Kinana, Banu Hashim from Quraysh, and He chose me from Banu Hashim” (Muslim 2276). The singular mustafa does not occur in the Quran: only the plural al-mustafayn, “the chosen ones”, appears, once, of Ibrahim, Ishaq and Yaʿqub (38:47); the verb iṣṭafā occurs often (3:33, 22:75).
Meaning of the name Mustafa
Mustafa is the passive participle of iṣṭafā, “to choose”, a derived form of the root ṣ-f-w, which expresses purity (ṣafāʾ): to choose is to take what is purest, the best of a thing. Mustafa therefore means “the chosen, the preferred one”. Al-Mustafa is one of the best-known epithets of the Prophet ﷺ. The name is among the most common in Turkey and is spelled Moustapha or Mustapha in the Maghreb and West Africa.
- In Arabic
- مُصْطَفَى مصطفى
- Transliteration
- Muṣṭafā
- Root
- ص ف و · 17 occurrences in the Quran
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Arabic
Is Mustafa in the Quran?
Yes: the word Mustafa appears in the Quran once, in one surah.
All the words of the root ص ف و in the Quran (17 occurrences)
In the hadiths
Authentic
Sahih Muslim 2276
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Verily Allah granted eminence to Kinana from amongst the descendants of Isma'il, and he granted eminence to the Quraish amongst Kinana, and he granted eminence to Banu Hashim amonsgst the Quraish, and he granted me eminence from the tribe of Banu Hashim.
اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى كِنَانَةَ مِنْ وَلَدِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَاصْطَفَى قُرَيْشًا مِنْ كِنَانَةَ وَاصْطَفَى مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ وَاصْطَفَانِي مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ "
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Mustafa 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 Mustafa in each language
- French
- Moustapha, Mustapha, Mustafa, Moustafa, Mostafa
- English
- Mustafa, Mostafa, Moustafa, Mustapha
- Spanish
- Mustafa, Mustafá
- Turkish
- Mustafa
- Arabic
- مُصْطَفَى
Similar names
Same root (ص ف و)
- Safaصَفَا “Purity, clearness”; name of the hill of al-Safa in Mecca
- Safaaصَفَاء “Purity, clearness, serenity”
- Safiyaصَفِيَّة “Pure, chosen, elect”
See also
- Muhammadمُحَمَّد “The one who is praised again and again”, the name of the Prophet of Islam ﷺ
- Ahmadأَحْمَد “The most praiseworthy”, one of the names of the Prophet ﷺ
- Mukhtarمُخْتَار “Chosen, elect”; al-Mukhtar, an epithet of the Prophet ﷺ
- Aminأَمِين “Trustworthy, faithful”; al-Amin, a title of the Prophet ﷺ
