وَفَاء
Girl Arabic origin Wafāʾ
Virtue“Faithfulness, loyalty”: keeping one’s commitments
The noun wafaʾ is not in the Quran, but its verb is often commanded or praised there: “O you who believe, fulfil your contracts” (5:1); Ibrahim is “the one who fulfilled (waffa)” (53:37); and the righteous “fulfil their vows” (76:7).
Wafaʾ is the verbal noun of wafa, “to be faithful, to keep one’s word, to fulfil completely” (root w-f-y of what is complete, wafi): faithfulness to one’s word and to those one loves. The name is very common in the Maghreb (Wafae in Morocco) and the Middle East; in Turkish, vefa is an everyday word for loyalty.
The name Wafa does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (و ف ي) occurs 66 times. Examples:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَوْفُوا۟ بِٱلْعُقُودِ أُحِلَّتْ لَكُم بَهِيمَةُ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ غَيْرَ مُحِلِّى ٱلصَّيْدِ وَأَنتُمْ حُرُمٌ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ مَا يُرِيدُ ١
O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts. Lawful for you are the animals of grazing livestock except for that which is recited to you [in this Qur’ān] - hunting not being permitted while you are in the state of iḥrām. Indeed, Allāh ordains what He intends.
وَإِبْرَٰهِيمَ ٱلَّذِى وَفَّىٰٓ ٣٧
And [of] Abraham, who fulfilled [his obligations] -
يُوفُونَ بِٱلنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا كَانَ شَرُّهُۥ مُسْتَطِيرًا ٧
They [are those who] fulfill [their] vows and fear a Day whose evil will be widespread.
All the words of the root و ف ي in the Quran (66 occurrences)
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Wafa 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.
