زِيَاد
Boy Arabic origin Ziyād
Companion“Increase, abundance”
Ziyad ibn Labid al-Ansari pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ at al-ʿAqaba, fought at Badr and was governor of Hadramawt in southern Arabia. The Quran uses the word ziyada from the same root: “For those who do good is the best reward, and more besides” (10:26); according to a hadith reported by Suhayb, this “more” is the sight of Allah in Paradise (Muslim 181).
Ziyad is one of the verbal nouns of zada, “to grow, to increase”: Ibn Manzur lists it alongside ziyada, “increase, surplus”. The name thus expresses growth and abundance, like Zayd and Yazid, formed on the same root z-y-d. Borne before Islam, it has remained common throughout the Arab world; it appears in the name of Tariq ibn Ziyad, who opened al-Andalus to Islam in 711.
The name Ziyad does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (ز ي د) occurs 61 times. Examples:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا۟ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ وَلَا يَرْهَقُ وُجُوهَهُمْ قَتَرٌ وَلَا ذِلَّةٌ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ ٢٦
For them who have done good is the best [reward] - and extra. No darkness will cover their faces, nor humiliation. Those are companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.
وَيَٰقَوْمِ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَىٰ قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا۟ مُجْرِمِينَ ٥٢
And O my people, ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in showers and increase you in strength [added] to your strength. And do not turn away, [being] criminals."
قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن كُنتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّى وَءَاتَىٰنِى مِنْهُ رَحْمَةً فَمَن يَنصُرُنِى مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِنْ عَصَيْتُهُۥ فَمَا تَزِيدُونَنِى غَيْرَ تَخْسِيرٍ ٦٣
He said, "O my people, have you considered: if I should be upon clear evidence from my Lord and He has given me mercy from Himself, who would protect me from Allāh if I disobeyed Him? So you would not increase me except in loss.
All the words of the root ز ي د in the Quran (61 occurrences)
"When the dwellers of Paradise enter Paradise, he said: Allah Almighty will say: Do you want Me to give you anything more? They will say: Have You not brightened our faces? Have You not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Hellfire? He said: He will then lift the veil, and out of all the things…
إِذَا دَخَلَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ الْجَنَّةَ - قَالَ - يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى تُرِيدُونَ شَيْئًا أَزِيدُكُمْ فَيَقُولُونَ أَلَمْ تُبَيِّضْ وُجُوهَنَا أَلَمْ تُدْخِلْنَا الْجَنَّةَ وَتُنَجِّنَا مِنَ النَّارِ -…
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Ziyad 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.
