Boy, sometimes given to girls · Arabic · Muslim
Zia
ضیاءSay it ZI-yaa
- Meaning today
- Light, radiance, brightness
- Original meaning
- "light, brightness; the light of a source such as the sun" Lane, p. 1809
- Say it
- ZI-yaa
- Written
- ضیاء
- Other spellings
- Ziya, Ziaa
Zia
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Zia meaning
Zia (ضیاء) is a Muslim boy's name of Arabic origin.
Light, brightness; the light of a source such as the sun
Also used to mean: radiance
Zia (ضیاء) is the Arabic ḍiyāʾ, "light", pronounced with a z in Urdu. Lane's lexicon groups it with ḍawʾ, "light", the same as nūr, and reports the view that ḍiyāʾ is the stronger light that shines from a source of its own, like the sun or fire, while nūr may be reflected, like moonlight. The Quran draws exactly this contrast: "He made the sun a radiance and the moon a light", ḍiyāʾan and nūran (10:5). Zia often begins compounds such as Ziauddin, "light of the faith". The Urdu poet Zia Fatehabadi is an Indian bearer.
Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon (1863–93), Book I, Part 5, p. 1809 · entry ḍiyāʾ (ضِيَاءٌ), with ḍawʾ (ضَوْءٌ), root ḍ-w-ʾ · See the entry
In the Quran: 10:5 (ḍiyāʾan (ضِيَآءً)) · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Lane, Arabic–English Lexicon, ḍawʾ, ḍiyāʾ, Book I p. 1809 · Lane, Arabic–English Lexicon, nūr, Book I p. 2865–2866 · Quran 10:5 · Wikipedia, Zia Fatehabadi
Famous namesakes
- Zia Fatehabadi, Indian Urdu poet
Spellings
Zia · Ziya · Ziaa