Arabic name meaning 'sincerity, purity of intention,' also the title of the 112th chapter of the Quran.
Ikhlas (إخلاص) is an Arabic noun meaning sincerity, purity of intention, and wholehearted devotion — the quality of acting solely for the sake of the divine rather than for social recognition or personal gain. Its root, *kh-l-s*, carries the idea of purification, of something refined until all impurity is gone. In Islamic theology, ikhlas is considered one of the highest spiritual virtues; the Sufi tradition regards it as the prerequisite for any truly valid act of worship.
The name's most prominent cultural anchor is Surah Al-Ikhlas, the 112th chapter of the Quran. Though only four verses long, it is among the most recited and memorized passages in Islamic practice — the Prophet Muhammad reportedly described its recitation as equivalent to reading one-third of the entire scripture. To give a child the name Ikhlas is thus to wrap them in one of the most resonant single words in the Arabic-speaking world, a word that billions have whispered in prayer across fourteen centuries.
As a given name, Ikhlas is used across the Muslim world from Morocco to Indonesia, appearing for both boys and girls though more commonly feminine in many regions. In diasporic communities in Europe and North America it serves as a bridge name: unmistakable in its faith tradition, yet phonetically accessible to non-Arabic speakers. Its meaning — that rare fusion of simplicity and spiritual weight — makes it increasingly appealing to parents seeking names that carry genuine moral aspiration.