From Arabic meaning 'contentment, satisfaction, or divine favor.'
Rida (also spelled Ridha or Reda) is a name of Arabic origin meaning 'contentment,' 'satisfaction,' or 'divine pleasure' — specifically the state of being pleased with God's will and God being pleased with the believer. In Islamic theology, rida is a profound spiritual concept describing a soul's acceptance of divine decree with gratitude rather than resignation, and the name is therefore deeply devotional in character. It appears in both masculine and feminine forms across the Arabic-speaking world and among Muslim communities globally, from Morocco and Egypt to Pakistan and Indonesia.
Historically, one of the most revered bearers was Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (765–818 CE), the eighth imam of Twelver Shia Islam, whose shrine in Mashhad, Iran draws millions of pilgrims each year and whose name has given the name particular reverence in Shia communities. In the twentieth century, the Egyptian Islamic scholar Muhammad Rashid Rida became influential through his journal Al-Manar, and Algerian pop star Rida (Abderrahmane Rida) brought the name into secular popular culture across the Maghreb. In Western contexts Rida has gained visibility as Muslim diaspora communities have grown, celebrated for its brevity, its beautiful meaning, and its ease of pronunciation across many languages.
It carries no gender ambiguity in Arabic tradition, but Western naming registers sometimes classify it as unisex. For parents of any background, Rida offers a name that is spare, melodic, and anchored in one of the most serene concepts in human spiritual vocabulary.