Reza (Arabic: رضا, riḍā) is a name of Arabic origin, widely used as a Persian personal name and within Iranian placenames.
The Islamic concept Reza ([ɾeˈzɒː], also transliterated as Raza, Reda, Redha, Rida, Ridha [rɪˈdˤɑ], Rıza, Rza, Rizah [ɾɯˈzɑ], is a male given name common among Muslims, and especially Persian-speakers. It comes from Arabic and means contentment.
Rida (Reza) is an Islamic concept rooted in the Qur'an and the practices. This idea of contentment is expressed in two Qur'anic verses which discuss the contentment of Allah with believers and, conversely, of believers with Allah:
Allah was well pleased with the believers... (
[Quran 48:18])
Muslims believe that Allah's pleasure with the servant is expressed through His gifts both material and spiritual and the servant's pleasure with Allah is the name of his obedience to Allah's commands and submission to his will. Rida on the part of the human also includes his determination to accept Allah's decree irrespective of whether it is favourable or unfavourable.
Because the Arabic ض sound does not exist in the Persian language, Persian-speakers replace the sound with a z. This pronunciation was also adopted by other languages influenced by Persian, most of all Turkish and Urdu. In the Maghreb region, the name is spelled Reda, due to the French influence during the colonial times.
Ali al-Ridha, Eighth Shia Ithna Ashari Imam.
Reza Afshari, Iranian historian
Reza Davari Ardakani, Iranian philosopher
Reza Ghadiri, Iranian-American chemist
Reza Iravani, Iranian academic
Rida Khawaldeh, Jordanian academic
Reza Malekzadeh, Iranian physician
Reza Mansouri, Iranian physicist
Reza Olfati-Saber, Iranian roboticist
Rida Said, Syrian physician
Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı, Turkish scientist
Reza Aslan, Iranian-American scholar, author, and journalist
Reza Moridi, Canadian Politician
Reza Abbasi (1565–1635), a Persian painter
Reza Abdoh, Iranian-born American director
Reza Abedini, Iranian designer
Reza Allamehzadeh, Persian-born Dutch film-maker
Reza Amirkhani, Persian novelist
Reza Aslan, Iranian-American scholar, author, and journalist
Reza Badiyi, American film director
Reza Baraheni, Iranian novelist
Reza Deghati, professionally known as Reza, an Iranian-born photojournalist
Reza Fayazi, Iranian film director
Reza Feiz Noroozi, Iranian actor
Reza Kianian, Iranian actor
Reza Naji, Iranian actor
Reza Parsa, Swedish film director
Reza Qolikhan Hedayat, Persian writer
Reza Sadeghi, Iranian pop singer
Reza Samani, Iranian musician
Reza Shafiei Jam, Iranian actor
Reza Shah-Kazemi, British author
Reza Vohdani, Iranian musician
Reza Yazdani (singer)
Rida Al Abdullah, Iraqi singer
Raza Murad, Indian actor
Redha al-Najar, Tunisian prisoner
Reza Alinejad, Iranian juvenile offender
Reza Khan, Afghan Islamist
Reza Zarrab, Iranian businessman
Reza Alamouti, Iranian political activist
Reza Fallah (1909-1982); Iranian businessman and political advisor who shaped the Iranian oil policy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Reza Ghotbi, Iranian politician
Reza Hosseini, Iranian humanitarian
Reza Khelili Dylami, Swedish politician
Reza Moridi, Canadian politician
Reza Ostadi, Iranian politician
Reza Pahlavi, last crown prince of the former Imperial State of Iran
Reza Shah Pahlavi, Shah of Iran
Reza Taslimi, Iranian intelligence officer
Reza Zanjani, Iranian politician
Reza Zarei, Iranian military commander
Rida al-Rikabi, Syrian politician
Rıza Nur, Turkish politician
Rıza Türmen (born 1941), Turkish judge and politician
Réda Johnson, French/Algerian/Beninese/English footballer
Reda Acimi, Algerian footballer
Reda El Amrani, Moroccan tennis player
Reda El-Weshi, Egyptian footballer
Redha Tukar, Saudi Arabian footballer
Reza Ahadi, Iranian footballer
Reza Chahkhandagh, Iranian judoka
Reza Enayati, Iranian footballer
Reza Ghoochannejhad, Iranian-Dutch footballer
Reza Hassanzadeh (disambiguation), multiple Iranian footballers
Reza Jabbari, Iranian footballer
Reza Khaleghifar, Iranian footballer
Reza Niknazar, Iranian footballer
Reza Sahebi, Iranian footballer
Reza Soukhteh Saraei, Iranian wrestler
Reza Shahroudi, Iranian footballer
Reza Talabeh, Iranian footballer
Reza Torabian, Iranian footballer
Reza Vatankhah, Iranian footballer
Reza Yazdani, Iranian wrestler
Rida Lah Douliazale, Moroccan footballer
Rıza Çalımbay, Turkish footballer
Rıza Kayaalp (born 1989), Turkish wrestler
Rıza Şen, Turkish footballer
Rizah Mešković, Bosnian footballer
People with the theophoric given name.
People with the given name, after Ali Reza (765-818), Imam and seventh descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
People with the given name, meaning servant of the contented one
People with the given name, after Mohammad Reza (1919–1980), the last King of Iran.
Ahmed Rıza, Turkish academic
Farhad Reza (born 1986), Bangladeshi cricketer
Fazlollah Reza (born 1915), an Iranian university professor
Ghaleb Rida, Lebanese basketball player
Hadem Rida, Palestinian politician
Liudvikas Rėza (1776–1840), Prussian-Lithuanian author a.k.a. Ludwig Rhesa
Maruf Reza (fl. 2000s), Bangladeshi cricketer
Ömer Rıza, English footballer
Syed Salim Raza (born 1950), Financier and Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, of Persian Heritage
Rashid Rida, Syrian scholar
Yasmina Reza (born 1959), an Iranian-French playwright
Kévin Reza (born 1988), a French professional road bicycle racer
Itzel Reza, Mexican sprint canoer
Lilia Merodio Reza (born 1978), Mexican politician
Reza, character in Gol & Gincu television series
Reza Temiz, character in Dreamfall: The Longest Journey game
