In Qur'anic Arabic, the word for "angel" is MALAK, with two short A's:

مَلك

In contemporary Arabic, the common word is MALAK, with a long second A:

مَلاك

The contemporary form is used by both Christians and Muslims. Neither of the two forms is commonly used as a name of a boy or a girl, although the modern form is commonly used as a term of endearment, as in "my angel" (MALAKI).

Notice that MALAKI is the first word in the prophetic book of Malachi in the Old Testament, where it also means "my angel" or "my messenger." In Biblical language, angels are thought of as special beings that serve as carriers of messages from God to humans. Many people incorrectly took the word as a name of the prophet who wrote the book.

I have seen the plural form, MALA-IKA, used as a girl name.


Fuad