Khadijah خديجة
Meaning: Born before her time (an early-born child)
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the Prophet's ﷺ first wife and the first person to believe in him. "The best of its women is Khadijah" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3432).
Muslim baby names
Names of the sahabiyat
The women companions of the Prophet ﷺ: the Mothers of the Believers, his daughters, and the women who believed, migrated, taught and fought for Islam.
Sawdah سودة
Meaning: A classical name linked to sawad, darkness or a great crowd
Sawdah bint Zam'ah, the Prophet's ﷺ wife after Khadijah, known for her generosity and good humour.
A'ishah عائشة
Meaning: Living, full of life (from 'aysh, life)
'A'ishah bint Abi Bakr, Mother of the Believers and one of the greatest scholars of the companions; more than two thousand hadith come through her.
Hafsah حفصة
Meaning: Young lioness
Hafsah bint 'Umar, Mother of the Believers, who kept the first written copy of the Quran compiled under Abu Bakr.
Zaynab زينب
Meaning: A fragrant, good-looking tree
Name of the Prophet's ﷺ eldest daughter and of two of his wives, Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, "mother of the poor", and Zaynab bint Jahsh. The Prophet ﷺ renamed girls called Barrah to Zaynab (Sahih Muslim 2142).
Hind هند
Meaning: A herd of about a hundred camels
Hind bint Abi Umayyah, better known as Umm Salamah, Mother of the Believers, whose advice at Hudaybiyyah the Prophet ﷺ followed.
Juwayriyah جويرية
Meaning: Young girl (a diminutive of jariyah)
Juwayriyah bint al-Harith, Mother of the Believers. Her name was Barrah, and the Prophet ﷺ changed it to Juwayriyah (Sahih Muslim 2140).
Ramlah رملة
Meaning: A patch or grain of sand
Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan, Umm Habibah, Mother of the Believers, who held to Islam in Abyssinia.
Safiyyah صفية
Meaning: Pure
Safiyyah bint Huyayy, Mother of the Believers; also Safiyyah bint 'Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's ﷺ brave aunt.
Maymunah ميمونة
Meaning: Blessed, fortunate
Maymunah bint al-Harith, the last woman the Prophet ﷺ married, aunt of 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas.
Ruqayyah رقية
Meaning: A diminutive form, linked to raqiya (to rise) or to ruqyah (a protective recitation)
Ruqayyah, daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and wife of 'Uthman, with whom she emigrated to Abyssinia.
Fatimah فاطمة
Meaning: One who weans
Fatimah az-Zahra', the Prophet's ﷺ youngest daughter, mother of al-Hasan and al-Husayn. "Fatimah is a part of me" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3714).
Sumayyah سمية
Meaning: High, lofty (a diminutive)
Sumayyah bint Khayyat, mother of 'Ammar, the first martyr in Islam.
Asma' أسماء
Meaning: Names
Asma' bint Abi Bakr, "the one with two belts", who carried food to the Prophet ﷺ and her father in the cave (Sahih al-Bukhari 3907); also Asma' bint 'Umays and Asma' bint Yazid.
Nusaybah نسيبة
Meaning: Of noble descent
Nusaybah bint Ka'b, Umm 'Ammarah, who defended the Prophet ﷺ at Uhud.
Rufaydah رفيدة
Meaning: Help, support (from rifd)
Rufaydah al-Aslamiyyah, who nursed the wounded in a tent at the mosque in Madinah; often called the first Muslim nurse.
Barakah بركة
Meaning: Blessing, increase in good
Barakah, Umm Ayman, who cared for the Prophet ﷺ as a child; he called her "my mother after my mother". The Quran uses the word for blessings from the sky and earth (7:96).
Khawlah خولة
Meaning: A female gazelle
Khawlah bint Tha'labah, the woman whose complaint about her husband Allah heard from above the seven heavens; Surah 58 opens with her case (58:1).
Lubabah لبابة
Meaning: The pure essence of a thing
Lubabah bint al-Harith, Umm al-Fadl, wife of al-'Abbas, said to be the second woman to accept Islam after Khadijah.
Umamah أمامة
Meaning: A classical Arabic name whose literal sense is not certain
Umamah bint Zaynab, the Prophet's ﷺ granddaughter, whom he carried while praying (Sahih al-Bukhari 516).
Shifa' شفاء
Meaning: Healing, cure
Ash-Shifa' bint 'Abdullah, a companion who could read and write and taught Hafsah (Sunan Abi Dawud 3887).
Atikah عاتكة
Meaning: Pure and noble
'Atikah bint Zayd, a poet among the companions and an early emigrant.
Layla ليلى
Meaning: Night
Layla bint Abi Hathmah, among the first women to emigrate to Abyssinia.
Rumaysa' رميصاء
Meaning: A classical name (a diminutive form) of Umm Sulaym
Umm Sulaym, mother of Anas ibn Malik. The Prophet ﷺ said: "I entered Paradise and heard footsteps; it was ar-Rumaysa'" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3679).
Salma سلمى
Meaning: Safe, peaceful (from salamah)
Salma, Umm Rafi', who served in the Prophet's ﷺ household and helped at the births of his children.
Arwa أروى
Meaning: A female mountain goat
Arwa bint 'Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's ﷺ aunt, who supported him in Makkah.
Fakhitah فاختة
Meaning: A ring dove
Fakhitah bint Abi Talib, Umm Hani', the Prophet's ﷺ cousin, in whose house he prayed eight rak'ahs on the day of the conquest of Makkah.
Mariyah مارية
Meaning: The Coptic form of the name Maria
Mariyah al-Qibtiyyah, from Egypt, mother of the Prophet's ﷺ son Ibrahim.
Rayhanah ريحانة
Meaning: Sweet basil
Rayhanah bint Zayd, who lived in the Prophet's ﷺ household. The Quran names rayhan, fragrant plants, among Allah's blessings (55:12).
Sahlah سهلة
Meaning: Easy, gentle
Sahlah bint Suhayl, an early emigrant to Abyssinia.
Khansa' خنساء
Meaning: A gazelle
Al-Khansa', the great poet who accepted Islam and whose four sons fell at al-Qadisiyyah.
Barirah بريرة
Meaning: Pious, dutiful (a diminutive)
Barirah, freed by 'A'ishah; her case set the rule that loyalty (wala') belongs to the one who frees (Sahih al-Bukhari 2536).
Shayma' شيماء
Meaning: One with a beauty mark (from shamah)
Ash-Shayma' bint al-Harith, the Prophet's ﷺ foster sister, whom he honoured by spreading his cloak for her.
Halimah حليمة
Meaning: Gentle, patient, forbearing
Halimah as-Sa'diyyah, the Prophet's ﷺ foster mother in the desert; Ibn Hajar and others list her among the companions.
Jamilah جميلة
Meaning: Beautiful
The Prophet ﷺ changed the name of 'Umar's daughter 'Asiyah (disobedient) to Jamilah, "You are Jamilah" (Sahih Muslim 2139).
Habibah حبيبة
Meaning: Beloved, dear
Habibah bint Sahl, an Ansari companion; Umm Habibah was also the kunya of the Prophet's ﷺ wife Ramlah.
Durrah درة
Meaning: A large pearl
Durrah bint Abi Lahab, who accepted Islam and emigrated to Madinah despite her father's enmity.
Frequently asked questions
What does sahabiyat mean?
Sahabiyat (singular sahabiyyah) are the women who met the Prophet ﷺ as believers and died as Muslims.
Who are the Mothers of the Believers?
The Prophet's ﷺ wives, called “mothers of the believers” in Quran 33:6: Khadija, Sawda, Aisha, Hafsa, Zainab bint Khuzaymah, Umm Salamah (Hind), Zainab bint Jahsh, Juwayriya, Umm Habibah (Ramlah), Safiya and Maimuna.
Which names are most loved by Allah?
‘Abdullah and ‘Abd ar-Rahman: “The most beloved of your names to Allah are ‘Abdullah and ‘Abd ar-Rahman” (Sahih Muslim 2132).
How were these names checked?
Each name has its Arabic spelling, a meaning from the classical dictionaries or the Quranic word, and a source. Quran references are checked against the Uthmani text of the Quran each time the page is built.
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