What are the meanings of these names?

I found the following name on a ‘Muslim baby names’ website. Can you please tell me if it is an Arabic name and if the meaning is correct?

Omera: meaning: The one who possesses an inspiring and great personality, enjoys having a positive attitude.

Can Moulana also please tell me the meanings of the following names: Sarah; Ameerah; Safeerah and Jahaan.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

As Muslims, we should ensure that we choose for our children such names that depict wholesome meanings and indicate praiseworthy qualities. This is learnt from the following Ahaadeeth:

إِنَّكُم تُدْعَونَ يومَ القِيامَةِ بِأسمائِكُمْ وأَسماءِ آبائِكُمْ، فَأَحسِنُوا أَسماءَكُم[1]

TRANSLATION: “You will be called upon on the Day of Qiyaamah by your names and the names of your forefathers, therefore keep good names.”

Hence, your quest for suitable names holds merit in light of the above Hadeeth.

1.   As for the Arabic name ‘Omera’, a more suitable spelling of it would be ‘Omairah’ or ‘Omayrah’, since its Arabic equivalent is ‘عُمَيْرة‘. It is the feminine form of the name ‘Umair’, which is the diminutive of the word ‘Umar’. The meaning of ‘Omairah’ is ‘flourishing, long-lived and prosperous.’ It is thus a suitable name for a child.

2.   The Arabic equivalent of the name ‘Sarah’ is ‘سَارَة‘. It is the name of the wife of Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis Salaam).[2] The name ‘Sarah’ is an Arabic name of Hebrew origin. It means ‘a leader’ and thus could be taken (by way of good omen) to represent the connotation of ‘a person with leadership qualities’ or ‘a person who has the quality of showing responsibility’. Hence, it is also a suitable name.

3.   The name ‘Ameerah’ is an Arabic name spelt thus: ‘أَمِيْرَة‘. It also has the meaning of ‘a leader’[3]  and similarly could be considered to represent the purport of ‘a person with leadership qualities’ or ‘a person who has the quality of showing responsibility’. It is a suitable name.

4.   As for the name ‘Safeerah’, if it is considered to be in the Arabic language with a Seen (س), then it means ‘messenger’ or ‘ambassadress’. It also has a meaning of ‘a necklace that has a gold and silver chain’,[4] If it is regarded to be spelt with a Saad (ص), it would mean ‘a wall between two pieces of land’[5]. It is also the name of a tree.[6] The name ‘Safeerah’ in either of the above two forms (with a Seen and Saad) was never used as a female name, in addition to the fact that apparently, their meanings are not suitable for a name.

However, if it is spelt with a ‘Dha’ (ظ) it would mean ‘one who is successful in all her endeavours’ or ‘one who accomplishes all that she strives for’.[7]  If this is the case, then it is possible that in the stated name, ‘ظَفِيْرَة‘, the ‘ظ‘ was changed from its original Arabic pronunciation to the ‘s’ sound due to being Anglicised – since the English phonetic does not cater for the ‘ظ‘ sound – as a result of which it was spelt, as well as pronounced, in English with an ‘s’: ‘Safeerah’.

This (i.e. being spelt with the letter ‘ظ‘)  is the most probable form of the name ‘Safeerah’, hence it would be spelt in Arabic ‘ظَفِيْرَة‘ and the closest English spelling would be ‘Dhafeerah’, keeping in mind that the ‘Dh’ should be pronounced as a ‘ظ‘ is pronounced in the Arabic language. In this case, considering the meaning as mentioned above, it is a suitable name.

5.   With regards to the name ‘Jahaan’, it is a Persian name which means ‘the world’. This name should not be kept.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Maulana Mahmood Patel
Azaadville, South Africa

Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net

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