أَسْمَاء
Girl Arabic origin Asmāʾ
Female CompanionIn the Quran“The beautiful one” or “the names”: a meaning debated since the early grammarians
The word as it is recited in the Quran: Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary, Al-A’raf 7:180.
Asmaʾ, daughter of Abu Bakr, prepared the provisions of the Prophet ﷺ and her father for the Hijra; having nothing to tie them with, she cut her waistband in two, hence her nickname Dhat al-Nitaqayn, “she of the two waistbands” (al-Bukhari 2979). Asmaʾ bint ʿUmays, who had emigrated to Abyssinia, heard the Prophet ﷺ tell her: “You, the people of the ship, have two emigrations” (al-Bukhari 4231).
Asmaʾ is an old Arabic name whose meaning already divided the grammarians. Sibawayh, followed by Ibn Manzur, saw in it an adjective from wasama, “beauty, grace of the face”, whose initial w became a hamza: wasmaʾ, “the beautiful one”. Others took it as the plural of ism, “name”. The meaning “exalted, sublime” often given comes from a confusion with asma, “higher”, which is a different word. In Turkish, Esma also recalls the beautiful names of Allah (Esmâ-i Hüsnâ).
Yes: the word Asma appears in the Quran 12 times, in 7 surahs.
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَٰٓئِهِۦ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ١٨٠
And to Allāh belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنۢبِـُٔونِى بِأَسْمَآءِ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ ٣١
And He taught Adam the names - all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, "Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful."
قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ أَوِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ أَيًّا مَّا تَدْعُوا۟ فَلَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَٱبْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا ١١٠
Say, "Call upon Allāh or call upon the Most Merciful [ar-Raḥmān]. Whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names." And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْخَٰلِقُ ٱلْبَارِئُ ٱلْمُصَوِّرُ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٢٤
He is Allāh, the Creator, the Producer, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
All the words of the root س م و in the Quran (381 occurrences)
وَاللَّهِ مَا أَجِدُ شَيْئًا أَرْبِطُ بِهِ إِلاَّ نِطَاقِي. قَالَ فَشُقِّيهِ بِاثْنَيْنِ، فَارْبِطِيهِ بِوَاحِدٍ السِّقَاءَ وَبِالآخَرِ السُّفْرَةَ. فَفَعَلْتُ، فَلِذَلِكَ سُمِّيَتْ ذَاتَ النِّطَاقَيْنِ.
فَلَمَّا جَاءَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَتْ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ إِنَّ عُمَرَ قَالَ كَذَا وَكَذَا. قَالَ " فَمَا قُلْتِ لَهُ ". قَالَتْ قُلْتُ لَهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا. قَالَ " لَيْسَ بِأَحَقَّ بِي…
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Asma in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.
Read the rules for choosing a name
This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.
