جُوَيْرِيَة
Girl Arabic origin Juwayriya
Mother of the Believers“Little young girl”, diminutive of jariya
Juwayriya bint al-Harith, daughter of the chief of the Banu al-Mustaliq, married the Prophet ﷺ in the year 5 or 6 of the Hijra; following this marriage, the Companions freed the captives of her tribe. Her name was Barra, and the Prophet ﷺ changed it to Juwayriya (Muslim 2140).
Juwayriya is the affectionate diminutive of jariya, “young girl”, a word from the root j-r-y, which also expresses flowing and running (jara, “to flow, to run”). The name therefore means “little young girl”. It was the Prophet ﷺ himself who gave this name to the Mother of the Believers who bears it.
The name Juwayriyah does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (ج ر ي) occurs 64 times. Examples:
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ يَهْدِيهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِإِيمَٰنِهِمْ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ فِى جَنَّٰتِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ ٩
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - their Lord will guide them because of their faith. Beneath them rivers will flow in the Gardens of Pleasure.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُسَيِّرُكُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا كُنتُمْ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِم بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ وَفَرِحُوا۟ بِهَا جَآءَتْهَا رِيحٌ عَاصِفٌ وَجَآءَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْجُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ أُحِيطَ بِهِمْ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ لَئِنْ أَنجَيْتَنَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِۦ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ ٢٢
It is He who enables you to travel on land and sea until, when you are in ships and they sail with them by a good wind and they rejoice therein, there comes a storm wind and the waves come upon them from every place and they expect to be engulfed, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion, "If You should save us from this, we will surely be among the thankful."
وَقَالَ ٱرْكَبُوا۟ فِيهَا بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ مَجْر۪ىٰهَا وَمُرْسَىٰهَآ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ٤١
And [Noah] said, "Embark therein; in the name of Allāh [are] its course and its anchorage. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful."
All the words of the root ج ر ي in the Quran (64 occurrences)
كَانَتْ جُوَيْرِيَةُ اسْمُهَا بَرَّةَ فَحَوَّلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم اسْمَهَا جُوَيْرِيَةَ وَكَانَ يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُقَالَ خَرَجَ مِنْ عِنْدِ بَرَّةَ .
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Juwayriyah 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.
