سَلَٰمٌ قَوْلًا مِّن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ ٥٨
[And] "Peace," a word from a Merciful Lord.
سَلْمَى
Salma: meaning of the name
Girl Arabic origin Salmā
Female CompanionAn old Arabic name from the root of peace (s-l-m); “peaceful, safe and sound”
Salma in Islam
Salma Umm Rafiʿ, a freedwoman and servant of the Prophet ﷺ, was the midwife at the birth of his son Ibrahim; she also took part in the expedition of Khaybar. Salma bint Qays, Umm al-Mundhir, of the Ansar, prayed towards both qiblas. Salma bint ʿAmr, of the Banu al-Najjar of Medina, was the mother of ʿAbd al-Muttalib, the Prophet’s grandfather ﷺ.
Meaning of the name Salma
Salma is one of the oldest Arabic women’s names. It belongs to the root s-l-m of peace (salam), soundness and safety, and is understood as “peaceful, safe and sound”. The early dictionaries give it as a woman’s name and as the name of a mountain in Arabia, Salma, which with Ajaʾ forms the two mountains of the tribe of Tayyiʾ. Often sung by the poets, it is borne from the Maghreb to Indonesia, and becomes Selma in Turkey and the Balkans.
- In Arabic
- سَلْمَى سلمى
- Transliteration
- Salmā
- Root
- س ل م · 140 occurrences in the Quran
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Arabic
Is Salma in the Quran?
The name Salma does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (س ل م) occurs 140 times. Examples:
سَلَٰمٌ هِىَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ ٱلْفَجْرِ ٥
Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.
دَعْوَىٰهُمْ فِيهَا سُبْحَٰنَكَ ٱللَّهُمَّ وَتَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَٰمٌ وَءَاخِرُ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ أَنِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ١٠
Their call therein will be, "Exalted are You, O Allāh," and their greeting therein will be, "Peace." And the last of their call will be, "Praise to Allāh, Lord of the worlds!"
All the words of the root س ل م in the Quran (140 occurrences)
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Salma 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.
Writing Salma in each language
- French
- Salma, Selma, Salmah
- English
- Salma, Salmah, Selma
- Spanish
- Salma, Selma
- Turkish
- Selma, Salma
- Arabic
- سَلْمَى
Similar names
Same root (س ل م)
- Abdus Salamعَبْد السَّلَام “Servant of Peace”, of the One free of all evil
- Aslamأَسْلَم “The soundest, the safest”, from the root of peace; in Turkey, understood as “one who submits to Allah”
- Islamإِسْلَام “Submission to Allah”, the name of the religion
- Salamسَلَام “Peace, safety”, and the greeting of Muslims
- Salimسَالِم “Safe and sound”, unharmed, kept from all harm
- Salmanسَلْمَان “Safe and sound, preserved”, from the root of peace (salam)