سَمَا
Girl Arabic origin Samā
“Sky, height”: what rises
The noun sama is not in the Quran, but the sky (al-samaʾ) recurs there more than three hundred times, among Allah’s signs: “The heaven We built with power, and We are expanding it” (51:47); “We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps” (67:5).
Sama is linked to the root s-m-w of elevation: sama, “to rise, to be high”, and samaʾ, “the sky”, everything above. The name evokes height, the sky and nobility of soul (sumuw). It is common in the Middle East; in Turkey, Sema is very popular, but it comes from a neighbouring word, samaʿ, “listening”, the spiritual concert of the dervishes.
The name Sama does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (س م و) occurs 381 times. Examples:
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ فِرَٰشًا وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ٢٢
[He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allāh equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].
وَٱلسَّمَآءَ بَنَيْنَٰهَا بِأَيْي۟دٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ ٤٧
And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.
وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا ٱلسَّمَآءَ ٱلدُّنْيَا بِمَصَٰبِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَٰهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَٰطِينِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ ٱلسَّعِيرِ ٥
And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with lamps [i.e., stars] and have made [from] them what is thrown at the devils and have prepared for them the punishment of the Blaze.
All the words of the root س م و in the Quran (381 occurrences)
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Sama 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.
