شَيْمَاء
Shaima: meaning of the name
Girl Arabic origin Shaymāʾ
Family of the Prophet ﷺ“Bearing a beauty mark”; the name of the Prophet’s ﷺ foster sister
Shaima in Islam
Al-Shaymaʾ, daughter of Halima al-Saʿdiyya, helped her mother care for the Prophet ﷺ as a child among the Banu Saʿd. According to the books of sira, she was taken captive with the Hawazin after Hunayn; the Prophet ﷺ recognised her, spread his cloak for her, honoured her and left her free to stay or return to her people.
Meaning of the name Shaima
Shaymaʾ is the feminine of ashyam, “bearing a shama”, a beauty mark (root sh-y-m), which Arabs regarded as a sign of beauty. The name is given in memory of al-Shaymaʾ, daughter of Halima al-Saʿdiyya and foster sister of the Prophet ﷺ. It is very common in the Maghreb (Chaïma), France and Turkey (Şeyma).
- In Arabic
- شَيْمَاء شيماء
- Transliteration
- Shaymāʾ
- Root
- ش ي م
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Arabic
Is Shaima in the Quran?
No: neither the name Shaima nor its root appears in the Quran. A name can be beautiful and permissible without coming from the Quran.
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Shaima 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 Shaima in each language
- French
- Chaïma, Chaima, Shaima, Chaymae
- English
- Shaima, Shayma, Shaimaa
- Spanish
- Shaima, Chaima
- Turkish
- Şeyma
- Arabic
- شَيْمَاء