عُمَر
Boy Arabic origin ʿUmar
Companion“Life, long life”, from the root ʿ-m-r; the name of the second caliph of Islam
ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, called al-Faruq, embraced Islam in Mecca and was the second caliph, from 13 to 23 AH. Ibn Masʿud used to say: “We have remained strong ever since ʿUmar embraced Islam” (al-Bukhari 3684), and the Prophet ﷺ told him: “Never does Satan meet you on a path without taking a path other than yours” (al-Bukhari 3683).
ʿUmar belongs to the root ʿ-m-r of life (ʿumr, “lifespan”) and of settling land and making it thrive (ʿimara). Arab grammarians regard it as a form derived from ʿAmir, “one who lives long, who makes things flourish”, and the Lisan al-ʿArab explains that a child was named ʿAmr, from the same root, “in the hope that he would live”. The name ʿUmar is not found in the Quran, but the word ʿumur, “life”, is.
The name Umar does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (ع م ر) occurs 24 times. Examples:
قُل لَّوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَآ أَدْرَىٰكُم بِهِۦ فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيكُمْ عُمُرًا مِّن قَبْلِهِۦٓ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ١٦
Say, "If Allāh had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I had remained among you a lifetime before it. Then will you not reason?"
وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَٰلِحًا قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا فَٱسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌ مُّجِيبٌ ٦١
And to Thamūd [We sent] their brother Ṣāliḥ. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it, so ask forgiveness of Him and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive."
لَعَمْرُكَ إِنَّهُمْ لَفِى سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ٧٢
By your life, [O Muḥammad], indeed they were, in their intoxication, wandering blindly.
All the words of the root ع م ر in the Quran (24 occurrences)
مَا زِلْنَا أَعِزَّةً مُنْذُ أَسْلَمَ عُمَرُ.
" إِيهًا يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا لَقِيَكَ الشَّيْطَانُ سَالِكًا فَجًّا قَطُّ إِلاَّ سَلَكَ فَجًّا غَيْرَ فَجِّكَ "
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Umar 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.
