Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamalaikum,

dear brother my wife is expecting and we came across this name on several websites zunaira which means flower found in paradise as stated and one of the websites say its a name of famous sahabia,is this true.can you provide with the deatails,and is it appropriate to keep for our newborn.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Meaning name zunairah

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

A name assigned to each individual is no more than a sign or recognition of that person; and there is absolutely no obligation or compulsion in Shariah that a believer is obliged or required to keep a ‘traditional’ Islamic or ‘muslim’ name. One is at complete liberty to assign any good wholesome name to their off-spring in absolutely any language they will or please.

The only names which Islam prohibits from assigning to a believer are names which connote or denote polytheism or disbelief (Abdul-Lat, Abdul-Uzza, (slaves of the pagan gods like Lat and Uzza, etc.) or names like Ramdas (slave of the Hindu god Ram), etc.; or names which have an inherit evil or vile meaning.

Other than names which connote polytheism and disbelief, or names which have an inherently evil meaning….Islam has allowed the believers the complete freedom to chose and assign any good wholesome name in any language they will and please.

If indeed the meaning of the name ‘Zunairah’ is flower of Paradise, it would be a perfectly good and acceptable name for a believing female, and there would be absolutely no harm if one wishes to assign the ‘Zunairah’ to their female off-spring.

To the best of our knowledge we have not heard or come across a female believer at the time of the Prophet (saws) by the name of ‘Zunariah’, but it is possible that there was a female believer by the name ‘Zunairah’ at the time of the Prophet (saws), but she might not have been very famous or well known like Aisha, or Khadijah, or Fatimah, etc. Allah Alone Knows Best.

But because the name ‘Zunairah’ does not connote a term of disbelief, nor does it have an inherent evil meaning, it would be an absolutely good and acceptable name for a believing female.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan