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Fatwa CenterNaming girl Tabassum, Tasneem, or Humayraa’
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. Is it permissible to name a girl Tabassum, Tasneem, or Humayraa’?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
We do not see any harm in naming girls with the mentioned names, and we do not know of any reason to deem them prohibited.
Tabassum means smiling, and it is the least form of laughter. Lisaan Al-‘Arab (Arabic lexicon) defines it as follows, “Tabassum means to smile. It is the least and most praised form of laughing. Allah, The Exalted, says (what means): {So, he smiled (tabassam), amused at her speech...} [Quran 27:19] Az-Zajjaaj 
commented on the verse saying, 'The laughter of the Prophets of Allah was mostly smiling ... The description of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, included that his laughter was mostly in the form of smiling.'”
Tasneem linguistically means height or elevation, as has been underlined by Al-Qurtubi and Al-Baghawi. The Arabic word for the camel's hump, Sanaam, is derived from the same root sa-na-ma, denoting height and elevation. Tasneem Al-Quboor means raising the graves a span higher than the ground ... Also, Allah, The Exalted, says (what means): {And its mixture is of Tasneem.} [Quran 83:27] Tasneem is a spring in Paradise. Scholars of Tafseer said, “The mixture of this nectar is a drink poured for them from a high place, and it is the finest drink in Paradise.” For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 88629.
As for the name Humayraa’, it is a diminutive form of the word Hamraa’ meaning red or reddish color, and it is used (by Arabs) to mean white/fair. The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to call ‘Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, Humayraa’. ‘Aa'ishah reported that the Abyssinians were performing in the mosque. Thereupon, the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to her, “O Humayraa’, would you like to watch them?” She said, “Yes.” [An-Nasaa’i: As-Sunan Al-Kubra] [Al-Albaani: As-Silsilah As-Saheehah, no.3277]
Lisaan Al-‘Arab reads, “He sometimes addressed ‘Aa'ishah as Humayraa', a diminutive form of Hamraa', meaning white/fair.”
Allah knows best.
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