Fatwa #2391328 September 2018Australia
Mina or Saba
Question
salam,
i have not yet named my baby she is passed 2 weeks old and i need help to decide between Mina or Saba, which is islamically the better name.
Answer
In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salaamu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullaahi wa-barakaatuh.
The word Meenaa (ميناء) in the Arabic language means glazing and enamel-coated[1]. Mina (منى) is the name of a valley in Makkah.
As for the name Saba (سبأ), the scholars have differed whether it was the name of a place in Yemen, a man from amongst them or Queen Sheba.
Although it would be permissible to name your child any of the two words in reference, we advise you to choose a more meaningful name. You may refer to the following links for appropriate names:
http://hamariweb.com/names/muslim/
And Allaah Ta’aala Knows Best.
Muajul I. Chowdhury
Student, Darul Iftaa
Astoria, New York, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.