Asmar (Name)

Asmar (transliteration: Asmar, Arabic: أسمر) is an Arabic name for girls that means “dark”, “tan”, “tawny”, “brown” (a light shade of brown that appears to be  caused by a sun tan) when referring to a person’s skin color. This word was used to refer to the skin color of Prophet Muhammad .¹ The Prophet’s skin color is also described as “white with a light red hue” (i.e. as in a white person’s skin color). According to Ibn al-Athir, these two different descriptions may mean that the parts of his skin exposed to the sun (such as his face) had a tanned color, while the parts not usually exposed (such as his shoulders) were white.²

Asmar is also spelled as Asmer.

Asmar was originally a boy name, but today it is more common to use it for girls. There are two (male) Companions of the Prophet Muhammad named Asmar:

• Asmar bin Saa’id bin Halwat al-Mazini أسمر بن ساعد بن هلوات المازني
• Asmar bin Mudharras al-Taa’i أسمر بن مضرس الطائي

Below is the name Asmar written in Arabic naskh script:

Below is the name Asmar written in Arabic kufi script:

1. Al-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb al-Hadeeth wal Athar by Abu Sa`aadaat Ibn al-Athir (d. 1210 CE), entry for سَمَرَ.
2. Ibid.