What does Salma mean?
Salma (سلمى, salma) comes from the Arabic root s-l-m ('peace, safety, soundness') - the same root as salam and Islam - and means 'safe, peaceful, unharmed'. It is a classical name used in early Arabic poetry.
What does Zahra mean?
Zahra draws on the Arabic root z-h-r, giving both 'flower, blossom' (زهرة, zahra) and 'radiant, luminous, bright' (زهراء, zahra'). Al-Zahra' ('the Radiant') is a traditional epithet of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, which adds to the name's devotional resonance.