What is the meaning of the name "Fatima"?
The short answer
"Fatima" means "the shining one" and was the name of Muhammad's daughter, Fatima Zahra, honored in some Muslim circles as a model of womanhood. The Portuguese town was named for a namesake who converted to Christianity, and Mary's appearances there were confirmed by a miracle of the sun.
The name
Fatima means "the shining one." It was the name of Muhammad's favorite daughter, Fatima Zahra, whom some Muslims regard almost as a counterpart to Mary, a model for women, revered for her purity and her motherhood of a Muslim martyr.
The town
Fatima in Portugal was named for a namesake of Fatima Zahra who converted from Islam to Christianity. Fittingly, Mary appeared there in 1917, and the confirming miracle involved the sun.
Sheen's speculation
In The World's First Love, Fulton Sheen speculated that, as Judith and Esther were pre-Christian types of Mary, Fatima Zahra may have been a post-Christian type of her.
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