He wants to call his son or daughter ‘Arafaah or Mina

Praise be to Allah.

There is an excellent book by Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd, entitled Tasmiyat al-Mawlood (Naming your Newborn), in which he mentions important matters that have to do with this topic, as well as listing names. What we advise you to do is to look for names that are liked in Islam, such as ‘Abd-Allaah and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, and other names of male and female Sahaabah, or names that are known to the Arabs. Such names are many, and there is no need to invent new names which may lead to a man doing something wrong without realizing it.

 Shaykh Sa’d al-Humayd

 It is indeed strange that a man would choose the names of places of worship or places where rituals are performed, as names for his children. If we were to go along with this idea, we would say, call your daughters Makkah, Muzdalifah and ‘Arafaah! Do not do this; instead choose well known names that are Islamically acceptable, such as the names that the Sahaabah, the salaf (early generations) and the scholars gave to their children. May Allaah bless us and you with righteous children, for He is the one who hears our prayers.