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How to Name a Child in Islam

10-03-2000

Question 7180

I want to give my son a name. What are the Islamic guidelines on this?

Summary of answer:

This is how to name a child in Islam: 1- Avoid names that imply enslavement to or worship of anything other than Allah. 2- Avoid names of Allah which are befitting only for Him. 3- It is makruh (disliked) to use names which have off-putting meanings. 4- The first names are ‘Abd-Allah and ‘Abd al-Rahman.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Importance of giving names in Islam

No doubt the matter of giving names is one of the most important issues in people’s lives. A person’s name is a title which says something about him, and is essential for communicating with him.

It is an adornment and symbol for the person, by which he is called in this world and in the Hereafter. It is indicative of the religion to which he belongs, and makes him feel that he is one of the followers of that religion. It gives an impression of him to other people, and in their view it is like a garment – if it is too long or too short, it does not look right.

How to name a child in Islam

The basic principle concerning names is that they are permissible, but there are some matters which are prohibited according to the Shari`ah and should be avoided when choosing names. These include the following:

It is not permissible to call people after the names referred to above; indeed, doing so is haram and anyone who has such a name is obliged to change it.

Disliked names in Islam 

These names are makruh, and it is makruh to give them to anyone. But if a person has been given such a name by his family, and he is grown up and it is difficult for him to change it, he does not have to do so.

Categories of good names

There are four categories of good names:

Points to consider when naming a child in Islam

It is good to pay attention to a number of matters when giving names to our children, including the following:

  1. Recognizing the fact that this name will stay with the person for his entire lifetime, and it could cause some embarrassment or problems for him which in turn could make him feel badly towards his father, mother or whoever gave him this name.
  2. When looking at names in order to choose one, we should look at it from a number of angles. We should look at the name itself, and also think of how it will sound when this person is a child, a youth, an adult, an old man and a father, and how it will suit his father to be called “Abu” (Father of) So and So, and how it will suit his son to be called Son and so son of So and So, etc.
  3. Choosing the name is the right of the father, because he is the one after whom the child will be named (son of, or daughter of…). But it is mustahabb for the father to involve the mother in the decision and to ask for her opinion as to whether she thinks the name is good, so that she will feel happy.
  4. The child must be named after his father even if the father is deceased or divorced, etc., even if he does not take care of the child or see him at all. It is utterly haram to name a child after anyone other than his father, except in one case, which is when the child is born as the result of adultery (Allah forbid). In this case the child should be named after his mother and it is not permissible to name him after his father.

For more, please see these answers: 96677 , 145607 , 5434 and 110494 .

And Allah knows best.

Names and Nicknames
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