Muslim Names

Assalamualaikum..

“You will be called on the Day of Resurrection by your names and the names of your fathers, so have good names.”

Hadith reported by Abu Dawud

If we refer to the above hadith, we know that Islam emphasized Muslims to have good names, and give good names to our children. There is a fatwa regarding name choosing that we can follow made by an eminent muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.

• The name had to be  neither detestable by people nor to be rejected by the child himself, when he grows up. Example of such names are names that have the meaning of evil connotations, bad omen, names of people known for their oppression.
• Names like “`Abdul-Ka`abah”, “`Abdun-Nabi”, “`Abdul-Hussayn”, and such names that implies `Ubudiyyah (servitude) to others than Allah are prohibited.
• Names that give an impression of pomposity and vainglory are not suitable for muslim child as stated in a hadith; “The most detestable name for Allah in the Hereafter is that of a man who calls himself “King of All Kings”, for Allah is the Lord of the Kings.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, and At-Tirmidhi)
• The Finest Names of Allah, such as “Ar-Rahman (the Gracious), Al-Khalik (the Creator), etc are forbidden unless the word ‘Abd’ is attached at the beginning of the name e.g Abdul Rahman.
• Names with the Attributes of Allah with a definite article, such as “Al-`Aziz” (the All-Powerful) and “Al-Hakim” (the Most-Wise), is forbidden but can be used without a definite article, e.g. “`Aziz” and “Hakim”.
• Calling children after the Prophets and righteous peoples are recommended .
• There are no restiriction in using non-arab names as long as the meaning is good.

I hope with the guides above you can choose names for your baby so much easier.