Naming of an "Illegitimate" Child

The following question: "My parents conceived me from zina.Whose name do I take and who are my people? Jazakallah khairan."

was addressed to Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen, who wrote the following response:

Praise be to Allaah.

The correct view is that there is no sin on the child of zinaa because of the sin of his parents, because he did not do anything wrong. The (burden of) sin is on his parents. On this basis, he can call himself after his father who has acknowledged his paternity, so that he can prove that he belongs to him and his state (in official papers). Or he can call himself after his mother who gave birth to him, because this is his line of descent; then he will belong to her tribe and state. He should also do righteous deeds and be upright in his conduct and commitment to Islam. What his parents did should not cause him any harm. A person who is hindered by his bad deeds will not be helped by his lineage [i.e., a person’s origins do not count for anything if his actions are bad]. And Allaah knows best.

Zawaj.com Editor: I would like to add that the Shaykh uses the phrase "child of zinaa" because it is a simple statement of fact, rather than the term "illegitimate" which is a judgement and a wrong one at that. No human being is illegitimate. We are all creatures of Allah. Each of us has a soul, and each of us awaits our judgement, where our deeds will be weighed. The focus in Islam is on belief, conduct and deeds, not lineage.

References :

http://www.zawaj.com/articles/child_zinaa.html

التعليقات | | Read More...

Tweet

New Convert: Is Changing Name Necessary?

Question and Answer Details

Name of Questioner Charles   - Canada Title Giving a Muslim Child a Non-Arabic Name Question Dear scholars, As-Salamu `alaykum. Can you give your child a name that is in a language other than Arabic, as long as it has a good meaning? Jazakum Allah khayran. Date 15/Feb/2003 Topic Children & Parenthood, Pregnancy & newborns, Customs & Traditions

Answer

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.  Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake. Islam does not oblige Muslim people to choose specific names, Arabic or non-Arabic, for their children, whether boys or girls. It is rather up to people to choose the names for their children. However, selecting names should be pursuant to some Islamic rules that will be stated below. Islam emphasizes that Muslims should have good names and give good names to their children. It is reported in a Hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You will be called on the Day of Resurrection by your names and the names of your fathers, so have good names." (Reported by Abu Dawud) Answering your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states: “Children are a trust in the hands of parents. Parents, therefore, have a duty to receive this divine gift with a true sense of gratitude and do everything at their disposal to provide the best nurturing. There is nothing better they can do in this regard than by providing them a home filled with love and kindness, and thus contributing to their overall physical, intellectual, ethical and spiritual growth and development. Such a duty begins before the birth of the child and extends all through their lives. Having said this, I must say, that the first important duty when a child is born is to recite the adhan in the right ear in a gentle voice, and give him or her a good name. As for the choice of names, we are given the following guidelines: 1. We must certainly avoid names that indicate any trace of shirk or association of partners with Allah. Therefore it is forbidden to call someone `Abd al-Ka`bah, or `Abd al-Nabi (servant of the Ka`bah or servant of the Prophet), since all of us are servants of Allah alone. 2. We must also avoid names that imply meanings that are offensive or unpleasant in connotations. The Prophet changed names such asHarb (War) with Salam (Peace), ‘Asiyah (Rebellious) with Jamilah (Beautiful), Sa`b (Difficult) with Sahl (Easy to deal with), etc. 3. We are encouraged to give names that have good or noble meanings or associations, for names may inadvertently inspire a person to do great things or stay away from vices. Choosing names of prophets or great persons who have been role models of virtue and piety is an excellent idea. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) named his son Ibrahim, and he said, “I have called him by my father’s name!” Having said this, I must add: There is nothing in the Islamic sources to indicate that we are allowed only to give our children Arabic names. Since Islam is a universal religion, there is no such requirement. Any name is okay so long as we keep in mind the above points. But, at the same time, while choosing names, we must strive our best not to compromise our Islamic identity.” Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam.ca Do keep in touch. If you have any other question, don't hesitate to write to us.  References : http://www.islamonline.net/

التعليقات | | Read More...

Tweet

Giving a Muslim Child a Non-Arabic Name

Question and Answer Details

Name of Questioner Charles   - Canada Title Giving a Muslim Child a Non-Arabic Name Question Dear scholars, As-Salamu `alaykum. Can you give your child a name that is in a language other than Arabic, as long as it has a good meaning? Jazakum Allah khayran. Date 15/Feb/2003 Topic Children & Parenthood, Pregnancy & newborns, Customs & Traditions

Answer

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.  Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake. Islam does not oblige Muslim people to choose specific names, Arabic or non-Arabic, for their children, whether boys or girls. It is rather up to people to choose the names for their children. However, selecting names should be pursuant to some Islamic rules that will be stated below. Islam emphasizes that Muslims should have good names and give good names to their children. It is reported in a Hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You will be called on the Day of Resurrection by your names and the names of your fathers, so have good names." (Reported by Abu Dawud) Answering your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states: “Children are a trust in the hands of parents. Parents, therefore, have a duty to receive this divine gift with a true sense of gratitude and do everything at their disposal to provide the best nurturing. There is nothing better they can do in this regard than by providing them a home filled with love and kindness, and thus contributing to their overall physical, intellectual, ethical and spiritual growth and development. Such a duty begins before the birth of the child and extends all through their lives. Having said this, I must say, that the first important duty when a child is born is to recite the adhan in the right ear in a gentle voice, and give him or her a good name. As for the choice of names, we are given the following guidelines: 1. We must certainly avoid names that indicate any trace of shirk or association of partners with Allah. Therefore it is forbidden to call someone `Abd al-Ka`bah, or `Abd al-Nabi (servant of the Ka`bah or servant of the Prophet), since all of us are servants of Allah alone. 2. We must also avoid names that imply meanings that are offensive or unpleasant in connotations. The Prophet changed names such asHarb (War) with Salam (Peace), ‘Asiyah (Rebellious) with Jamilah (Beautiful), Sa`b (Difficult) with Sahl (Easy to deal with), etc. 3. We are encouraged to give names that have good or noble meanings or associations, for names may inadvertently inspire a person to do great things or stay away from vices. Choosing names of prophets or great persons who have been role models of virtue and piety is an excellent idea. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) named his son Ibrahim, and he said, “I have called him by my father’s name!” Having said this, I must add: There is nothing in the Islamic sources to indicate that we are allowed only to give our children Arabic names. Since Islam is a universal religion, there is no such requirement. Any name is okay so long as we keep in mind the above points. But, at the same time, while choosing names, we must strive our best not to compromise our Islamic identity.” Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam.ca Do keep in touch. If you have any other question, don't hesitate to write to us.  References:  http://www.islamonline.net/

التعليقات | | Read More...

Tweet

Islamic Guidance in Choosing Names

Question and Answer Details

Name of Questioner Shazia   - Pakistan Title Islamic Guidance in Choosing Names Question As-Salamu `alaykum, could you please shed light on the Islamic guidelines in choosing names? In other words, what are the criteria to be followed by Muslim in choosing names? Date 18/Apr/2001 Name of Counsellor Yusuf Al-Qaradawi Topic Customs & Traditions, Children & Parenthood, Pregnancy & newborns

Answer

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.  All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.  Dear sister in Islam, we commend your keenness on getting your self well-acquainted with Islam and its teachings, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake. Islam emphasizes that Muslims should have good names and give good names to their children. It is reported in a hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You will be called on the Day of Resurrection by your names and the names of your fathers, so have good names." (Reported by Abu Dawud) In the choice of names, we should follow certain guidelines as illustrated in the following fatwa issued by the eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi: "Islam does not oblige Muslims to choose specific names, Arab or non-Arab names, for their children, whether males or females. It is rather up to people to decide which names they would like to choose for their children. However, selecting names should be pursuant to some Islamic rules: 1- To be a good name that is neither detestable by people nor to be rejected by the child himself, when he grows up. Such detestable names are like those which bear the meaning of bad omen, evil connotations, names of people known for their oppression and excessiveness, and so on. In this regard, we find that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to change bad names into good ones. For example, he changed the name of someone from "Qalilah" (A few) into "Kathirah" (A lot), and the name of another from "`Aasiyah" (Sinner) into "Jamilah" (Beautiful), and so on. 2- A Muslim should not call his son names such as, "`Abdul-Ka`abah", "`Abdun-Nabi", "`Abdul-Hussayn", and such names that implies`Ubudiyyah (servitude) to others than Allah. Ibn Hazm said that naming children with names as such is, according to the consensus of Muslim scholars, prohibited, except the name of "`Abdul-Muttalib". 3- A Muslim should not choose names that give an impression of pomposity and vainglory. This is supported by the hadith that reads, "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) Muslims are also forbidden to name their children after the Finest Names of Allah, such as "Ar-Rahman (the Gracious), Al-Khalik (the Creator), etc. It is also prohibited to use the Attributes of Allah with a definite article, such as "Al-`Aziz" (the All-Powerful) and "Al-Hakim" (the Most-Wise), as names. But they may be used without a definite article, e.g. "`Aziz" and "Hakim". 4- It is a commendable thing to call children after the Prophets and righteous people, to keep them in memory, so as to take them as a guide and follow in their footsteps. The best of such names are the names that show man's humility before his Lord, as indicated by the hadith that reads, "The best names in Allah's Sight are `Abdullah and `Abdur-Rahman." (Reported by Muslim, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah) The same applies to names that consist of two parts, of which the first "`Abd" and the second is one of the Finest Names of Allah, such as "`Abdul-`Alim". 5- As for non-Arab names, there is nothing wrong in using them as names, so long as they bear good meanings in their language. Although the early Muslims were purely Arabs living in a pure Arab atmosphere, they found no harm in non-Arab names, as regards men and women. For example, "Mareyah" (the Mother of the Believers) who gave birth to Ibrahim, the son of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was known for her Coptic name. Also, most of the names of early believers were linguistically names of plants, such as "Talhah", "Salamah", "Hanzalah"; names of animals and birds, such as "Asad", "Saqr"; names of objects and parts of nature, like "Bahr", "Jabal"; adjectives used as names, like "`Amir", "Salim"; names of previous Prophets and righteous people, e.g. "Ibrahim" and "Yusuf". Thus, a Muslim should take into consideration such restrictions while choosing names for their children." References: http://www.islamonline.net/

التعليقات | | Read More...

Tweet

Praiseworthy Names

When the parents intend to name their beloved child - whether male or female, then they may choose his or her name from one of the following four classes of names.

Giving the Child a Name Indicating Servitude to Allah (SWT)

The child is given a name indicating servitude to Allah (SWT) by calling him 'Abd (slave of...) followed by one of Allah’s (SWT) names, those which are confirmed for Him and the most beloved of such names to Allah (SWT) - the One free of all imperfections - are 'Abdullah (the slave of Allah) and 'Abdur-Rahman (the slave of the Most Merciful) as shown by the Hadith:

"The most beloved of your names to Allah - the Mighty and Magnificent - are 'Abdullah and 'Abdur-Rahman" (Reported by Muslim & Abu Dawud)

Then these are followed in excellence by similar usage of the rest of Allah’s (SWT) names to indicate the person’s servitude to Him, such as ‘Abdur-Raheem (the slave of the Bestower of Mercy) and ‘Abdul-Lateef (slave of the One knowing the Most Hidden Matters and the One Most Gracious and Kind to His slaves), and so on.

The Messenger (SAW) established the example for us in this by putting into practice, so he called on of his sons ‘Abdullah and he called the son of Abu Talhah: ‘Abdullah. He furthermore called the son of another ‘Abdur-Rahman and there are many more examples. Therefore, we find that a large number of the Companions gave these two names to themselves and their children so that the number of them carrying this name was near to three hundred and Ibnus-Salah mentions that they numbered about two hundred and twenty.

Giving a Child a Name After One of the Prophets of Messengers of Allah

It is said that he (SAW) said:

"Call yourselves by the names of the Prophets." (Part of a Hadith reported by Ahmed & Abu Dawud)

And he (SAW) said:

"You may name with my name." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

And we find that following this principle, he called his own son Ibrahim - after the name of his forefather Ibrahim (AS), he (SAW) said:

"A son was born to me this night and I called him after my forefather Ibrahim." (Reported by Muslim & Abu Dawud)

He likewise called the son of Abu Musa ‘Ibrahim’ and he called a son of ‘Abdullah ibn Sallaam ‘Yusuf’ after the Prophet (AS). (Reported by Ahmad)

This also used to be practiced by the Bani Israel as the Prophet (SAW) informed us and approved of with his saying:

"They used to name their children after the Prophets and the pious people who came before them." (Reported by Muslim)

Giving the Child a Name After One of the Pious People

Naming after the Pious People - The Companions, The Martyrs and the Scholars - both the Men and Women of Them.

Hoping that the child will grow up to love and respect them and follow their way and adopt their manners in righteousness, knowledge and seeking martyrdom. For this reason the noble companion az-Zubayr ibn al-Awam (RA) chose the names of some of the martyrs from the Companions for his ten sons, hoping that they would become like them. So he named one 'Abdullah after 'Abdullah ibn Jahsh the martyr of Uhud, and 'Urwah after 'Urwah ibn Mas'ood, and Hamzah after Hamzah ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib - the noblest of the martyrs, and Ja'far after Ja'far ibn Abee Talib - the martyr of Mutah, and Mus'ab after Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr - the martyr of Uhud (RU) and what we have just mentioned is not specific to the males - rather it is for both the males and the females. So it is indeed praiseworthy and beneficial for the correct upbringing of daughters that they be called after the names of the pious women and those who participated in Jihad from the female companions and those after them, hoping that they will follow them in piety, chastity and manners, and from these names are: Fatimah, Maryam, Asma, Sumayyah, Nusaybah, Khawlah and others from the pious and believing women.

Good Names Which do not Fall Into the Previous Three Categories

Names that are good in their wordings and meanings carrying meanings of bravery, chastity or piety and easily pronounced, harmonious, and suitable and befitting the person who carries the name. They should be far from that which has been forbidden in the Shariah and from the examples of this type are: Hamzah, Khalid, Anas, Usamah, Thamir, Harith, & Hammam the last two being the most true of names as occurs in the Hadith, and names like them in wording and meaning and from the examples of these for daughters are: Sarah, Hassanah, Su’ad, 'Affaf and other such names beautiful in wording and meaning. This class also covers calling the child after the child’s grandfather or grandmother - if it is a good name- as seen in the Hadith:

"So I named him after my forefather ‘Ibrahim.’" (Reported by Muslim & Abu Dawud)

 

PRAISEWORTHY NAMES

'Abdullah (the slave of Allah, also after 'Abdullah ibn Jahsh - the martyr of Uhud)	'Abdul-Lateef (slave of the One knowing the Most Hidden Matters and the One Most Gracious and Kind to His slaves)
'Abdur-Raheem (slave of the Bestower of Mercy)	'Abdur-Rahman (the slave of the Most Merciful)
Asma (the sister in-law of Muhammad (SAW)	Fatimah (the daughter of Muhammad (SAW)
Hamzah (after Hamzah ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib - the noblest of martyrs)	Ibrahim (after the name of Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) forefather)
Ja'far (after Ja'far ibn Abee Talib - the martyr of Uhud)	Khawlah
Maryam (mother of Isa (AS)	Mus'ab (after Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr - the martyr of Uhud)
Nusaybah	Sumayyah
'Urwah (after 'Urwah ibn Mas'ood)	Yusuf (after the Prophet)

 

GOOD NAMES

Affaf	Anas	Banur-Rashdah (sons of lawful marriage)	Hammam
Hamzah	Harith	Hassanah	Hisham
Husanah (good and beautiful)	Jameelah (beautiful and good)	Khalid	Sa'eed
Sahl (smooth)	Sarah	Silm (peace)	Su'ad
Thamir	Usamah	Zaynab	Zur'ah (sown seed)

  References: http://www.zawaj.com/articles/names_praiseworthy.html

التعليقات | | Read More...

Tweet