#811: Ruling on renaming an Adopted Child and giving him a Surname

Fri 30 Dhul Hijjah 1443AH

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811. QUESTION

Assalamu alaykum warahmatullah. I have a disturbing question. A brother approached me that he adopted a child 4 years old from orphanage home. Christian orphanage home. The child’s parent are unknown. The orphanage people named him Emmanuel. Should he rename the boy?
Secondly, the boy needs a surname in order to enrol him in school, what should he do.

ANSWER:

Wa Alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh.

Alhamdulillāh

What he did is the right thing, may Allāh reward him abundantly, amīn.

It’s good that he changes the Name to better ‘Īsah as the Christians name Emmanuel after ‘Īsah – alayhi Salām.

There is no rule in the Sharī’ah that compels that a Muslim be named the conventional Muslim Names except that it is preferred to do that in this clime of ours due to the Muslim Christian divide and the fact that such a child might be questioned as to which Dīn he belongs to.

As for the Surname, if he doesn’t know the name of the Father, my recommendation is that he names him after himself and use Mawlā as the Middle name. He may choose to write that out clearly or use it as an abbreviation. There is no blame on him in any of that for Allāh has said:

ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ اللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن لَّمْ تَعْلَمُوا آبَاءَهُمْ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَوَالِيكُمْ

Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah . But if you do not know their fathers – then they are [still] your brothers in religion and those entrusted to you

And the Ulamā have mentioned in the Books of Tafsīr that it was after the sending down of this verse that the likes of Sālim began to be called Mawlā Abī Hufhayfah. And Imām At-Tabarī mentioned that Abū Bakrah was of those whose father’s were not known and who were therefore given the title of Walā.

And may Allah bless the brother and make the burden and Tarbiyyah of the young easy, amīn

Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.

9th Shawwal, 1440AH.

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