#896: Naming Child Non-Arab Names
896. QUESTION:
“As-Salaam alaikum warahmatuLlaah wabarakaatuH. Verily, Allaah ta’aalaa is not shy of the truth, and He will not hide the truth from us…and surely He left nothing untold to us in His Book…If some of the Prophets’ names (may them all have peace) aren’t Arabic, and some who have Arabic names have been named before being called into Prophet-hood, and they didn’t have such names changed. Likewise, most of the Companions (may they continue to enjoy Allaah’s pleasures) have their names before they accepted Islaam, and they didn’t have such names changed after Islaam…talk of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan, ‘Ali, and so forth (may Allaah’s pleasures continue to be with them)…Now, is there any fault on me if I decide to name my child in my mother tongue, e.g., Yoruba, with a beautiful name…and exclude any ‘Arabic’ or the often called ‘Islaamic’ names? Now, if I name my child strictly in Yoruba, for instance, and he or she is very sound in the right Creed of Islaam (Taoheed and ‘Aqeedah)…will another person be placed better than him or her in the sight of Allaah ta’aalaa just because of an ‘Arabic’ or ‘Muslim’ name…even when the person might not be on his or her level in Taoheed and ‘Aqeedah? I’m awaiting your responses sirs…may Allaah ta’aalaa continue to be with us all…aameen.”
ANSWER:
Wa Alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh.
Alhamdulillāh.
May Allāh reward you for your excellent intentions, amīn.
As for your question, there is nothing wrong with naming a Child with a name that is not Arabic provided it’s a good name and there is nothing repugnant in the name.
The Rasūl -salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam – commanded his Ummah to give their children excellent and beautiful names. In the Hadīth that was recorded by Imām Abū Dāwud in his Sunan, the Rasūl -salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam said:
إنكم تدعون يوم القيامة بأسمائكم وأسماء آبائكم فأحسنوا أسماءكم
“On the Day of Qiyāmah, you shall be called by your names and the names of your fathers. So, give excellent names”
Except that the Rasūl -salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam – mentioned some Names as the best of Names when he said, as was recorded by Imām Abū Dāwud As-Sijistānī from Abū Wahb Al-Khushamī – radiyallāhu ‘anhu:
تَسَمَّوْا بِأَسْمَاءِ الأَنْبِيَاءِ ، وَأَحَبُّ الأَسْمَاءِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ ، وَأَصْدَقُهَا حَارِثٌ وَهَمَّامٌ ، وَأَقْبَحُهَا حَرْبٌ وَمُرَّةُ
“Give (yourselves) the Names of the Prophets, and the best of Names to Allāh is Abdullah and Abdurrahmān, and the most truthful of them is Hārith and Hammām while the worst of them is Harb and Murrah”
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazakumullāhu Khayran
Abū Āsim
14th Jumadal Ūla, 1441AH
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