How to choose a Muslim name

Rulings and regulations

The matter of giving names is one of the most important issues in people’s lives, because 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.
There are some names that are more beloved to Allah than others and certain names that are forbiden (haram) and certain ones that are disliked (makroo).
It is according to the sunnah (the examples of the Prophet's life what he said, did, implemented, how he implemented), to change a bad name (whether it is an Arabic name or any other language) immediately, and it is permissible according to sunnah to exchange a name for a better one.

The Islamic system of naming is as follows

1 If the child is male then the full name of the child will be :

Name of child ibn (son of) name of father
eg.If the sons name was Abdullah and fathers name was Umar then the childs full name will be:
Abdullah ibn Umar

2 If the child is female then the full name of child will be

Name of child bint (daughter of) name of father
Eg, If the daughters name is Hafsa and fathers name is Umar the full name of child will be:

Hafsa bint Umar

Similarly if a brother or sister converts to Islam and would like to change their name. They should change their name as above.
Thus if his father is John Smith and he chooses for himself the name say Bilal. Then his full name will be

1 Bilal ibn John or Bilal ibn John Smith
i.e. Bilal son of John Smith

2 Halima bint John or Halima bint John Smith
i.e. Halima daughter of John Smith

Note. New Muslim brothers and Sisters do not have to change their name unless that name is a bad name or an Islamically forbidden name such as a name of a pagan deity etc,
Also they should remember that they must retain their last name as their fathers same i.e son of John or whatever the fathers name may be.

Naming of adopted or fostered children

Those children who are adopted or fostered must be given the name of their real father and not the person adopting or fostering them.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers, that is more just with Allaah…" [al-Ahzaab 33:5].

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever claims knowingly to belong to someone other than his father will be denied Paradise." (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim, Fath, no. 3982). He also said: "Whoever claims to belong to someone other than his father, will be cursed by Allaah, the angels and all the people, and Allaah will not accept any deeds or excuses from him on the Day of Resurrection." (Reported by Muslim, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his Saheeh, no. 2433).
Narrated from Abu Dharr, who heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "There is no one who knowingly calls himself after someone other than his father, but he is guilty of Kufr"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3371; Muslim, 61).

Ruling on women changing family name to Husbands name
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever calls himself by other than his father’s name (or attributes himself to someone other than his father), will be cursed by Allaah, the angels and all the people." (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 2599; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6104).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has cursed the one who claims to belong to someone other than his father." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and others).

Women's after Marriage

A woman cannot change her surname to her husbands surname after Marriage.

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever claims knowingly to belong to someone other than his father will be denied Paradise." (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim, Fath, no. 3982).

He also said: "Whoever claims to belong to someone other than his father, will be cursed by Allaah, the angels and all the people, and Allaah will not accept any deeds or excuses from him on the Day of Resurrection." (Reported by Muslim, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his Saheeh, no. 2433).

narrated from Abu Dharr, who heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “There is no one who knowingly calls himself after someone other than his father, but he is guilty of Kufr…”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3371; Muslim, 61).
According to the version narrated by al-Bukhaari: “who calls himself after people to whom he does not belong…”

As it is in this world, so it will also be in the Hereafter, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“On the Day of Resurrection, each betrayer will have a banner raised beside him, and it will be said, this is the betrayer of So and so the son of So and so.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5709, and Muslim, 3265).

Prohibited (haram) Names

Names indicating Enslavement to or worship of anything other than Allaah are haram. Names of idols and false gods are Haram and names belonging excusively to the Kuffar and are not used by anyone else are haram . Among the names which express enslavement to or worship of anything other than Allaah are ‘Abd al-Rasool ("slave of the Messenger"), ‘Abd al-Nabi ("slave of the Prophet") Ghulam Rasool (slave of the Messenger in Urdu) and ‘Abd al-Ameer (slave of the prince) , Abd al-Maseeh (“slave of the Messiah”) and other names which imply worship of or submission to anything other than Allaah.

Some scholars regard names such as Butrous (Peter), Jurjus (George), and other names which denote religions of kufr as being haram.

The person who has a name which is considered to be Haram must change it.

The great Sahaabi ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: My name was ‘Abd ‘Amr " or according to one report, ‘Abd al-Ka’bah " and when I became Muslim, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called me ‘Abd al-Rahmaan. (Narrated by al-Haakim, 3/306. Al-Dhahabi agreed with him)
Narrated Abu Huraira Narrated that The Prophet said, "Name yourselves with my name (use my name) but do not name yourselves with my Kunya name (i.e. Abul Qasim)...." (Bukhari 1:110,)

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that Allah's Messenger decided to forbid (his followers) to name persons as Ya'la (Elevated), Barakah (Blessing), Aflah (Successful), Yasar and Nafi', but I saw that he kept silent after that and he did not say anything until Allah's Messenger died. And he did not forbid (his followers to do this), then Umar decided to prohibit (people) from giving these names, but later on gave up the idea. (Muslim 5331)

Names that are Disliked

Examples of such (objectionable) names include Harb (“war”), Rashaash (sprinkles or drizzle), and Hiyaam – which is the name of a disease suffered by camels – and other names which have ugly or unpleasant meanings.

It is disliked to use names:

1 Which have a Provocative or alluring name.

2 Which are names of immoral people such as siungers and actors/actresses

3 Names which refer to a sin such as Saariq (“thief”) or Zaalim (“wrongdoer”)

4 Names of sinners such as Fir’awn (Pharaoh), Haamaan (the name of Pharaoh’s minister) and Qaaroon

5 Names of animals l-Himaar (donkey), al-Kalb (dog), al-Qird (monkey), etc.

6 Names which give a person more than than he /she deserves such Noor al-Deen (“light of the religion”), Shams al-Deen (“sun of the religion”), Noor al-Islam (“light of Islam”), Shams al-Islam (“sun of Islam”),

as It is makrooh to use any name which is added to the words “al-Deen” or “al-Islam” (i.e., names which appear in idaafah – genitive construction – with these words), such as Noor al-Deen (“light of the religion”), Shams al-Deen (“sun of the religion”), Noor al-Islam (“light of Islam”), Shams al-Islam (“sun of Islam”), etc., because these names give a person more than he deserves.

Imaam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) disliked his nickname of Muhiy al-Deen (“reviver of the religion”) and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) also disliked his nickname of Taqiy al-Deen (“piety of the religion”), and he used to say, “But my family gave me this nickname and it became well-known.”

7 Some scholars say it is disliked to add any word to the name of Allaah except the word ‘Abd (slave...) names such as Hasab-Allaah, Rahmat-Allaah (the mercy of Allaah) etc are disliked to be given to people. It is similarly disliked to add words to the word al-Rasool (the Messenger).

8 Names of Angels

9. Names of Surahs of the Quran such as Ta-Ha, Yaa-Seen, etc. These names are al-Huroof al-Muqatta’ah (letters which appear at the beginning of some soorahs; their meaning is known only to Allaah – ), tThese names are makrooh, and it is makrooh 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.

Hadith - Bukhari (#819), Muslim, Abu Dawud, and Tirmidhi
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet of Allah said, "The name most detested by Allah is 'Malik Al-Amlak' ('King of Kings.')"

Hadith - Muwatta 54.24
Malik related to me from Yahya ibn Said that the Messenger of Allah asked about a milk camel about to be milked, "Who milks this camel?" A man stood up. The Messenger of Allah said, "What is your name?" The man said, "Murra (bitterness)." The Messenger of Allah said to him, "Sit down." Then he said, "Who milks this one?" A man stood up and the Messenger of Allah said, "What is your name?" He said, "Harb (war)." The Messenger of Allah, said, "Sit down." Then he said, "Who milks this camel?" A man stood up, and the Messenger of Allah, said to him, "What is your name?" The man said, ''Yaish (he lives)." The Messenger of Allah, said to him, "Milk!"

Changing to a Better Name

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to change bad names to good ones.
Hadith - Al-Tirmidhi #4774, Narrated 'Aisha
The Prophet used to change a bad name.
Tirmidhi transmitted it.

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that a daughter of ‘Umar was called ‘Aasiyah (disobedient), but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) renamed her Jameelah (beautiful). Narrated by Muslim, 2139.

Hadith - Sahih Al-Bukhari 8.212, Narrated Abu Huraira
Zainab's original name was "Barrah," but it was said, "By that she is giving herself the prestige of piety." So the Prophet changed her name to Zainab.
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to change bad names to good ones.
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that a daughter of ‘Umar was called ‘Aasiyah (disobedient), but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) renamed her Jameelah (beautiful). Narrated by Muslim, 2139.
narrated by al-Bukhaari (6190) from Ibn al-Musayyab that his father came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said, "What is your name?" He said, "Hazn (meaning rough)."He said, "You are Sahl (meaning easy)."He said, "I will not change the name that my father gave to me." Ibn al-Musayyab said, "And we have had roughness (in character) ever since."
Roughness means being harsh and difficult to deal with.
Ibn Battaal said:
This shows that improving names and changing names to something better is not something that is obligatory.
Fath al-Baari.
And if it had been obligatory, the Sahaabi would not have refused to change his name, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have compelled him to change his name.

Abu Dawud said: The Prophet changed the names al-'As, Aziz, Atalah, Shaytan, al-Hakam, Ghurab, Hubab, and Shihab and called him Hisham. He changed the name Harb (war) and called him Silm (peace). He changed the name al-Munba'ith (one who lies) and called him al-Mudtaji' (one who stands up). He changed the name of a land Afrah (barren) and called it Khadrah (green). He changed the name Shi'b ad-Dalalah (the mountain path of a stray), the name of a mountain path and called it Shi'b al-Huda (mountain path of guidance). He changed the name Banu az-Zinyah (children of fornication) and called them Banu ar-Rushdah (children of those who are on the right path), and changed the name Banu Mughwiyah (children of a woman who allures and goes astray), and called them Banu Rushdah (children of a woman who is on the right path). AbuDawud said: I omitted the chains of these for the sake of brevity.
Hadith (agreed upon)

The Prophet said, "Whoever shuns my Sunnah is never of me."

Hadith - Sahih Al-Bukhari 8.212, Narrated Abu Huraira, .
Zainab's original name was "Barrah," but it was said, "By that she is giving herself the prestige of piety." So the Prophet changed her name to Zainab.

Most Beloved Names

It was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (2132) from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The most beloved of your names to Allaah are ‘Abd-Allaah and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan.”"

Abu Dawood (4950) narrated that Abu Wahb al-Jushami, who was a companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Give your children the names of Prophets, and the most beloved of names to Allaah are ‘Abd-Allaah and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, and the most truthful are Haarith and Hammaam [these names both refer to one who is always doing something, whether good or bad], and the worst are Harb and Murrah [meaning ‘war’ and ‘bitterness’ respectively]." Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Naming after a Prophet

Hadith - Sahih Al-Bukhari 8.218, Narrated Abu Musa
I got a son and I took him to the Prophet who named him Ibrahim, and put in his mouth the juice of a date fruit (which be himself had chewed, and invoked for Allah's blessing upon him, and then gave him back to me. He was the eldest son of Abu Musa.

Hadith - Abu Dawood, Narrated AbuWahb al-Jushami
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Call yourselves by the names of the Prophets. The names dearest to Allah are Abdullah and AbdurRahman, the truest are Harith and Hammam, and the worst are Harb and Murrah.

Using Abu

It is common for Muslim fathers to be referred to as "Abu" plus the first name of their son. For example, Abu Turab literally means "Father of Turab."

Hadith - Sahih Al-Bukhari 8.223, Narrated Sahl bin Sad
The most beloved names to 'Ali was Abu Turab, and he used to be pleased when we called him by it, for none named him Abu Turab (for the first time), but the Prophet . Once 'Ali got angry with (his wife) Fatima, and went out (of his house) and slept near a wall in the mosque. The Prophet came searching for him, and someone said, "He is there, lying near the wall." The Prophet came to him while his ('Ali's) back was covered with dust. The Prophet started removing the dust from his back, saying, "Get up, O Abu Turab!"

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