Children's Names: Between Destruction andConstruction

Islam greatly cares for the Muslim child and the creation of the units
of sound upbringing from which he grows and is nurtured and which
contain all the factors of righteousness which helpthe child to be
righteous and pious as Allaah The Almighty ordered His slaves. Such
care encompasses everything that contributes to the righteousness of
the child, starting from choosing a righteous mother to the other
aspects of upbringing and guidance.
The rights of the child, the fulfillment of which was asserted by the
Prophet, , include choosing a good name for him/her. This is stressed
for important reasons:
1- Choosing a good nameis the child's right over his father
The Prophet, , said: "The child's right over hisfather includes
choosing a good name for him andbringing him up well." One day, a
father complained to the Commander of the Believers 'Umar ibn
Al-Khattaab about the undutifulness of his son. 'Umar asked the son,
"What makes you undutiful to your father?" The son said, "O Commander
of the Believers, what are the child's rights over his father?" He
said, "To choose a good name and a good mother for him and to teach
him the Quran." The son said, "O Commander of the Believers, my father
did not do anything of that." 'Umar turned to the father and said,
"You were undutiful to your son before he became undutiful to you."
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd ( ) highlighted the danger of neglecting thisright, saying,
I have pondered on the majority of sins and misdeeds and concluded
that repentance eliminates them and wipes out their effect
immediately. However, there is a sin that persiststhroughout the
offspringand its shame affects the grandchildren because ofthe
grandfathers. This sinbecomes a silly joke played among men, children
and women. Repentance of that sin needs a tough long journey because
it is registered in the birth certificate, ID card,
schoolcertificates, driving license and official documents. It is the
nameof the baby which the father failed to choose. He failed to choose
one that is approved by the Sharee'ah (Islamic legislation) and that
which is appropriate in the Arabic language and inspired by the sound
innate disposition. Muslims in general must care about choosing the
names of their children and choose a name which neither contradictsthe
Sharee'ah nor the Arabic language.
2- The name's impact on formulating the child's personality
The child is psychologically affected by his name and nickname and his
view ofhimself is affected by thatas well. We find some children
suffering from their names because their names carry bad or awkward
meanings, causing great embarrassment to them whenever they
introducethemselves to others. Some are surprised; others ridicule;
and a third group blames the child for something that he has not done
as if he was the one who named himself. On the contrary, if the
parents choose a beautiful and meaningfulname for their child, this
would make him pleased and happy whenever he introduces himself to
someone and whenever anyone praises or shows admiration for the name.
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim emphasized that there is a relationship and
connection between the person and his name, and that names
influencethose who bear them, and vice versa. He mentioned a very
important aspect of upbringing in choosing the name. That is the good
name of the personencourages and urges him to do commendable acts out
of shyness of his name which contains good meanings. It is noted that
the lowly and elite people usually choose the names that suit them and
agree withtheir conditions.
3- Man's name reflects hisidentity
A name with Islamic features confirms that the bearer of the name
isnot only a Muslim, but also a Muslim who is proud of Islam and his
Muslim identity. Thus, theProphet, , guided us tothe best of names. He
said: "Name yourselves after the prophets. The dearest names to Allaah
are 'Abdullaah and 'Abdul-Rahmaan; the most truthful names are Haarith
and Hammaam; and the ugliest of names are Harb (fight) and Murrah
(bitterness)." ] Saheeh [
The dearest names to Allaah The Almighty are the names whose meaning
signifies that the person is a slave of Allaah The Almighty, and thus,
the person will remain all the time recalling the meanings ofworship
and submission to his Lord The Almighty. Also, the prophets' names,
may Allaah exalt their mention, help their bearers remember the life
of the Prophet whom he was named after as well as remember his effort
and work for the sake of delivering the divine message and making the
word of truthand religion reign supreme.
There are some names which reflect a clear flaw in the parents' pride
in Islam and their Muslim identity. Those parents did not approve any
names save the names of artists and football players to give to their
children. The child remains influenced throughout his life by theowner
of that name, male or female, he imitates and emulates him/her and
takes him/her as a role model.
4- The Prophet's utmost care for choosing good names
The Prophet, , was very annoyed by the bad names which were given to
people, places, tribes and mountains. One day he was walking between
two mountains. He asked about their names, and when he was told that
their names were Faadhih (i.e. shameful) and Mukhzi (i.e.
disgraceful), he changed his direction and did not pass between them.
The Prophet, , prevented the one whosename was Murrah (i.e.
bitterness) or Harb (i.e. war) from milking a ewe.It was narrated
that:
The Messenger of Allaah asked for someone to milk a dairy she-camel,
saying: "'Who milks this?' A man stood up. The Messenger of Allaah
said: 'What is your name?' The man said, 'Murrah (bitterness).'The
Messenger of Allaah said to him: 'Sit down.' Then he said: 'Who milks
this camel?' A man stood up and the Messenger of Allaah said: 'What is
your name?' He said, 'Harb (war).' The Messenger of Allaah said: 'Sit
down.' Then he said: 'Who milks this camel?' A man stood up, and the
Messenger of Allaah said to him: 'What is your name?' The man said,
''Ya'eesh (he lives).' The Messenger of Allaah said to him: 'Milk
it!'" [Maalik]
The Prophet, , forbade giving ugly and bad names, stating the
reasonfor this in the following Hadeeth (narration): It was narrated
on the authority of Samurah that the Prophet, , said: "Do not name
your child Yasaar (affluence), Rabaah (winning), Najeeh (successful)
or Aflah (prosperous), because if you would once ask, 'Is Yasaar
(affluence) here? Or 'Is Rabaah (winning) here?',while he is not
there, then the reply would be, 'No (winning or affluencehere).'" ]
Saheeh [
Al-Khattaabi said,
The Prophet, , explained the reason for disapproval and prohibition of
giving these names because the Arabs used these names with their
embedded meanings for seeking blessings through them or seeing good
omens in their beautiful nuances. Thus, the Prophet, , forbade them
from doingso lest what they sought from these names would change to
the opposite. Put differently, if they asked whether the man with such
of these nameswas there and the reply was in the negative, they would
consider it an evil omen and despair of affluence and success. The
Prophet, , forbade them from any means which would make them think ill
of Allaah The Almighty and despair of His goodness.
The Prophet, , liked the names with good meanings and supplicated for
their bearers
· The Prophet, , said concerning some Arab tribes: "May Allaah forgive
the tribe of Aslam! May Allaah forgivethe tribe of Ghifaar! The tribe
of 'Usayyah disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger." [Al-Bukhaari]
· He said to Suhayl (diminutive of Sahl wich mean easy) ibn 'Amr when
he arrived on the Day of Al-Hudaybiyah peace treaty: "Your matter has
become easy."
· He said to Buraydah when he asked him about his name and he replied
that his name was Buraydah (diminutive of Bard meaning coolness):
"'Abu Bakr, our matter has become peaceful.' He then asked: 'What
tribe are you from?' Buraydah replied, 'From the tribe ofAslam
(safer).' He said to Abu Bakr : 'We are safe.' Then he asked: 'What
clan are you from?' Buraydah replied, 'From Sahm.' He said: 'May your
Sahm (lot) win!'"
· The Prophet, , considered this matter in the interpretation of
dreams. He said: "I saw in my dream as if we were in the house 'Uqbah
ibn Raafi' and we were givenripe dates from those of Ibn Taab. I
interpreted it to mean that a good end and glory will be for us inthis
world, and that our religion has become ripe."
Let the names of our children be like the prophets' names, names
implying worship of Allaah The Almighty, names of the noble Companions
who are the best of mankind after theProphet, , and every name which
carries noble meanings that urge doing every good deed and bar from
bad behavior and misdeeds. By doing so, all meaningsof goodness and
glory will be instilled in their souls.