Slms Mufti Saheb can you please tell me what the meanings of these names are and which names are advisable to keep.
Names:
Abu Bakr / Raihan / Adam / Azhar / Yusuf / Sulaiman
Romana / Hajirah / Samara / Ahlam / Amara
Please can you answer this urgently as my cousin is due to give birth anytime and wants to name the baby? Shukran.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
Indeed you shall be called on the day of Judgement with your names and the names of your fathers, so give good names to yourselves[1].
It is advisable for one to keep names of Prophets (peace be upon them), Companions of Prophet (peace be upon him), and pious predecessors[2].
The meanings of the names in question are as follows[3]:
Abu Bakr – Name of the first Caliph and the Prophets companion
Raihan – Sweet basil; mercy and sustenance from Allah
Adam – Name of the first Prophet
Azhar – Most shining, radiant, bright, luminous
Yusuf – Name of a Prophet
Sulaiman – Name of a Prophet
Romana – Pomegranate
Hajirah – the wife of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
Samara – Soft light in colour
Ahlam – Prudent, imaginative, witty
Ammara – pious, devout, indulgent, tolerant
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hanif Yusuf Patel
Student Darul Iftaa
UK
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
References
[1] [Abu Dawud, 4948; Ahmed, 5: 194]
[2] سموا باسماء الانبياء
[Faydh al-Qadir, 4: 148, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah]
التسمية باسم يوجد فى كتاب الله تالى جائزة
[Radd al-Muhtar ala ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, 6: 417, H. M. Saeed Company]
[3] Also see: [Ajmal al-Asma li al-baneen wa al-banat wa ma`aaneeha, Iqra`, Egypt]