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Names of a child.

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by DarulIftaBirmingham

Answered by: Moulana Imran Mughal​

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah!

I want to know the meaning and permissibility of keeping the following names for a baby boy:

1. Aahil

2. Zohaib

3. Sharaheel

4. Yameen

5. Arham

6. Mishkat


بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم


In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Answer:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh,

1.    Aahil means a ruler/monarch.

2.    I am not aware of any meaning for Zohaib.

3.    Sharaheel is specifically a name, it was also the name of many hadith narrators.

4.    Yameen means right hand/right side.

5.    Arham means the one who has the most mercy.

6.    Mishkat means lamp.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever has a child, he should give him a good name and teach him how to read and write.”[1]

Part of giving a child a good name is to give a child a name that associates him with Allah, like the name Abdullah (the slave of Allah) or Abdurahman (the slave of Ar-Rahman) or Abduraheem (the slave of Ar-Raheem). These names are the most beloved names to Allah. Alternatively, you can name your child one of the names of the Prophets (peace be upon them).

It is also encouraged to give your child a name that has a good meaning associated with it, like Munib which means one who repents to Allah, for example. One should refrain from choosing a name which bears a negative meaning as it goes against the teachings of the aforementioned hadith.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Moulana Imran Mughal

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham


[1] Al-Bayhaqi, Shuab al-Iman (Beirut: DKI Publishers, 2000), 7:441 Hadith 8666.

This answer was collected from DarulIftaBirmingham.co.uk, which is run under the supervision of Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah from the United Kingdom.

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