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Who has the right to choose a name for a newborn?

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Darul Iftaa Jordan
Who has the right to choose a name for a newborn?

Answer:
Praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds ;and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all His Family and companions. Choosing a name for a newborn is the father`s right and he has precedence over the mother in doing so because he is the guardian of that baby. However, it is desirable that parents sit together and agree on a good name to their baby, and avoid making this matter a cause for dispute since Allah, The Almighty, said: " who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation"{Ash-shura/38}. Moreover, it was stated in "Nehayat al-Mohtajj", a Shfie book, "Choosing a name to the newborn is the right of the guardian, starting from the father-even if he wasn`t obliged to provide for the child due to his poverty-to the grandfather." In addition, it was stated in the Maliki book "Menah al-Jaleel Shareh Khaleel": "Choosing a name to the newborn is the right of the father." Also, it was stated in the Hanbali book "al-Ensaf":"Choosing a name to the newborn is the right of the father, not the mother." And Allah knows best.

This answer was collected from the official government Iftaa Department of Jordan.

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