Answer
In this counseling answer:
“I don’t see any reason to re-name your child. Many people are under that impression. A child or revert to Islam must take an Arabic name. However, this is incorrect. The prophet peace be upon him only made people change their names if it had a bad meaning or its meaning opposed the basic beliefs of Islam or enjoined partners with Allah.”
As-salamu `alaikum,
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May He always bless you and your family to always seek His Pleasure and raise you to the ranks of those who follow
Muhammad peace be upon Him throughout your lives.
I am not sure where you checked your meanings. The name Mohammed means “revered” or “praiseworthy” and it was the name of our last prophet in Islam. It is considered to be an honor to name our children after the prophet peace and blessings be upon him as he was uswatun hasana– the most perfect example. This will give our children a great example to strive towards being like him.
As for Ehsan, which is a derivative of Ahsan and also spelt Ihsan – is a derivative from Arabic which means “excellence”. The Hindi form which is derived from Sanskrit means “gratitude”. Ihsan also refers to a state of excellence of a believer who acts and behaves as if he/she can see Allah and although they do not, they are constantly aware that Allah can see them.
So, based on this, I don’t see any reason to re-name your child. Many people are under that impression. A child or revert to Islam must take an Arabic name. However this is incorrect. The prophet peace be upon him only made people change their names if it had a bad meaning or its meaning opposed the basic beliefs of Islam or enjoined partners with Allah.
Personally, my own name Jeewan is a Hindi name and it has a good meaning. As such, I have never changed it (much to the annoyance of some people). Some of the names in the Qur’an of prophets are not Arabic. In short, your child has a good name and personally, I don’t see any reason why you should change it. And Allah knows best.
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