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Names Stating One’s Rank in the Society: Permissible?

24 March, 2017
Q As-Salamu alaykum.Recently I have come to find out that names that contain meaning that have to do with associating partners with Allah the Almighty are not permissible to have.My name contains the meaning of a flower and of a character in Greek mythology who is supposed to be the son of a god (astaghfirullah) and also the meaning of extreme self love and pride. Because of this I have always found my name repulsive and felt very uncomfortable having it. I wanted to change my name to either Hira or Noor. Is the name Noor allowed in Islam as it is also one of the names of Allah SWT (An Nur)? And in many cultures, last names come from the rank or class your family is in society, however only Allah SWT knows who is better by the level of iman in their heart. Is it permissible have a name that states ones rank? Jazakallah Khair

Answer

Sheikh Kifah Mustapha
24 March, 2017

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

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

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

 

Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.

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Answering your question, Sheikh Kifah Mustapha, the Imam and Director of The Prayer Center of Orland Park and representative for Dar El Fatwa of Lebanon in the US, states:

Islam reflects values and ethics in all its rulings and indeed names are one aspect of these rulings. If you add that names are meant to describe things in reality and Muslim parents are to demonstrate the concept of us being servants to God then we understand the Hadiths of the prophet (peace be upon him) urging parents to name their kids like Abdulrahman or `Abdullah, etc.

People do have the right to change their personal names and in this case I see that your original name does not make you feel comfortable, so it should be OK.

Now, names like Noor or Karim that might match one of the Names of Allah should be permissible because Allah called his Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Quran Ra’uf and Raheem.

As for the names that demonstrate one’s rank in the society, it really depends on the culture you live in and for that I ask you to consult the scholars of the region you live in to have a better understanding of what that name means legally and socially.

Allah Almighty knows best.