…..a child in life ! Shaik Akther Basha
|
|||||
Naming Click here to order the book: Muslim Babies' Names Click here to order: A Dictionary of Muslim Names
|
Topic of Naming :
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A) When to Name the Child B) Who Names the Child C) Naming a Miscarried Fetus D) Praisworthy Names E) Prohibited Names ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (A) When to Name the Child: The ahaadeeth
about when the child is to be named fall into two classes: (1) Those which mention naming the child on the seventh day
after the birth. Like the hadeeth of Samurah - radiyallaahu 'anhu - who said:
Allah's Messenger said: <Every child is held in pledge for his' Aqeeqah
which is sacrificed for him on his seventh day, and he is named on it and his
head is shaved>1 And the hadeeth
that the Messenger ordered that the child be named on the seventh day, that
the harm be removed from him and the sacrifice (the 'Aqeeqah) be performed. (2) And those which indicate naming the child on the day of
its birth. From these is the hadeeth of Anas-radiyallaahu 'anhu who said:
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: <A boy was born to me this
night and I have given him the name of my forefather Ibraaheem.>3 Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) also named 'Abdullaah ibn Abee Taihah4.
another baby was brought to him after birth and he called it al-Mundhir5
and there are many examples like this. So from the
previous ahaadeeth we can see that the time for giving the name is something
flexible - and all praise and thanks are for Allah - so it may be named on
the day of the birth, or delayed until the seventh day after birth - just as
it is allowed between the two and later on. However, the time when it is
recommended to name the child is the seventh day after the birth since that
occurs in the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and so it is taken to be a
recommendation, and the ahadeeth mentioning the day of its birth report the
Prophet's action - and are, therefore, taken to show & what is
permissible. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Who Names the Child? The father and mother are the ones who are
to choose a good name for their child, but if they disagree about the name,
then the father has the right to choose the name. If he wishes, he may name
it himself and if he wishes, he may give the choice to his wife, and if he
wishes he may draw lots with her. The fact that naming the child is the
right of the father is shown by the fact that the child in this world is
ascribed and attributed to his father. Allah - the Most High - says: "Call them (adopted sons) by (the
names of) their fathers, that is more just in the Sight of Allah." [Sooratul
- Ahzaab, Aayah:5] They will likewise be ascribed to him on
the Day of Resurrection, and he (peace be upon him) said: <For every
treacherous one a banner will be raised saying: This is the treachery of so
and so, son of so and so.6 And the hadeeth: <On the Day of
Resurrection, you will be called by your names and your fathers names, so
make your names good.> It is also allowed for the parents to
allow someone else to choose the name his grandfather, or grandmother, or
someone else, i.e. that they should say: 'Call him so and so', or 'Your name
is so and so', or 'His name is so and so' etc., since our Messenger and
teacher Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to name some of the children of his
Companions - for example he named 'Abdullah ibn Abee Talhah as has preceded
and he said to a man: <Call your son 'Abdur-Rahman>8 (C) The Ruling for Naming the
Miscarried Fetus and the One who Dies before being named. If it happens that the new-born child dies
before it is named, then it is prescribed to give the child a name in this
case9 - just as other children are named, and Funeral Prayer is
said upon him, and the rulings for the deceased apply to him. As regards the
fetus that is miscarried before the completion of six months - and that is
the earliest that life would have been possible for it10 - then
the scholars of the Shaafi'ees11 and the Hanbalees12
hold that it is recommended to name him, and they add that if the sex of the
fetus is unclear then it should be given a name suitable for either such as:
Talhah, Rajaa, Hind and Tarafah. Their support for the first and second
questions is that the child will be called on the Day of Resurrection by his
name, and this is a good and reasonable argument - if Allah wills. It should also be noted that there are
some ahadeeth reported concerning the encouragement to name the miscarried
fetus, however, nothing from them is authentic - and Allah knows best. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (D) Praiseworthy Names
When the parents intend to name their beloved child - whether male or
female, then they may choose his or her name from one of the following four
classes of names. FIRST: That the child is given a name indicating servitude to
Allah by calling him 'Abd (slave of...) followed by one of Allah - the Most
High's names, those which are confirmed for Him and the most beloved of such
names to Allah - the One free of all imperfections - are 'Abdullaah (the
slave of Allah) and 'Abdur-Rahmaan (the slave of the Most Merciful) as shown
by the hadeeth: <The most
beloved of your names to Allah - the Mighty and Magnificent - are 'Abdullaah
and 'Abdur-Rahmaan>. SECOND: That the Child is Named after one of the Prophets or
Messengers of Allah - ('Alaihimus - Salaatu Was-Salaam) It is said that he.
said: <Call yourselves by the names of the Prophets.> And he said:
<You may name with my name.>16 And we find that following
this principle, he called his own son Ibraaheem - after the name of his
forefather Ibraaheem - 'Alaihimus - Salaatu Was-Salaam -, he said: <A son
was born to me this night and I called him after my forefather Ibraaheem. THIRD: Naming after the Pious People - The Companions, The
Martyrs and the Scholars - both the Men and Women of Them. Hoping that the
child will grow up to love and respect them and follow their way and adopt
their manners in righteousness, knowledge and seeking martyrdom. For this
reason the noble companion az-Zubayr ibn al-Awaam radiyallaahu 'anhu chose
the names of some of the martyrs from the Companions for his ten sons, hoping
that they would become like them. So he named one 'Abdullaah after 'Abdullaah
ibn Jahsh the martyr of Uhud, and 'Urwah after 'Urwah ibn Mas'ood, and Hamzah
after Hamzah ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib - the noblest of the martyrs, and Ja'far
after Ja'far ibn Abee Taalib - the martyr of Mutah, and Mus'ab after Mus'ab
ibn 'Umayr - the martyr of Uhud radiyallaahu 'anhum ajma'een18 and
what we have just mentioned is not specific to the males - rather it is for
both the males and the females. So it is indeed praiseworthy and beneficial
for the correct upbringing of daughters that they be called after the names
of the pious women and those who participated in Jihaad from the female
companions and those after them, hoping that they will follow them in piety,
chastity and manners, and from these names are: Faatimah, Maryam, Asmaa,
Sumayyah, Nusaybah, Khawlah and others from the pious and believing women. FOURTH: GOOD NAMES WHICH DO NOT FALL INTO THE PREVIOUS THREE
CATEGORIES Names that are good in their wordings and meanings carrying
meanings of bravery, chastity or piety and easily pronounced, harmonious, and
suitable and befitting the person who carries the name. They should be far
from that which has been forbidden in the Sharer'ah (which will follow) and
from the examples of this type are: Hamzah, Khaalid, Anas, Usaamah, Thaamir,
Haarith, & Hammaam the last two being the most true of names as occurs in
the hadeeth19, and names like them in wording and meaning and from
the examples of these for daughters are: Saarah, Hassaanah, Su'aad, 'Affaaf
and other such names beautiful in wording and meaning. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (E) Prohibited Names The prohibited names are of two
categories: those which are forbidden in the Sharee'ah and those which are
either disapproved of due to the Sharee'ah, or due to manners and good taste. FIRSTLY: FORBIDDEN
NAMES21 (1) Names indicating servitude to other than Allah - the
Most High such as: 'Abdun-Nabee (slave of the Prophet), 'Abdur-Rasool (slave
of the Messenger)22 and 'Abdul - Muttalib - and whatever is like
these names. (2) Using these names which are particular names of Allah -
the One far removed from all deficiencies - like: al-Ahad. (3) From the names which should also be avoided are the
names of tyrants and despots like: Fir'awn (Pharaoh), Qaaroon, Aboo Jahl and
their like, also the names of the leaders of Kufr and the heads of atheism
such as Marx, Lenin and so on. SECONDLY: NAMES DISAPPROVED OF IN THE SHAREE'AH OR DISLIKED DUE TO
GOOD MANNERS OR GOOD TASTE. (1) Giving names which are meant to show servitude to Allah
but using names not known to be from Allah's perfect names - like
'Abdul-Mawjood, 'Abdul-Maqsood and 'Abdus-Sattaar. This is because nothing
can be affirmed as one of Allah's names without an authentic text. (2) From these names are those which carry meanings of
pessimism, or blameworthy characteristics which will be disliked or cause
aversion or cause the possessor of the name to feel degraded, humiliated and
such as will kill his personality - like Harb (war), Himaar (donkey), and
Kalb (dog). (3) From good manners is to avoid naming children with names
which are suggestive or offend one's meaning of shame - such as: Huyaam (one
passionately in love), Nuhaad (A young woman with full and raised breasts),
Sahaam (summer heat)!, Wisaal (sexual union), Ghaadah (delicate young woman),
Faatin (temptress), Fitnah (temptation), Shaadiyah (female singer) and names
with similar meanings. (4) It is also disliked to give names which amount to a
declaration of a person's being pious like: Barrah (pious / piety) and the
like - due to this meaning the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) changed
the name of one of his wives from Barrah to Zaynab, as he used to hate that
it be said: "He left/went out from 'Barrah' (piety)." (5) From these names which it is disliked to use for naming
are the names of the Angels27- Particularly if they are used for
females - such as Malaak since it is to be feared that this involves
imitation of the pagans who gave feminine names to the angels. (6) Just as it is disliked to name with the names of soorahs
of the Qur'an such as: TaaHaa, Yaaseen and other names of soorahs. This is
the saying of Imaam Maalik- rahimahullaah- Ibnul- Qayyim also said: "The
saying of the common people that Yaaseen and TaaHaa are from the names of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) is not correct, there is no 'saheeh' hadeeth
about it or any 'hasan' hadeeth, nor anything 'mursal'28, nor any
narration from any Companion, but rather they are letters like 'Alif Laam
Meem', 'HaaMeem', 'Alif Laam Raa' and the like". (7) It is disliked to give names 'Yasaar' (Ease), 'Rabaah'
(Profit), 'Najeeh' (Successful), 'Aflah' (Prosperous), 'Ya'laa' (Elevated)'
and Barakah' (Blessing) since the Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade that30
with his saying: <Do not call your boy Yasaar, nor Rabaah, nor Najeeh, nor
Aflah, since you will say: Is he there,' So it will be said: 'No'. Indeed
they are four, so do not attribute more to me>31And the
forbiddence of Ya'aa and Barakah occurs in another hadith. (G) Combining the Name and the Kunyah
of the Messenger. Many scholars hold that there is no harm
in giving the child the name of our Prophet: Muhammad and for him to take his
Kunyah along with it, i.e. Abul-Qaasim. This is because they say that the
forbiddence mentioned in the hadeeth: <Name with my name but do not give
my Kunyah>33 was particular to his lifetime - this is the view
of Imaam Maalik and the majority of the Salaf. Others hold that it is
prohibited to join between the name of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and
his Kunyah in ones name - based upon the previous hadeeth. However, an evidence of the preferability
of the first saying may be seen in the hadeeth of 'Alee-radiyallaahu' anhu -
who said: "O Messenger of Allah, if a son is born to me after your
death, may I give him your name and your Kunya?" He said <Yes>35
So this clearly shows that the prohibition was particular to his
lifetime and those who say that the allowance was only for 'Alee do not have
any evidence for this. (H) Giving Kunyah to a Small Child. From the Sunnahs established from the
beloved Messenger (peace be upon him) is the giving of a Kunyah to small
children - calling them 'father of so and so' or 'mother of so and so' - and
this strengthens the personality of the child and enables him and causes him
to realize his worth and his importance. Together with the expression of hope
which it contains, the feeling of familiarity it produces and the protection
it gives from unbefitting nicknames. So he spoke in a good and affectionate
manner with one of the small children and called him Aboo'Umayr. Anas said:
"The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the best of people in manners, and
I used to have a brother who was addressed as Aboo'Umayr - (the narrator
said: I think he was one who had recently been weaned) and the Messenger
(peace be upon him) when he came to him would say: <O Aboo 'Umayr what has
happened to the Nughayr (Little Finch)>36 The finch was a small
bird which the child used to play with. So this hadeeth shows the manners of
the Prophet (peace be upon him) in treating this boy in an honorable and
comforting way. Just as the poet said: "I call him by his Kunyah when I
call him to show him due respect, and I do not call him by a nickname for
that is unbefitting. (I) Manner and Regulations Relating to
Giving a Kunyah. (1) It is permissible to give a Kunyah to a person before
they have any children as is seen from the hadeeth of Aboo'Umayr. (2) And someone who has children takes Kunyah after the
eldest of his sons. This is what our Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him)
did when he asked a man about his sons, so the man said: "I have
Shuraih, Maslamah and 'Abdullaah. So he said to him: <So who is the eldest
of them!> He said: "Shurayh." So he said: <Then you are Aboo
Shurayh.>"37There is, however, no harm in taking ones
Kunyah after the youngest or middle son - but it is better and more fitting
that one should take ones Kunyah after the eldest. (3) It is also allowed for one who has children to take a
Kunyah not connected with his children - as was the case with Aboo Bakr, Aboo
Dharr, Aboo Sulaymaan, since Aboo Bakr did not have a son called Bakr, Aboo
Dharr did not have a son called Dharr, Aboo Sulaymaan did not have a son
called Sulaymaan. (4) It is also permissible for a man or a woman to take
their kunyah after the name of a daughter - like Abuz-Zahraa, Aboo'Aa.ishah,
Aboo Raihaanah, Aboo Ruqayyah, Aboo Arwaa, Abud-Dardaa, Ummud-Dardaa and
others from the Companions of Allah's Messenger. (5) It is also not a condition that
Kunyahs have to be with names - they may involve attributes such as Abul-Fadl
(father of excellence), Abul-Majd (father of honor), or involve nouns - such
as Aboo Hurairah (father of the kitten), Aboo Hafs (father of a lion-cub) and
Aboo Turaab (father of dust).38 (6) It may be that the Kunyah is actually the person's name
which he is known by, i.e. that his/her name begins Aboo.... or Umm....., and
this is rare. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Manners of naming your Muslim child by Yoosef ibn Abdullaah al-Arafee |
||||
About
Us | http ://www.googlegeocities/emart_globalworld
| Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Feedback | Sitemap Copyright
© 2007 Akther Basha. All rights reserved. For reprint rights : akther
service This
site is best viewed with Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher; Firefox 2.0 or
higher at a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 |