I need everbody’s fatwa on this. Is it ok to use other languages to give names to your kids, why we have to use Arabic to pick names. Is it said anywhere that you must use Arabic to pick names? All I know is that we suppose to pick good names which can be done in Hindi too, like calling you Son Krishan Ahmad. Is it ok or not.
Re: Names
This might help a bit:
(source:http://sisters.islamway.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17&mode=&order=0&thold=0)
Prohibited Names for Muslim children
Posted byWebmaster on Wednesday, May 09 @ 04:47:17 ??
Contributed by Webmaster
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 Names :
(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) 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 forbidden for our sons and daughters particular to other religions, i.e.: Jews and the Christians, like: George, David, Michael, Joseph, Diana, Jaclyn etc., since we - the Muslims - have been forbidden to imitate them.
(4) 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 bad manners or bad 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 Angels- 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’, nor any narration from any Companion, but rather they are letters like ‘Alif Laam Meem’, ‘HaaMeem’, ‘Alif Laam Raa’ and the like”.
Re: Names for your Kids/Arabic or non Arabic.
Thanks Sadya, Its good to see some of us people still have sense to reply sensibly, otherwise some of us has lice.... Never mind.
So, You are saying that we have to use Arabic names only. But, Islam is an Universal religion and its not for only Arabic speaking peoples. I checked the meaning of Krishna, its means ALL ATTRACTIVE ONE. So, what's wrong with it. Even if you see the names you mention used in other religion, Like Joseph, its a English name driven from Yousuf. Or David is like Daud has good meanings. Now, I am not saying that we should start using David instead of Daud or use Joseph instead of Yousuf. But, if we use, would that be consider a sin. Look at the name of first Black leader Elijah Muhammad, I don't think Elijah was an Arabic name, I thinks it's Hebrew name but nobody ever complained about it.
How about some names used by both us and some other religions. Like Sarah, Merium and even Hinna is pretty popular here, Will it a problem if we pronounce Ibrahim, Abraham? How about muslims in east Europe and Turkey, they don't use Arabis names.
So, if John Hanon accepted Islam, we can change his name to Bashir Hanon, right? or he has to giveup his Family name too, and change it to Bashir Ahmad. etc etc.
Please serious reponses only, I don't need any Bakwas like ...............
Re: Names
I have a question too.
Are Salman and Maria Arabic names? Or were they adopted from other cultures?
I personally prefer names which are common to all three of the Abrahamic traditions.
Re: Names
then there's always zareena...it's the russian word for queen.
My understanding is as long as your name does not have a a bad meaning and/or represent another fate it is fine...this is why many converts are not pressured to change to a "muslim" name anymore
Re: Names for your Kids/Arabic or non Arabic.
Nothing in her post said that the “good” names have to be arabic. A lot of Muslims use persian names.
Re: Names
Sara--- Pakistani, albanian, Russian, spanish etc etc :)
Re: Names
The fact that many muslim names come from Persian backgrounds is fact that these orders not to name your kids by any other name other than an Arabic one are purely made up and totally political.
In a way if you look at it, they're not wrong because Muslims need to be united, and by sharing common names - that helps provide this sense of unity. Would you want your kid to be be percieved as a hindu or from parents who are half hindu/half muslim? I wouldn't want that perception on my child - although if they wish to change their name later...ok whatever its up to them.
However, there is no binding rule about what to name your child. Did the Prophet force the various tribes he communiated with and converted to change their names? Wasn't one of the tribes African? Were they asked to change their names?
Not everything in the Shariat comes directly from the Prophet - you do realize that the Sharia was modified depending upon the time and the need of the time, right? There is not like one book that's never been changed since the Prophet died or something. So try to refer back to the Quran and hadith (if you want to take it farther) and make sense of that information first.
Re: Names
molvisahab
Quran is in arabic! Because God wanted it in this language. Why ? we all can guess as it is indicated in Quran" I have send Quran in your language YA Aaarab ul Arab, so that you should understand it" According to my arabic knowledge aarabs means villagers, you can call them bados.
God took it for granted if these most illiterate would follow Quran then rest of the followers of prophet (SAW) would follow it easily. Exactly the same way an ordinary good teacher does in a class room. He/She concentrate her/his lesson to explain to the weakest one. They believe it correctly if the weakest one could be made understand her lesson , other better one would for sure follow. So others follow his quran in a better and more precise way. So keeping names in any language is not bad "provided it has good meaning in that language. Bad name do influence a person. If you keep on calling someone with the name FARYA or Shetan (both are in arabic), are not good names in any other language too. In English, Farya means mouse and shatan means devil.So you need not any such fatwa I guess. Things that are far from understanding need Fatwas. Allah Nighaban
Re: Names
But the Bible and Torah were not revealed in Arabic? 
Re: Names
Really? So what language were they revealed?
Bible in Aramic? (Hazrat Isah a.s. used to speak that lang)
Re: Names
Assalamualaikum,
The advice of the scholars concerning this matter is as follows:
QUESTION 1: *Upon becoming muslim, how important is it to change your name? And what is the differance between an arabic name and a muslim name?. *
ANSWER 1:
*Praise be to Allaah. *
-
Names carry meanings, and every person will be influenced by (the meaning of) his name, in most cases. Man is required to call himself – or his children – by good names with good meanings, so that they will be influenced positively by their names. * -
Islam came to the Arabs and the non-Arabs, and it is not essential for a new Muslim to take an Arabic name, rather what is required is that he should not have a name that is ugly or carries a meaning that goes against Islam. Many Persians and Byzantines embraced Islam and kept their names, and did not change them. Indeed many of the Prophets had names that were not Arabic because they were not Arabs. * -
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Does a person who becomes Muslim have to change his name like George or Joseph etc? * -
He replied: * -
He does not have to change his name unless it is a name that reflects servitude to someone or something other than Allaah, but it is good to change his name to something better. So if he changes his name from a foreign name to an Islamic name, that is good, but as to whether it is obligatory, no it is not. *
*But if his name was ‘Abd al-Maseeh = “slave of the Messiah”, a name common among Arab Christians; a similar name in English cultures would be “Christopher” – Translator] or something of that nature, then he should change it, but if the name does not imply servitude to anything or anyone other than Allaah, such as George and Paul, etc., then he does not have to change it, because these names are shared by Christians and others. And Allaah is the Source of strength. Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/404. *
QUESTION 2: Is it obligatory to change one’s name if its meaning is not good?
ANSWER 2: http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=browse&QR=14622&dgn=3
QUESTION 3: Are there any names which it is forbidden to use? If so, what are they?
ANSWER 3: http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=browse&QR=1692&dgn=4
QUESTION 4: I want to give my son a name. What is the Islamic guidelines on this?
ANSWER 4 
http://63.175.194.25/index.php?search_text_box_dsn4=7180&lv=browse&formtrans=dgn%3D4%7C&ln=eng&ds=qa&sensitivity=2&searchquestions=1&searchtitles=1&sear
chanswers=1&searchsources=1&pg=result&offset=0&msubmit=1)
For a large compilation of questions related to this, check out
http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=browse&CR=400&dgn=4
I also encourage anyone interested in this topic to get a hold of the book by Shaykh Bakr Abu Zaid, entitled, ‘Tasmiyat Al-Mawlood’ (Naming Your Newborn)
Re: Names
Assalamualaikum,
Although one's name does not affect a persons character, naming people with bad names like shaytan, is not permissible according to the sunnah. (read last post for reference and proofs)
Re: Names
A persian name like Salman is not wrong. One of the most famous sahabah was the freed slave, Salman who became Muslim from the Persian Empire. Many people know his famous stories. He was the one who had suggested that a ditch be built during the battle of khandaq. He later came to be known as Salman Al-Farsi (Salman The Good)
Re: Names
Bao ji…Yeh kiya rookha sookha jawab de diya…
Bachay ko apnay Deen main khoobsurat naamon ki kami dikh rahi hai…
MaulviSahib…
Do you seriously believe that there is a lack of good Islamic names?
Re: Names
My name is also not an arabic name. My name is Harris. Insha'allah, even though it is not something that is recomended, I plan to change it to Abdullah (bin Khalid), hence ABK. :)
My reason, however is, I just dont like the name.
Re: Names
^^Why don't you take Umar....A beautiful name of a even more beautiful man.....
And for the thread starter....try Vinood Kambli....a bhungi of a name for all the aspiring bhungis....
Re: Names
I chose Abdullah for a couple reasons, just to state one:
The hadith of the the prophet (saw):
*Abu Wahb al-Jushami, who was a companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Give your children the names of Prophets, and the most beloved of names to Allaah are ‘Abd-Allaah and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, and the most truthful are Haarith and Hammaam [these names both refer to one who is always doing something, whether good or bad], and the worst are Harb and Murrah [meaning ‘war’ and ‘bitterness’ respectively].” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. *
funny how my parents meant to name me haarith, and I'm going to Abd-Allah:) .
Re: Names
PayriC gorya,
Those revealed books were for certain QOUM of those days. And were too in their own languages.