Is it incorrect to name a child after a Prophet, but the “english” form of it? For ex, a friend of mine wants to name their child Noah (ie. from Prophet Nuh). I honestly would prefer the Islamic name.
What do you think?
Instead of naming them Yacoub, Ibrahim, Dawood, etc, you would name them as Jacob, Abraham, David, etc.
Is it even Islamic to do so?
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
noah is one of my favourite names, and i am so naming my child that! i think you can name your child anything, there is no such thing as an islamic/unislamic name, thats all man made stuff.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
An Islamic name is a good name, it isnt necessary for it to be an Arabic name. It should have a good meaning, or it should be a name to help the child develop a strong, healthy Islamic identity. But I dont think people should be naming their kids "English" names just because they dont want them sounding "foreign" or different
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there is no such thing as an islamic/unislamic name, thats all man made stuff.
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Well not really, an unIslamic name would be a name with a bad meaning. You wouldnt name your child Shaytaan or the name of a Hindu idol etc. Also the Prophet peace be upon him changed the names of some people who had bad names, like Harb which means war
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
What about Essa? Is that in English form or Islamic?
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
I don't think it would be unislamic and such but some people say that it's better to have Muslim sounding names so your identity is obvious. Using the English version would be the opposite of that because you'd be trying to ensure your child fit in with non Muslims. This is just what I've heard though I'm not sure what the official verdict on non Muslim sounding names is.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
I don't think it would be unislamic and such but some people say that it's better to have Muslim sounding names so your identity is obvious
I agree. If the name gives the impression that the child is not muslim then its better to avoid that name.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
the whole point of the name is to giving a person "identity". as a muslim it is important that what ever name you choose for your child, should identify him/her as a muslim. i understand sometimes names aren't just enough to tell if a person is a muslim or not, but naming a child "biblical" version of prophet's name will definitely give an idea to anyone, even to Muslims that a person whose name is noah, or issac is christian, or jewish (depending on the name your chose).
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
What about Essa? Is that in English form or Islamic?
Esa/Isa is the name of Jesus in the Quran. Its not English
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
I agree with midnighteyes.
But I think I would mostly stick to the Urdu or Arabic pronunciations, for the sake of conveying cultural heritage. That being said, I love the name Noah, but I don't like the Arabic pronunciation as much.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
the whole point of the name is to giving a person "identity". as a muslim it is important that what ever name you choose for your child, should identify him/her as a muslim. i understand sometimes names aren't just enough to tell if a person is a muslim or not, but naming a child "biblical" version of prophet's name will definitely give an idea to anyone, even to Muslims that a person whose name is noah, or issac is christian, or jewish (depending on the name your chose).
A lot of cultural desi names don't sound muslim either. A lot of converts retain their original names too, so I would think naming your child 'Noah' is not exactly unislamic, just unpreferable for most muslims.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the “English” form of it
I want to name my baby boy Gabriel Khan(if I have a baby boy)…I don’t know but I love that name…and it is the name of one of the Angels!!!
Ofcoz…I wonder if i would be allowed to 
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
^ that's our chosen name for our baby if its a boy... Gabriel, that is- not the Khan part. because hubby is not desi, it was important we go with a name that had a strong Islamic connection but was also something both families could pronounce. we also felt that Jibreel was slightly more harsher-sounding with the hard J, so it was personal preference as well.
i love Noah, that is my second choice. its a beautiful name and i don't see anything wrong with naming your child the name of a prophet in English. as already been said, muslims come from all over the world. if you want to preserve your desi heritage, then sure, Nooh might be a better option, but Noah will not signify your child is non-Muslim, imho.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
^Yeaaa...I don't like Jibreel too coz it sounds harsh...and I wanted to name the baby girl as Gabriella...but I think I might be pushing the envelope there :p
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
if being a muslim means believing in all God-sent prophets and holy people preceding (and including) Prophet Muhammad (swt) ... and then acknowledging that Quran is the last book, and the previous books were not in arabic ... what's the harm in naming your child Noah or Gabrielle? we do believe in them regardless ... plus, if some people get the idea that a person named as such is rather christian or jewish ... well ... it just verifies that we arent a different religion or a moon religion .. but an extension of the one and only lineage of religion that has been there since Adam.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
From a purely linguistic point of view, those names may 'mean' the same in Arabic and English but the essence is lost. I mean Jesus instead of Isa is a *******isation of the true pronunciation. Personally, I wouldn't go down this route. Slowly, all languages are converging towards English and I totally disapprove. I mean English is awesome for its universal appeal and the relative ease with which people can communicate but at the end of the day, its awfully poor compared to classical languages of the world.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
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Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
Its better that names reflects someone's Muslim Identity.
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
^^^ I agree. We picked Essa instead of Jesus :D
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
^ see, i find that more reflective of cultural identity, more than religious identity, which is fine too :)
aaliyah, yeah... gabriella is very anglo. i see where you're coming from but for a desi kid, it might be a bit much! ;)
Re: naming after a Prophet, but the "English" form of it
When it comes to naming a child after a prophet, I am sure it is recommended that you name them after the Quranic version instead of the Biblical version. I am sure Eesa, Musa and Yaqub is preferred over Jesus, Moses and Jacob. It seems weird that you would name your child after the Biblical version when a clear Quranic version is there. If it's not a name with any religious significance, then I am sure it doesn't matter either way.
Also these names reflect religious heritage, not cultural heritage since they are universally known in the entire Muslim world and are not limited to one culture.