السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
It’s Saturday 9th January 2021.
Today I wanted to focus on ‘Naming Your Child’.
One of the happiest moments of our lives is when a baby is about to be born, in our family. There is an atmosphere of happiness and joy. The couple, and sometimes extended family, start looking at names well before the birth. They will shortlist a few boys names and girls names and then finally decide on the 7th day after the birth of the child.
During the 9 months when the mother is expecting the child, especially the last few weeks, the good health of the mother and baby are at the forefront of people’s minds and in their prayers. After the birth, many parents wait till the 7th day before naming the child. All this is very good, مَا شَآءَ الله.
However, what baffles me is that why are our beautiful Islamic teachings overlooked when it comes to actually naming the child? If we look at the names of our grandparents and parents, مَا شَآءَ الله, the majority will be names of Prophets, Saḥābah, Saḥābiyyāt, etc. Ādam, Mūsā, Ibrāhīm, Ḥawwā’, Khadījah, ‘Āisha, etc.
The trend these days is to look for unique names which no one has ever kept and, the majority of the times, no one has ever heard of. Although lately things do seem to be improving with Ādam, ‘Īsā, Ismā’īl, Maryam, Khadījah, Zainab, etc. becoming popular names again.
One of the most important actions upon the birth of a child is providing the child with a name which is Islāmic and has a beautiful meaning. There are many authentic Islamic names books out there and you can also consult your local Imām or ‘Ālimāt and they will guide you ,اِنْ شَاءَ الَّلهُ.
Remember, names have effects and this could have a long lasting impact on your child. We, as parents, have to do all within our means to give our children the best start in life. Some choices, which I will not mention, make it difficult to ascertain whether it’s a Muslim, or non-Muslim, name.
Finally, do keep in mind that names alone will not do wonders. After keeping a good name, constant effort will be required to ensure your child and the next generation stay steadfast on Īmān and Islām.
Almighty Allāh keep all of us and our upcoming generations steadfast on Īmān and Islām and keep all of us in His Protection, Āmeen.
جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا
Request for Du’ās
وَالسَّلَامُ Hanif Dudhwala
Supplementary Resources
The Importance of Keeping Good Names – Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Muḥammad Saleem Dhorāt Ḥafizahullāh
New Names – Mufti Yūsuf Shabbir