Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

my certificate name is md feroz khan. i will be called by this name only but some religious people told to change the name as it is a name of a killer of hazrath omer farooq raziallau ta`ala anhu. please i am in lot of confusion whether i have to called by this name or not. shall i change the name. please explain me in the light of hadees and qur`aan if possible.

allah hafiz 

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Answer:

Change Name

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The term ‘Firoz’ finds its origin in the Persian language and its literal meaning is a ‘gift’; and ‘Firoz’ is a perfectly good and acceptable name to be assigned to a believer.

A name assigned to each individual is no more than a sign or recognition of that person; and there is absolutely no obligation or compulsion in Shariah that a believer is obliged or required to keep a ‘traditional’ Islamic or ‘muslim’ name. One is at complete liberty to assign any good wholesome name to their off-spring in absolutely any language they will or please.

The only names which Islam prohibits from assigning to a believer are names which connote or denote polytheism or disbelief (Abdul-Lat, Abdul-Uzza, (slaves of the pagan gods like Lat and Uzza, etc.) or names like Ramdas (slave of the Hindu god Ram), etc.; or names which have an inherit evil or vile meaning.

Other than names which connote polytheism and disbelief, or names which have an inherently evil meaning….Islam has allowed the believers the complete freedom to chose and assign any good wholesome name in any language they will and please.

It is indeed true that the name of the Hadrat Umar’s (r.a.) murderer was Firoz; but that does not in any way mean that the believers are prohibited from keeping that name, or that one who has chosen to keep it should change it.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan