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:

brother/sister

ALLAH has given me a gift of a child (girl). I want to name her ALIZA. In some websites it is given that it was the name of the daughter of HAZRAT ALI. I am a sunni muslim, please inform me that can i name her ALIZA becz in some websites it is given that this has hebrew orogin.

If you have any information in the light of QURAAN and HADITH then plz mail me I will wait for your mail.

Please consider it personally.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Name aliza hebrew origin

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.

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 mentioned in the books of muslim history that ‘Aliza’ was the name assigned to one of the daughters of the cousin and noble companion of the Prophet (saws), Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.).

We obviously are not qualified to determine whether or not the term or name ‘Aliza’ is of Hebrew origin….but even if it were of Hebrew origin, as long as the name itself does not connote ‘shirk’ or ‘kufr’ or has an inherent evil meaning, it would be considered an absolutely acceptable name in Islam.

Secondly, if a companion of the stature and rank of Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.) chose to name his daughter ‘Aliza’, you can rest assured that the name is absolutely acceptable for the believers.

Thirdly, just because a name derives its origin from the Hebrew (or any other language) does not by itself make the name unacceptable or impermissible in Islam. The absolute majority of the Prophets mentioned by name in the Glorious Quran spoke the Hebrew language, and it is safe to assume that their names were of Hebrew origin…names like Musa, and Haroon, and Dawood, and Sulaimaan, and Zakhariyyah, and Yahya, and Ayyub, and Yunus, and Isa….etc. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

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