Keep name uzair lawful
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:
RESPECTED BROTHER BURHAN,
ASSALAAMAALIKUM,
URGENT
I AM BLESSED WITH A BABY BOY ON 27.05.2010, I WANT TO KEEP HIS NAME AS UZAIR OR
MUHAMMAD UZAIR. SINCE I AM STAYING IN JEDDAH, MY ARAB FRIENDS FIND THIS NAME IS
NOT RECOMMENDABLE AND WE MUSLIMS SHOULD AVOID USING THIS NAME AS THE HOLY QURAN
SAYS IN SURAH TAUBAH 09:30 THAT JEWS SAY THAT UZAIR (EZRA) IS SON OF GOD. I
NEED YOUR URGENT REPLY CAN I KEEP THIS NAME TO MY NEWBORN SON OR NO? IN FUTURE
WILL HE HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL NAME? YOUR REPLY WILL RELIEVE ME
OF MY TENSION. I AM FROM
(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:
Keep name Uzair
lawful
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.
The name ‘Uzayr’ is assigned to
one of the noblest Prophets of Allah Subhanah, and thus it is not only lawful
but a desirable name to be assigned to a believer.
If some amongst the ignorant
chose to commit blasphemy and call Hadrat Uzayr or Hadrat Isa ibn Maryam, the
Noble Slaves and Prophets of Allah, the sons of the Lord Most Majestic…..it
does not make their names unlawful in the least!!!
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