Basic Guidelines And Tips On Muslim Baby Names

Having a child is a one of the most wonderful moment experienced by wedded couples especially that are looking forward for a happy and joyful family life. When the child is born, the feeling makes them anxious until they forget to find the most suitable and proper Muslim name for their baby that follows the guides and rules in choosing a Muslim baby name. This matter is sometime taken lightly by parents that can make mistakes happen by choosing an improper or inappropriate Muslim baby name. It is advised for parents to choose a name for their child before the child is born, and it is highly recommended that they investigate the name meanings, according to its meanings it either Arab language or the meaning when the word is pronounce in local language. Some words that sound nice may have a bad meaning, and some words that have a good meaning in Arab language may also have a bad meaning when pronounce locally. For the ease for parents to choose a Muslim name for their babies, here are the guidelines that one should consider when choosing a name for their Muslim baby.

If you are looking for a simple name, consider using Abdullah (Slave of Allah) or Abdul Rahman (Slave of the Generous; Compassionate; Beneficent) as it is consider the best Muslim baby name. It is also said that the most suitable name for Muslim babies is Haris which means lion or Hammam which means strong desire or active.

When choosing a name for you child, take note that the most unsuitable name for a Muslim baby is Harb and Murrah. Don’t use these names for your child. It is also forbidden to use Barrah for your Muslim baby name. You are also not allowed to use names with improper meanings. Check the names that you have chosen and make sure that it is not listed in the improper names section.

Besides that, it is also not allowed for Muslims to use the 99 names of Allah without the use of Abdul (Slave of) in front of it. This is because that these names are the attributes of Allah and we mustn’t assume that we have the similar attribute of the almighty. We humans are imperfect and are only His slave and we should not compare ourselves to His capabilities and power. We also mustn’t use other names with the present of Abdul in front of it. Such example is using a name like Abdul Muhammad. This name would mean that the person is a slave of Muhammad which is not an attribute of Allah thus as if assuming that Muhammad is similar or at the same level of Allah.

For a Muslim, it is forbidden to use names for babies that are meant for other religions such as using names that refer to other’s believes of god. Muslims must not use names that may refer to believes of other religions such as their prophet, incidents, festivals and etc. Using these kinds of names might refer a person to other religion beside Islam and may cause conflict to happen. It can also be considered as inappropriate for the people of the religion since that the person’s religion is not the same.

Other improper or unsuitable names that mustn’t be use are Sultan, Salaatin, Shahansah, Sayyidun Nas, Sayyidul Kuli, and Sayyidu Saadaat. A Muslim baby shouldn’t be named after worship items like Latta, ‘Uzza, Manat, Assah, Naailat, Hublu and others. The use of words referring to wicked rulers like Fir’aun, Haman is also not acceptable. So are the names of the devil, a parent should not choose to use Al-A’war, Al-Ajda, Khanzab and etc as their Muslim baby names. Names of disgusting animals like leeches, worms, maggot and others are inappropriate and are not suitable to be use as a Muslim name. Overall, the name chosen must be a name that is not the opposite of any goodness. Using the names after angles is not encouraged as angles have certain duty or attributes that are not suitable for humans. For example, the angle Izrail task is to take lives. Using Izrail as a name is not suitable as it may refer to a person as murderer or killer.

For the proper growth of your Muslim baby, do not use a girls name if he’s a boy and vice versa. This may seem unimportant but it may cause conflicts or the child may dislike his or her name when he realizes it. Most Muslim girls name have meanings that are related to girls attribute like beautiful and softness, thus using a name that means softness for a boy is very inappropriate. If possible, choose a name that has a good meaning instead of a name that doesn’t have any meaning at all. This might not affect anything; it’s just that it is good to refer your Muslim child to something nice or good rather than referring them to nothing at all.

Muslim parents are also advised to use short names, probably names that only consist of one word. Most Muslim baby names during Prophet Muhammad PBUH only consist of one word. Most of it is long because of the title given to them for their achievements.

Lastly, use names that are pronounce similarly in Arabic and local pronunciation. This is so that it wouldn’t change the meaning of the word or its meanings. Whatever you choose, it is up to you. But please refer to the guides above so that you don’t make mistake choosing a name for your baby.