Naming the newborn: Is it the right of the father or the mother?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa number ( 19789 )
Q: Is naming the newborn the right of the father or the mother ? And if the mother names the son a name other than the one his father gave him, without his knowledge, which of the two names is considered valid, and what is the ruling on changing the name from Muhammad to another name from the names by which Muslims are named? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
A: Naming the newborn is the right of the father, and he must choose a good name for his child. It is a recommended practice (sunnah) to change a bad name to a good one, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did with
some of the Companions. It is permissible to change the name from Muhammad to another, but if the name is a forbidden name, such as making a name a slave of other than Allah, like 'Abd al-Nabi, then it is obligatory to change it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: Is naming the newborn the right of the father or the mother ? And if the mother names the son a name other than the one his father gave him, without his knowledge, which of the two names is considered valid, and what is the ruling on changing the name from Muhammad to another name from the names by which Muslims are named? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
A: Naming the newborn is the right of the father, and he must choose a good name for his child. It is a recommended practice (sunnah) to change a bad name to a good one, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did with
some of the Companions. It is permissible to change the name from Muhammad to another, but if the name is a forbidden name, such as making a name a slave of other than Allah, like 'Abd al-Nabi, then it is obligatory to change it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.