He wants to change his son’s name Muhammad to another name, because the name is difficult for the child
Question My son’s name is Muhammad; can I change it to one of the other names of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)? He cannot distinguish between names when they are called, except for easy names like his father’s name, Hasan. Perhaps the name Muhammad is somewhat difficult for him, hence…
Question
Praise be to Allah.
One of the
things that is recommended with regard to naming children is to give the
child names of Prophets and Messengers, and the best of Prophets’ names is
the name of our Prophet, Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him).
Shaykh
Bakr ibn ‘Abdullah Abu Zayd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The sixth
principle: names in order of preference in terms of how recommended or
permissible they are.
Children
may be named after the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, because they are
the leaders of the sons of Adam, their characters are the noblest of
characters, and their deeds are the purest of deeds. So giving their names
is a reminder of them and of their characteristics and stories. The scholars
are unanimously agreed that it is permissible to give their names to our
children.
The best
of Prophets’ names are the names of our Prophet and Messenger, Muhammad ibn
‘Abdullah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and all his fellow
Prophets and Messengers).
End quote
from Tasmiyat al-Mawlood, p. 15-16
Based on
that, it is better to leave your son’s name as it is; praise be to Allah, it
is a good name.
With
regard to what you mentioned about the child not being able to distinguish
the name Muhammad, this is a problem that will quickly pass as the child
grows older, and it will not have any negative impact on him at all, in sha
Allah. People still call their sons by this good name, in the East and in
the West, among Arabs and non-Arabs, and they do not find any problem with
that or any difficulties for their children.
May Allah
make things easy for you and bless your offspring.
And Allah
knows best.
