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Fatwa CenterConsidering the letters when choosing a name for a child
Question
As its said in a hadith we should keep our children names by looking at meaning.I sthere something with letters too.I mean here when my baby had falllen sick every one was like shez got the sh-souind in her name thats y shez fallen sick though she was fine till the age of 5 months.Her name was Mishal.it mean torch.My main question is that is there something regarding letters too.People in india practice that a maulana will come after the birth of the baby and wil give the letter and with that letter will name the baby.Is it allowed or its shirk?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
We have previously mentioned some general guidelines for choosing names of male and female children in Fataawa 87262 and 82724.
In principle, it is permissible for a father to choose for his child a name consisting of letters that are easy to pronounce. But to believe that the child may be harmed in any way because his name includes such and such a letter, then this is falsehood.
Moreover, people’s being pessimist of such a letter is a kind of Tiyarah (belief in bad omens). It is proven that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa salam, said: "Tiyarah is Shirk." [Ahmad, Abu Daawood and Ibn Maajah] This is a type of hidden Shirk, and it belongs to the minor Shirk that does not take the Muslim out of the fold of Islam.
On the other hand, if a parent goes to somebody to give him a letter to choose the name of his baby according to it, then there is no harm in this so long as it is not accompanied by any sort of belief (as part of religion). But such conduct should not be taken as a habit, lest it would be regarded equal to the legislated practices, and thus it becomes a religious innovation.
Allaah Knows best.
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