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The question

Is it permissible to change a tribe's name, such as "Zahrani" to "Zahrawi," to improve the name, and not out of dislike for the tribe?

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Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Changing the well-known tribal name from "Zahrani" to "Zahrawi" is considered an attribution to other than one's kin, which is forbidden by Islamic law. As stated in the : "Whoever attributes himself to other than his father, or affiliates himself with other than his masters, upon him be the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people." Some narrations add: "out of disdain for them." This Hadith indicates the prohibition of disclaiming one's known lineage and claiming another, and it is a major sin due to the great harms that result from it. There is no justification for changing the two terms, as "al-Zahrawi" is an attribution to a region in Andalusia, and "Zahran" is a famous tribe, and there is nothing blameworthy in its name.

Summary from Ftawy's records · added here

Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.

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Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
138195
Added here
. This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
Text
Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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Read the full answer on Ftawy