Is it permissible to attribute a quality of Allah to created beings with the addition of the definite article "al-" (ال), such as "al-Kareem" (the Most Generous) or "al-Tawfeeq" (the Granting of Success), and what is the ruling on this if they are names of companies such as "al-Hidaayah" (the Guidance) and "al-Tawfeeq" (the Granting of Success), and is it permissible to name places with names like "Ramallah"?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Naming with "Karim" and similar permissible names that are not exclusive to Allah the Almighty is permissible. This is indicated by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) approval of some of the Companions' names that have shared meanings, such as Ali and Hakim. Therefore, naming with names like "Ali" and "Rashid" is permissible, even if they are defined with "al" (the definite article). Only naming with names exclusive to Allah Almighty, such as Al-Khaliq (The Creator), Al-Rahman (The Most Gracious), Al-Quddus (The Most Holy), is forbidden.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/194271
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 194271
- 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.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy