Is dedicating names to other than Allah a major or minor polytheistic act, and what is the ruling on the saying: "Whoever teaches me a letter, I will be his slave"?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It has been previously prohibited to use names that signify servitude to other than Allah. Some scholars have mentioned that this is a form of verbal polytheism ( al-alfadh) or minor polytheism (shirk asghar), and not major polytheism (shirk akbar) that expels one from the fold of Islam. As for the phrase: "Whoever teaches me a letter, I become his servant," if the intention is a figurative servitude of slavery, then there is no harm in it. However, if the intention is something that should only be attributed to Allah, then it is impermissible.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/183161
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 183161
- 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