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The question

Is it permissible for a Muslim who has recently embraced Islam, and whose personal name may bear commendation and whose adopted family surname has an impermissible meaning, to use the name of his adopted father, or must he change his name and surname, and what should be done if the original name of the father is unknown?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The name "Daniel" is permissible, especially if the named person is male, as it is the name of a prophet. However, naming a female with it is not appropriate, because prophets are men, and it is not befitting to name a female with names specific to men to avoid confusion. A Muslim who has recently embraced Islam is not required to change their name unless it signifies servitude to other than Allah. Regarding the father's family name, if the father is an adoptive father, then do not use his name and family name. Any other name can be used to facilitate transactions. If the surname is merely a name by which one is known, there is no harm in keeping it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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