What is the ruling on writing or uttering a name for someone that carries an infidel meaning, and is the doer sinful or does he disbelieve?
Establishing a name with "ʿabd" (servant of) for other than Allah is forbidden, but informing others of the name of someone who was named thus is permissible. Scholars have agreed on the prohibition of every name that implies servitude to other than Allah, such as ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā and ʿAbd Hubal. Ibn Ḥazm, however, made an exception for ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib. Nevertheless, the correct view is that informing others of a person's known name is permissible and entails no sin, because the sphere of reporting is wider than that of creation. Thus, the Prophet's (peace be upon him) statement, "I am the son of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib," falls under the category of reporting, not creation.
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Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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