Is it permissible to name the insect known as a mosquito with this name, given the mention of the word "al-namoos" in Sahih al-Bukhari concerning Gabriel (peace be upon him)?
The Arabic language is characterized by the breadth of its words for multiple meanings, where a single word can carry more than one meaning depending on its context. This is known as homonymy (al-ishtirāk al-lafẓī). An example of this is the word "al-nāmūs," which carries several meanings such as: keeper of secrets, cunning, vessel of knowledge, tattler, monk's cell, and the clever, discerning one, among others. The term "al-nāmūs" was used to refer to the angel Gabriel, the angel of revelation (peace be upon him), in the hadith of Waraqa ibn Nawfal, because Allah Almighty singled him out for revelation and the unseen. The name "al-nāmūs" is also used for the mosquito, and this is an old designation, not a recent one. It was mentioned by Al-Nuwayri in "Nihāyat al-Arab" and in "Al-Mu'jam al-Wasīt." There is no harm in using this name for it, as it falls under the category of homonymy.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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