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Is it reprehensible to name the rainbow "Qaws Quzah" (Quzah's Bow) because Quzah is a name for Satan?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The rainbow is the well-known arc that appears when it rains and the sun is shining, showing the colors of the spectrum as a result of the refraction and dispersion of sunlight through raindrops. Some scholars disliked calling it "Qaws Quzah" (Quzah's Bow) due to what was narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, prohibiting that. However, this hadith is fabricated and cannot be used as proof. There is disagreement regarding the meaning of "Quzah." It was said to mean elevation, or a plural of "quzhah" (the method by which the bow's colors are formed), or the name of the angel assigned to clouds, or the name of a devil, or the name of the god of thunder among the disbelievers, or the name of one of the Persian kings. The prohibition of this naming has not been proven by an authentic hadith from the Prophet, peace be upon him, and definitively stating that Quzah is the name of a devil requires evidence. Whoever says "Qaws Quzah" intending some of the corrupt meanings is prohibited from doing so. However, whoever uses it without intending any of that is not at fault. Nevertheless, it is preferable to avoid this naming as a precaution, due to many scholars considering it disliked.

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

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