Is it permissible to utter names like "Abd Al-Uzza," "Abd Shams," and "Abd Manaf," which are mentioned among the names of the forefathers of the Mothers of the Believers, or is uttering them considered shirk (polytheism) to Allah?
The titles of the Mothers of the Believers and the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم ancestors, such as "Abd al-Muttalib" and "Abd Manaf," were changed, even though their original names were "Shaybah" and "al-Mughirah." This indicates that changing the names of the deceased is not obligatory, because mentioning their names is a matter of reporting, and changing them might hinder understanding who is meant.
Uttering these names is not considered (polytheism). The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself uttered them, saying: "I am the Prophet, there is no lie; I am the son of Abd al-Muttalib." And in the about the Dajjal, he said: "It is as if I liken him to Abd al-Uzza ibn Qatan."
However, if a living person's name contains an ascription of servitude to other than Allah, such as "Abd al-Masih" (servant of the Messiah) or "Abd al-Uzza" (servant of al-Uzza), it must be changed after embracing Islam, as happened with Abu Hurairah, whose name was "Abd Shams" (servant of the sun) and was changed to "Abd al-Rahman."
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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