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Is it permissible to name a newborn "Mu'min" despite some people's objection, either because it is a name frequently adopted by the Shiites, or because it is one of Allah's Most Beautiful Names, or is it advisable to add "Abd" or "Muhammad" to it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Naming a newborn "Mu'min" (believer) is disliked for two reasons: the first is self-praise (tazkiya), and the second is ill omen (tatayyur), such as when it is asked: "Is there a Mu'min in the house?" and the answer is: "No." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade naming with names that involve self-praise or ill omen, like the story of Barrah whom he renamed Zaynab. Similarly, there is a prohibition against names such as Rabah, Nafi', Aflah, and Yasar. As for one of Allah's Most Beautiful Names, it is "Al-Mu'min" (The Giver of Security), with the definite article. It is permissible to name someone "Abd al-Mu'min" (Servant of Al-Mu'min), but it is incorrect to say "Muhammad al-Mu'min" intending "Abd al-Mu'min." The son should be named "Abd al-Mu'min" or another good name that carries no self-praise or ill omen.

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

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