Mufti Menk – No way! Why should a woman change her surname?

			Assalamualaikum my brothers and sisters, people are asking about women changing their surnames after
marriage. Well, in a world where women's rights are being discussed, people look at Islam and say,
Islam does not give women their rights. Islam actually upholds rights that people haven't even
thought of Subhana Allah, why give up your entire identity for a man Subhana Allah? Don't you have
the right to maintain your own identity, your lineage? Islam says, Don't change it. You belong to
your own lineage, your father, your family, your own surname? Why should you adopt someone else's
surname simply because you're married to them? I've known of people who've had to change their
		

			surnames thrice, because of divorce, and because of being a widow, may Allah subhanahu wa taala
protect us. So what does Allah say subhanho wa Taala. Allah says, you maintain your lineage lineage
is sacred. And what we need to understand is, you will be called the daughter of so and so. And that
would be your father's first name. So if your father's first name is Abdullah II, your name is
Fatima, you would be known as Fatima, the daughter of Abdullah, nothing will ever change that on the
Day of Judgment, you will be called by that name. Now, what is a surname? A surname is just a name
of the family, something that people would recognize you and your family by so you maintain your
		

			surname.
		

			If you really have to change the surname or add your husband's name, because of immigration
purposes, because of some legality where you're staying, there is scope of permissibility in that
regard for as long as there is no deception in the name or the surname. So it is best to keep your
name as you were born your father's name and surname, that is the ideal that is the Islamic
teaching. If you really have to change it, you make a minimum change to it. Subhana Allah, if need
be, like I said, So, instead of being known as Fatima, the daughter of Abdullah, it is not wrong to
be known as Fatima, the wife of schreib, for example. So if someone says this is Fatima, which
		

			Fatima is she, well, she is the wife of shrine. That's okay. So, Fatima schreib, there is a there is
a little word that is missing there, which they usually hide. So, when you say Fatima, Abdullah, you
actually mean Fatima, daughter of Abdullah, the word daughter of a bent in the Arabic language is
normally dropped. Although by right a lot of scholars say you should say that word, you know, Fatima
bint Abdullah, but if you haven't, it's understood that this is the daughter of in the same way, it
would be understood that that hidden word, if it is not there, could mean wipe off. So you say
Fatima zodat schreib. She is the wife of schreib you have deceived no one. Everyone knows this is
		

			the wife of schreib. But the thing is, when you start changing your documents and your identity and
your identification, as is taught by some cultures, what would happen the day you are divorced, and
now the divorce is so rampant? What would happen if you were to go through two or three divorces?
Why should you keep changing names and keep you know, isn't that Subhanallah a beautiful way that
Islam has protected a woman to say, you maintain your identity, who you are shall remain who you
are, you don't start belonging to a man in this sense that your lineage is also gone. May Allah
subhanho wa Taala protect us. So I hope I've put things into perspective because while Islam teaches
		

			you that your lineage is sacred, you're just not allowed to deceive people. And so if you really
have to be called by your husband's name,
		

			for as long as you're not deceiving people, and you make it clear that this is referring to the wife
of so and so, there is a scope of permissibility Some people have asked me, is it okay to add my
married surname after my father's surname? So for example, someone would say Fatima, the daughter of
Abdullah, the wife of Xu, a, so and so. So the daughter of Abdullah Zan, for example, and the wife
of schreib maybe malloc. So if that is the case, you have not deceived anyone still. Consider this
my brothers and sisters, as far as possible.
		

			Try not to change your names. And if you really have to, then you may do it. But for as long as
there is no deception in it, and you've made it clear that I am not the daughter of so and so I'm
just the wife of so and so. Similarly, when people talk about defending the rights of women, I think
that one of the rights you have as a female, is to keep your name. May Allah subhanho wa Taala
protect all of us. And I really thank Allah for giving us such beautiful teachings regarding our
lineage, our names, the fact that it's sacred, you know, I actually had, someone asked me that, is
it okay for me to ask my husband to change his surname to mine? And I said,
		

			No, it's not okay. And they say they, they argued back to say, but why, you know, if, if this is
okay, why is that not okay? And that's when you put things into perspective. And you realize that,
you know, either way, you should just maintain your own identity, I think it's just the culture that
we've got. And it's been, you know, across the globe, many cultures actually say, a woman loses her
identity when she gets married to her husbands. And people change their identity, meaning their
documents and so on. Some of those who are more popular and famous have actually,
		

			even the powerful, the rich, they've actually maintained their surnames, they might just attach
their husband's surname to let people know I'm married. Like I said, if there's no deception, there
may be scope of permissibility. Still, I would advise you not to change your name. May Allah bless
you all. akula Kohli hava sal Allahu wa salam ala nabina Muhammad