Zakir Naik – Should a Person Change their Name before Accepting Islam

The

question posed by the sisters, is it compulsory

for non Muslim

to change his or her name before he

or she accept Islam?

Seeing the tradition of beloved prophet,

we have to analyze what he did.

As I mentioned in my talk, the prophet

never ever advised anyone to change the family

name because the family name gives the background

from which region is coming, from which family

is coming. It shows the lineage.

As far as the name is concerned,

that's the given name, the first name.

If the first name

has a element of shirk in it.

Shirk.

That's why we partner with Allah Subhanahu Wa

Ta'ala. Then the name should be changed. Like

a person name is Ram

or Ashman.

It has element of shirk because these are

deities of certain non Muslims,

have element of shirk. If it has an

element of shirk, then the given name should

be changed. Otherwise, there's option you can continue

or you may change adoption with yours. Many

a time, Abdulla prophet, masala sallam, did not

change the name of the people who accept

Islam. Many times they advised them change it.

If it contains the element of shield, it's

a compulsory.

Even if it doesn't contain,

if the person changes, no problem at all.

And once

in arif,

there was

a non Muslim

girl, a Hindu,

who was about to accept Islam.

And many a time the reason is

that because they want to marry a Muslim

boy,

and which

normally the Quran says in Suri Baqarah chapter

2 or 2 21, that do not marry

non Muslims. Do not marry a woman to

non Muslim men,

mushrik men, until they believe.

A Muslim man who's a believer,

a Muslim man who's a

is much better than a non Muslim even

if he allows you.

If a Muslim woman has the option to

marry a Muslim man who's a

as compared

to a non Muslim who's a,

he may be the most handsome man. He

may be.

But the option is between a Muslim man.

He's much better than a non Muslim even

if he allows you. And similar case is

when a Muslim man has to marry

a woman. If she's non Muslim, it's not

allowed. If she's a mushrik, it's not allowed

unless

she becomes a Muslim.

Once there was a case in which

a Hindu girl wanted to accept Islam, and

after speaking

with the boy who brought that girl,

I could realize that, you know, the main

reason was only because it was a love

marriage, you know, infatuation.

But I cannot doubt anyone. She wants to

accept Islam. I say, I learn. I say,

I learn. We have to guide them in

the right channels. And

having a discussion, she asked me,

mother Zakir, should I change the name compulsory?

And but not just seeing that the was

there.

Seeing to it that was there, I could

talk to the.

And I gave the reason that why a

Muslim should wear the label, and I gave

a short synopsis of this talk.

He's saying, brother Zakir, how illogical can a

person be? For 25

years for 25 years, I've been called by

the name of Shilpa. I'm changing the name

so that the identity is not revealed.

I've been called by the name of Shilpa.

Now after 25 years, you're telling me change

the name. How illogical can you be?

I told

her to the husband.

When a person becomes a doctor, he gets

a doctor's degree. He changes from mister to

doctor because being a doctor is better. But

she was not convinced.

I asked her, do you like Islam? She

said yes.

I could make out that. The main reason

she wanted to do, convert, revert to Islam,

work for the boy. So what to do?

You have to use your Hikma. So I

asked her, sister, what is your full name?

So she told me, I'm changing the name,

my name is Shilpa

Pandurong

Deshmukh.

Shilpa Pandurang Deshmukh.

So I asked her, sister, after you marry

this brother,

whose name was

Abdul Karim Shaikh,

After you married this Abdul Karim Shaikh, what

will your name be? So she said, my

name will be Shilpa Abdul Karim Shaikh. So

I said, sister, how illogical can you be?

For 25 years, you are called Shilpa and

now you want to call yourself

How illogical can you be?

And the discussion was over.

I was trying to prove to her the

point that she's willing to change her surname

because previously,

she preferred to be identified as the daughter

of.

Now she wants to be identified as wife

of Abdul Karim Shaikh.

So similarly,

previously, you are a Hindu.

Now,

if you know and you agree that Islam

is a better religion, why are you not

willing to be identified as a Muslim? And

the discussion was over. Whether she changed her

name or not, I don't know.

But when you speak with them, you have

to speak with Sikma. Regarding the reply, it's

not compulsory

unless

the name contains the element of. If it

doesn't contain, the option is there. You can

keep that name or change the name. Hope

that answers the question.