Download
0 / 0
7321606/12/2011

Ruling on calling a girl Amirah or Amayah

Question: 175453

I just wanted to know if it is permissable to keep the name amira (meaning) leader princess for a baby girl? or the name amaya (meaning) night rain for a baby girl?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

Parents should choose good names for
their children that do not go against the teachings of Allah and that are not
regarded as odd in their environment or according to their customs. They should
also take care to ensure that the name will be suitable for all stages of the
child’s life and will not be a cause of annoyance for them. Imam al-Maawardi ash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah
have mercy on him) mentioned a number of matters that it is recommended to pay
attention to when choosing names, among which is the following: (The name)
should have a good meaning, be appropriate for the one who is given this name
and be one of the names that are customarily used among the people of his
class, religion and status.

End quote from Naseehat
al-Mulook, p. 167

Secondly:

With regard to the name Amirah, we do not see anything wrong with calling a girl by
that name, because it is not contrary to Islam.

With regard to the name Amayah, this is not an Arabic name; hence no Arab should
give his daughter this name, because it is somewhat odd and is not commonly
used among the Arabs as a name. But if the one who wants to give this name (to
his daughter) is not an Arab and the people around him do not find it odd, then
it is permissible for him to give his daughter this name, so long as the
meaning is acceptable and there is nothing in it that is contrary to Islam.

See the answer to question no. 1692 for a discussion on names for children that are haraam or makrooh.

See the answer to question no. 101401 for a list of good names for females, along with their meanings.

And Allah knows best.

Source

Islam Q&A

Was this answer helpful?

at email

Our newsletter

To join our newsletter please add your email below

phone

IslamQA App

For a quick access to our content and offline browsing

download iosdownload android