Naming animals or giving animals special names that are different from what they are usually called
Question: 177296
Is it permissible to name animals?.
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.
There is nothing wrong with giving animals appropriate names.
Al-Bukhaari (2872) narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had a she-camel
called al-‘Adba’, that was never beaten in a race.
Al-Bukhaari (2627) and Muslim (2307) narrated that Anas (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: There was a disturbance in Madeenah, and
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) borrowed a horse
belonging to Abu Talhah that was called al-Mandoob, and rode it. He said:
“We have not seen any cause for panic, and we have found it (the horse) to
be swift-footed.”
Al-Baghawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This shows that it is permissible to name animals; it was the
custom of the Arabs to give animals and weapons names by which they would be
known if they were to look for them, apart from ordinary names (nouns).
End quote from Sharh as-Sunnah, 8/222
al-Bukhaari gave this chapter the title: Chapter on Naming
Horses and Donkeys.
Then he narrated a number of hadeeths concerning that, such
as the hadeeth which says that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) had a horse that was called al-Laheef (2855), and he had a donkey
that was called ‘Ufayr (2865).
Al-Muhallab said: The fiqh concerning this matter is that it
is permissible to give names to animals other than what they are usually
called.
End quote from Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 5/60
Abu’d-Darda’ had a camel called Damoon. Narrated by Ibn
al-Mubaarak in az-Zuhd, 1173
Abu Qataadah had a horse called al-Jaraadah. Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 2854
Al-Manaawi said, after mentioning some of the reports that
were narrated concerning this matter:
This shows that it is acceptable in sharee‘ah to give names
to horses, mules, donkeys and other animals by which they may be told apart
from others.
End quote from Fayd al-Qadeer, 5/220
See: Zaad al-Ma‘aad, 1/132-134; al-Mawsoo‘ah
al-Fiqhiyyah, 11/338
And Allah knows best.
Source:
Islam Q&A
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