Bearing the name 'Fasihullah'

Q: My grandfather had been nicknamed 'Fasih-ul-Llah', which later became the family name, and many people have been asking about its meaning and why my grandfather was nicknamed as such. This prompted many people to advise us to change it. So, we applied to the Administration of the Civil Affairs to replace this nickname with the name right before it which is 'Hafizh'. This latter nickname was given to him as he committed the Qur'an to his memory, and used to teach it at Dar Al-Aytam in Al-Madinah (an orphanage) The Administration of the Civil Affairs asked us to get a Fatwa maintaining the prohibition of using this word either as a name or as a nickname, or maintaining that it is improper. So what is the ruling on such a case?


A: You are not bound to change this name as it does not suggest any improper denotation or connotation. The first part of the name in question reads, 'Fasih' (i.e., eloquent) which is the opposite of 'A`jam' (i.e., vague). The name in question further provides an example of adding a created thing to its Creator, like 'Naqat-ul-Llah' (the she-camel of Allah) and 'Khalq-ul-Llah' (the creation of Allah).May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.


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