Bearing the names of idols

(Part No. 26; Page No. 379) Fatwa no. 19531 Praise be to Allah Alone. Peace and blessings be upon the Last Prophet.The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' has reviewed the letter, dated 13/2/1418 A.H., no. (600/9/24), sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufty from His Excellency the General Director of the General Presidency of the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) in the region of `Asir, Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-Ahmad. The letter number (600/9/24) dated 13/2/1418 A.H. and referred to the Committee from the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars under no. (1225), dated 24/2/1418 A.H. reads as follows:Kindly, find the attached group of documents including the letter of the head of the concerned authority in Abha city. The letter no. (97/29), dated 10/2/1418 A.H. states that there is a tailor store for men's clothing that carries the name "Manaf". We hope you will look into this letter and tell us the ruling on using this name.

The committee looked into the letter sent by the head of the concerned authority in Shamsan, Khalid ibn Sulayman 'Al Hady. It is as follows:Kindly, be informed that we, during reading the daily reports sent by the members, found that a tailor store for men's clothing carrying the name "Manaf". Having looked up the word in Al-Qamus Al-Muhit, Dar Al-Jil edition, (vol. III, p. 209), (Part No. 26; Page No. 380) we discovered that this is the name of an idol. It should be noted that the store has more than one branch in Abha city. Having discussed the query, the Committee replies as follows: Manaf is the name of an idol after which the father of Hashim Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy ibn Kilab is named, for his mother devoted him to the service of this idol.Accordingly, it is not permissible to use the names of idols; such as Manaf, Al-Lat, Al-`Uzza, Manat, etc. This act entails admiring and exalting these idols, which is forbidden in Islam. The store owner has to change the name to one that is not objectionable to block the means leading to Shirk and sins.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions!