Does one need to change their name upon conversion?

Question

I a chose to marry a male who is a convert, does he need to change his first and last name or can he keep his original names? His last name will be taken by me, so does it have to be an Islamic name, if yes, can it be any Islamic name? Another molvi told me that his name could be anything as long as it doesn't mean an animal, is this correct? Jazakallah

Mufti Ebrahim Desai · Accepted Answer

Respected Brother-in-Islam

Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatuhu

Kindly refer below our standard reply to similar questions.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.

1. Rukhshana (with a 'sh') is a Persian word meaning dazzling, resplendent, etc. It is permissible to keep the name Rukhshana.
2. A person's name bespeaks his religion. Therefore, it is vital for a revert to Islam to take an Islamic name to identify himself with Islam. To keep such names which suggest adherence to any culture and creed other than Islam is not permissible. However, it is not prohibited to keep a non-Arabic name which does not have a bad meaning or anything un-Islamic about it. 3. There is no prohibition for a female to maintain her maiden name or adopt her husband's surname after marriage. She may comply with the law of the land in order to save herself from legal problems.
4. The Urf and meaning of the word will be taken into consideration in determining the permissibility of keeping names for males and females. 5. Nabi (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) emphasised that children be given good names. In many instances, names having unsavoury connotations were changed by him. It is not permissible to keep names with words not having any meaning to it.

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