Hi,

Just from watching YouTube videos and personal stories of people who have converted to Islam, I've noticed a lot of them have changed their names (like if they were Andrew before they might become Abdullah). Do new Muslims commonly do this after taking Shahada? If you did, what were some of your reasons for it?

Funny - I always wondered about this too. It's not necessary to change ones name after one becomes Muslim.

Welcome to the forum, Always Learning.

Scimi

I did not change my name, because I felt it would be a bit two-faced for me to have one name to use among my Muslim brothers and keep my birth name for everyone else.

It took me five years after I took my shahada to change my name. I changed it because my name meant nothing at all, and it was chosen from a soap opera (novela) >_>, Also, the prophet sallalahu Aleyhi wasallam said:

"You will be called on the Day of Resurrection by your names and the names of your fathers, so have good names." (Reported by Abu Dawud)

So after years of thinking about it, I decided to go ahead. I don't think its two-faced at all, unless one has two personalities. From the moment I chose that name, That's what I go by and that's what I present myself as when I meet someone new. My family knows about it, but of course they opt to call me by my birth name, which is fine too. After explaining where my name came from, they agreed that the name I chose suits me well I Also prefer to have a muslim identity because I AM muslim, and I like to be recognized as such, I mean my hijab and abaya is a give away, but still As I said , it took me a long while to decide, and when I finally took the name, many aspects of my personality changed as well for the better, I feel very different. When I am adressed by my birth name, it feels like they are calling a stranger actually, I can't relate to it.

To each his own, if the birth name means something good, keep it then.

- cOsMiC

Originally Posted by Scimitar

Welcome to the forum, Always Learning.

Thanks for the welcome, Scimi!

Originally Posted by cOsMiCiNtUiTiOn

It took me five years after I took my shahada to change my name. I changed it because my name meant nothing at all, and it was chosen from a soap >_>, Also, the prophet sallalahu Aleyhi wasallam said:



So after years of thinking about it, I decided to go ahead. I don't think its two-faced at all, unless one has two personalities. From the moment I chose that name, That's what I go by and that's what I present myself as when I meet someone new. My family knows about it, but of course they opt to call me by my birth name, which is fine too. After explaining where my name came from, they agreed that the name I chose suits me well I Also prefer to have a muslim identity because I AM muslim, and I like to be recognized as such, I mean my hijab and abaya is a give away, but still As I said , it took me a long while to decide, and when I finally took the name, many aspects of my personality changed as well for the better, I feel very different. When I am adressed by my birth name, it feels like they are calling a stranger actually, I can't relate to it.

To each his own, if the birth name means something good, keep it then.

- cOsMiC

Thanks for the thorough explanation! Do you mean you were named after a character from a soap opera originally? I'm trying to imagine a girl named Dial or Irish Spring...

No, I didn't change my name. I like it and the meaning of it too.

Originally Posted by Always Learning

Thanks for the thorough explanation! Do you mean you were named after a character from a soap opera originally? I'm trying to imagine a girl named Dial or Irish Spring...

lol i edited my post to be specific. loooooooool, not like dial rofl!!!

LOL and here I thought you were actually named after a soap!

Lol. Neutrogena. That seems like a girl's name.

Neutrogina doesn't sound too bad, perhaps it was named after a lady hehe.
But please don't give your kids ridiculous names

Originally Posted by aprender

lol. Neutrogena. That seems like a girl's name.

bwahahaaaaaaaa!!

Originally Posted by Hulk

Neutrogina doesn't sound too bad, perhaps it was named after a lady hehe.
But please don't give your kids ridiculous names

Do you know? there's a taxi driver in Jakarta named: Royal Jelly.

I legally changed my name 22 years after becoming a Muslim and 3 years after making a personal commitment to practice Islam. I had gone for years with on-again-off-again practicing of Islam until June 2001 when at 40 years old, I realized the certainty of my own mortality and that I would have to give an account for how I lived my life. This commitment did not mean an instantaneous change, but rather the start of a metamorphosis. Previously, I had acted (in all honesty) as if I didn't know whether I wanted to be a Muslim or not. My reasons for changing my name were primarily to be known by everyone that I was a Muslim and more importantly as a conscious decision of there-is-no-turning-back-now. It may sound foolish, but I gave up a birth name that I was proud of as a part of my personal identity to be known by a new name so that I would look like a complete idiot to have a Muslim name and not be a practicing Muslim. Now, being a Muslim is an essential part of my personal identity and I can't imagine not being one, ma shaa Allah. In shaa Allah, when I die it will be as a Muslim after having lived in some small way a life that is befitting of the blessed name I chose. I retained my Scottish family name, but everyone knows my first name is 'Mustafa' although family still calls me by my birth name.

You don't need to, and I personally think it's a bad idea. In a lot of cases it just seems fake to me, since there's really no such thing as an Islamic name... A lot of people just conflate Arabic things with Islamic things and take on Arabic names, thinking that it will make them more Muslim. As long as your name isn't something filthy, I see no reason to change it. Also consider the possible problems it could cause with family... If you were named after someone, like a grandfather, I'm sure changing your name would be like a slap to the face of your family. I know some mothers/fathers also don't take it well when their kids throw away the names they gave them, and I think they'd be right to be a little upset. In the end though, a name change is your choice, it just shouldn't be done because you think Islam encourages it.