Muslim Women changing surname after marriage

[yas2010]

Salaam/Peace

I know of many muslim women within my small community who have changed their surnames to that of their husbands after marriage. When i married many years ago, my surname remained the same.

Is there and guidance in light of Qu'ran or hadith on this?

Waslaam

[Salahudeen]

I heard in a lecture once that she shouldn't change the name her father gave her but I can't remember if he gave any evidence or not. Found this below.


i was just browsing this site and I came across ur answer to the question 2537 which deals with changing surnames of womens.. as u said it is haraam... can u plz gimme a refrence from quran on that or a hadith if possilbe..?

Praise be to Allaah.

It seems that what is meant in the question is a woman changing her family name to that of her husband after she gets married. This is haraam and is not allowed in sharee’ah, because it is not permissible for anyone to claim to belong to anyone other than his or her father. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers, that is more just with Allaah…” [al-Ahzaab 33:5]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has cursed the one who claims to belong to someone other than his father.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and others). And Allaah knows best.

http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/4362/...ter%20marriage

[yas2010]

Salaam Br

Thank you so much for finding this for me its very helpful. :)

May Allah (swt) reward you for all your efforts.

Waslaam/Peace.

[ardianto]

How could my wife, my mother, my sisters, my female relatives, and my female friends change their surnames into their husband's surnames if they and their husbands do not have surnames ?. :D

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[Reflections]

AsSalaamu 3alaykum,

There is a difference in opinion regarding this, if you're married and have kids, it makes it a little harder with having a different surname to your spouse especially when it comes to giving details etc. However the fatwa given here says:

Bismillah

Al-jawab billahi at-taufeeq (the answer with Allah's guidance)



A married woman may maintain her maiden name or she may adopt her husband’s surname. Shariah does not prohibit that. On the day of Qiyamah, one will not be called by his/her surname. Thus, the change of a woman's surname to that of the husband's surname does not matter.



And Only Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Source: http://www.muftisays.com/qa/question...-marriage.html

[Perseveranze]

One of the reasons people preferred Son's instead of daughters was because the son's carry the family name. Islam came and changed that.

[ardianto]

There are more than 300 ethnics in Indonesia which only several of them have family name. So, around, or more than 90% of Indonesian people do not have family name. Me too.

[Perseveranze]

There are more than 300 ethnics in Indonesia which only several of them have family name. So, around, or more than 90% of Indonesian people do not have family name. Me too.

I'm not sure about the boy, but the girl is suppose to be called after her fathers name, not husbands. Shame culture's taken over.

[Who Am I?]

I don't know about Eastern cultures, but in Western cultures, most surnames developed out of an occupation. Originally only the nobility had proper family names, but the commoners generally didn't have last names. They were just known by their occupations: "Bob the Smith, Jim the Farmer" etc. Generally in those days, the families stayed in the same line of work. Whatever your father did for a living, that's what you did. Eventually the occupations became proper last names, which is why there are so many "Smiths" in the UK and USA, because every village had a blacksmith.

Today's history nerd moment brought to you by King of Nines.

[Futuwwa]

Here, most surnames were determined from the geographic features close to the farm where the family lived. When centralized population recording was introduced in 1918, every communal parish had to submit its records to the government, and everyone had to get a surname. If the farm of the family didn't have any common name, or the family was landless, the priest would simply make up something.

[Muhaba]

in this world ppl are called by their father's names. on the Day Judgment, ppl will be called by their mother's names. shows Allah's Justice.

one reason why ppl should be called by the father's name in this world is because it makes things easier when a man has more than one wife and each of his wives has children, so while the mothers are different the father is the same so it's better to call them by their father's name so everyone knows all the children are related. since a man can have more than one wife at a time and in the past that was the norm, so this tradition seems more reasonable.

as for a woman taking her husband's name i don't know if it's allowed or not, but i think it isn't haram, since women always used tob be called by their husband's name and now they are called Mrs. somebody, which means the wife of somebody. it is only a way to know who the person is, since in a community esp an islamic one, everyone would know the man but not necessarily the woman, since she's mostly inclined to her house and even wears hijab when leaving the house. so when a woman is either called by her husband's name or her father's name, since the ppl know who the man is, they will recognize the woman as well.

in the Quran, several women have been called by their father's names or husband's names. like Maryam alaihi Assalam was called by her father's name, Maryam Bint Imran, Maryam the daughter of Imran. her mother was called as the wife of Imran or a woman of Imran. the wife of Pharoah was mentioined as the wife of pharoah and the wife of Abu Lahab was also mentioned as the wife of Abu Lahab. see Surah Ali-Imran, Surah TAhrim, and Surah Lahab where these were mentioned.

[Who Am I?]

:sl:

I know also that some tribal societies were/are matrilineal. Some of the native peoples of North America and some tribes in India track lineage and property through the mother and not the father.

[Futuwwa]

For professional reasons, it'd be disadvantageous for me to change my surname. I would however be fine with my wife keeping her own, and letting our kids take her surname.

[☆•♥°ąყ℮Տիმ°♥•☆]

:sl:

I have had a Fatwa from a Scholar regarding this very issue.
There is a difference of opinion but i feel this answers the question in detail.

Qouted

Answer: Dear questioner:

Al-Salâm `Alaykum wa Rahmah Allah wa Barakâtuh.

There cannot possibly be a hadîth that curses someone for changing his or her "surname". This is because the very idea of a "surname" is something that came much later in history. There were no last names at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and for centuries later

The names like "al-Shâfi`î"or "al-Bukhârî" "al-Samarqnadî" and the like may seem to us like surnames. However, in truth they were added on to a person's name as en extra identifying term. Sometimes they indicated a person's tribe or clan. But more often they indicated his country, region, town of origin, or profession. Such names were not necessarily passed down from generation to generation.

As for the person's name, it was given as so-and-so the son of so-and-so the son of so-and-so…

This does not mean we should adopt this system today. Especially since tacking on such attributes will be misunderstood in a modern context. What matters is that we attribute ourselves to our true lineage according to the customs in the country which are understood in that country. The important thing is that the child is properly attributed to his or her father’s family. You should follow the local custom in this matter.

The surname is how lineage is indicated today. Therefore, you should keep your father's name if you were born in wedlock or if your father otherwise claimed paternity. Otherwise, you should retain your mother's family name.

In any event, if you have already legally changed your name, it is not necessary to go back and change it back again on paper. keep your name as it is if you like. What matters, however, is that you do not deny your true lineage or deny your parentage. The worst thing is to deny your parentage or lie about it and claim to be the child of someone you are not. You cannot deny the biological fact of your lineage through which Allah created you.


The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever attributes his lineage to other than his father or claims other than his master as his master, then he has upon him the curse of Allah, His angels, and all humanity.” [Sunan Abî Dâwûd (5115) from Anas and Sunan Ibn Mâjah (2609) from Sa`îd b. Jubayr – the wording is that of Ibn Mâjah]


The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever claims as his father other than his father knowingly, then Paradise is forbidden him.” [Sunan Abî Dâwûd (5113)]

As for the mere customary use of a name on official paperwork, this is not really that important, especially if changing your name all over again will cause you administrative difficulties or emotional pain.

And Allah knows best.

Fatwâ Department Research Committee of IslamToday Chaired by Sheikh `Abd al-Wahhâb al-Turayrî

Basically you must never deny your lineage... names can be changed or adopted, but never deny your biological father and mother.

If you dont wish to change your name.. then dont.
If it is a custom/tradition to take the husbands surname... then this is your choice.

:wa:

[Insaanah]

:sl:

It is one of the origins of this practice of changing names that I don't like. Historically, in many cultures, women were seen as the property of man. After leaving their father's house, their taking the husband's name signified that they were now not only married to, but also the property of xyz person. Pretty much like the slave trade, such as the Palmers and Williams for example, amongst Afro Caribbeans. At the time of the slave trade, the Afro Caribbeans were forced to forsake their own names. They became the property of the plantation owner (who might be called Mr Williams or Thomas Palmer etc) and thus had to take his name, so all would know whose plantation they belonged and who their owner was. This was the beginning of the erosion of their cultural and personal identity. I read this a while ago but no longer remember the source, I'm afraid.

Whilst those connotations may have long gone now, I love the idea of a woman defining herself and calling herself by her lineage, her father, regardless of if and who she is married to. And I think this is closer to the sunnah. The prophet's :saws: wives apart from being called ummahaatul mu'mineen and azwaaj mutahharaat, individully were still known as their father's daughters, e.g. Safiyya bint Huyayy, Zaynab bint Jahsh etc radiallahu anhunna, as were the daughters of companions, e.g. Asmaa bint Abi Bakr. They maintained their own distinct personal identity. Muslim women have been blessed in that regard (as well as all others).

And Allah knows best in all matters.

:sl:

[Salahudeen]

edit...........

[ardianto]

There is difference between changing the name and have another name.

If a woman change her name in ID card, passports, and other documents and request legitimation from government, it's called changing the name.

If a married woman use her husband name in association with community but still retaining her birth name in official business, doesn't change her name in ID card or other documents, this is not changing the name but have another name.

I don't think the second is haram.

[Marina-Aisha]

i havent read the whole thre`d but i was just wondering if u could use both i.e marina antonia emiola(my partners name) joannou(my dads name)?

[- Qatada -]

marina, keep your dads name as your last name. That's better

[Marina-Aisha]

but wot im saying is i can use emiola in the middle?and have my dad name as the last name

[- Qatada -]

Yeh that might be okay.. The main thing is people can recognise that you are your dads daughter.

[Marina-Aisha]

Oh okay cool thanx

[Sothis Girl]

It seems that what is meant in the question is a woman changing her family name to that of her husband after she gets married. This is haraam and is not allowed in sharee’ah, because it is not permissible for anyone to claim to belong to anyone other than his or her father.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers, that is more just with Allaah…” [al-Ahzaab 33:5]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has cursed the one who claims to belong to someone other than his father.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and others). And Allaah knows best.

No no no no no, I think there's misunderstanding on this. What is haraam :
1. A woman had adultery with a man, get pregnant from him, but then admitting that her baby is her husband's child. And hence the child is named after her husband's family name.
2. A family adopted a child, and then naming the child with their family name.

The hadiths refering to these two, NOT woman's surname after marriage.

Qur;an or hadith, as far as I know, never discussed whether woman should change her surname to her husband's. It's common in Islamic world that a muslim woman keeps her maiden name even when she's married.

[OriginalSonnet]

Does lying about your background/ethnicity to people when you were in your early-ish teens because you had been critisized or told racist things because people didnt know what your background was or because you were lonely and wanted to be accepted by someone count as denying your lineage because In the past I have done this and I always avoid explaining my background because I am mixed and was critisized by other kids when they first met me when I was younger - as early as the age of like 2/3 in pre school - there were a lot of levels in my school before pre-school (5yrs old) level so I was very self concious and really felt that i did not fit in wherever I went. I also faced a lot of hate and rude first meetings from a lot of people in that age of my life (13/14/15) who met me and immediately judged me.... I might have done the same at times but It was because that was the only kind of people I was around that I has to sit in class with everyday so being in that environment all of the time really upset me deep down silently and my anger and rudeness seemed to creep out sporadically. So please tell me if lying about your ethnicity counts and if so how is the best way to seek forgiveness because I feel really bad about it even to this day i catch myself lying sometimes so i still avoid telling people. I know what my bad habbits are currently, Im working on that - bout about the lying - any advice would help - I have like 90% or 95 or 99 % stopped lying all together completely.

[CosmicPathos]

women are not property of their husbands, in Islam. They must retain the name they got by being daughters of their fathers.

[CosmicPathos]

No no no no no, I think there's misunderstanding on this. What is haraam :
1. A woman had adultery with a man, get pregnant from him, but then admitting that her baby is her husband's child. And hence the child is named after her husband's family name.
2. A family adopted a child, and then naming the child with their family name.

The hadiths refering to these two, NOT woman's surname after marriage.

Qur;an or hadith, as far as I know, never discussed whether woman should change her surname to her husband's. It's common in Islamic world that a muslim woman keeps her maiden name even when she's married.

do you know more than scholars? Where is Prophet pbuh talking about adultery in that hadith? Nowhere.

[Sothis Girl]

do you know more than scholars? Where is Prophet pbuh talking about adultery in that hadith? Nowhere.

That hadith indeed doesn't talk about adultery, but a nasab falsification. I just give 2 examples of nasab falsification to explain this. Changing a wife's surname after marriage cannot never be equalized with nasab falsification. Here's another hadith explained this :

A marfu hadith from Sa'ad from Abu Ba'ar, the Prophet pbuh stated :

Whoever claims to descent (claim a father's name) to which is not his/her father, while s/he herself knows, then heaven for him/her is illegitimate '. (Narrated by Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)

and another one :

"Any woman who entered the descendants of people who were not in group a people into it, she's not going to get something else from God Almighty, and God Almighty will not let her enter into His heaven. And anyone who denied his/her own child (descendant) while s/he consciously knows it (that the child belongs to him/her), then Allah will open his secrets and reveal his scandals to all people who live earlier and latter" (narrated by Abu Daud dan Ad-Darimi)

[karimium]

this is largely a western practice. There's no need to do this as there is no legal requirement todo so under marriage laws, so why bother?

Even from a non-Islamic point of view, you had your name all your life. Why change it to something different?