Muslim Women changing surname after marriage

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

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.

format_quote Originally Posted by 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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