Should I change my name?

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Kah

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Asalamualaikum,

So I'm Somali and I have a Somali name. In Somali my name means light or something like that. But in Arabic my name means somewhere along the lines of a sorcerer, soothsayer, fortune-teller, etc. My name is Kahin. كَاهِنْ And I heard in some lectures I watched in youtube they would say "a Kahin" when they are talking about like a sorcerer, or fortune-teller or something like that. And now I feel uncomfortable with my name. And some of the Quran school I went to as a teen, I was told my name has a bad meaning and I should change it. So I would like some advice, should I change my name?
 
Wa alaykum assalaam

Yes you should change your name. During the Prophet 'alayhissalaatu wassalaam's time they used to mock him and call him a kaahin, a sorcerer. Sorcery is one of the 10 nullifiers of Islam, it would be wrong to be named after such evils. Hope that helps in shaa Allah.
 
Wa alaikumus salaam

Definitely .... you should change it as soon as possible. Kaahin means a soothsayer , which is a forbidden and satanic profession.

Rasulullah Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam changed the name of a few Sahabah whose names had bad meanings.

Meanings have a definite effect on the person.

And Allâh knows best.
 
Thanks for the response. I guess I will try to have this conversation with my family. It will be quite weird as only one of my brothers and my mom a bit practice Islam. InshAllah it'll go well.
 
Salam brother. No you dont have to change your name because it is a Somalian name means completely a different thing than in Arabic. "Light" has indeed a nice meaning in Islam.
 
Strictly speaking there is no reason to change your name once you become a Muslim, or are born a Muslim - unless you discover that your name has a negative meaning... in your case, Kah, your name is definitely warranting a change.

May Allah make it easy for you and give you much benefit in your new name, Ameen.
 
There's going to be an Islamic conference where I live on the 26th-28th. I will ask the scholars there in sha Allah about this issue.
 
JazakAllah khair for all the advice, I'm leaning towards changing my name but I want to get conformation from the scholars in sha Allah.
 

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