Taking The Husband's Name After Marriage - Not Based on Shareeah

In our eagerness to copy the West, we Muslims have
adopted many of their practices which have no basis
inthe Sharee’ah. And among them is the practice of a
woman changing her family name to that of her
husband after she gets married.
The fact is that Islam does not require woman to change her name at marriage and there is nothing in
the Sunnah to indicate that a womanshould take her
husband’s name after she gets married.
Actually, the Ulama tell us that this isan innovated
practice that is not approved of in Islaam.
Now, I know some people will say…“Oh, come on… What is the big deal?!!”
So read on and you will know what I mean….
The wives of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
Sallam) are the Mothers of the Believers, and the
Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), is the
noblest of people and the best example. And yet when we look at their example, we will realize that
when the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam)
married any of his wives, NOT ONE of them took his
name. On the contrary, each one of them kept her
father’s name even if her father was a kaafir.
Similarly, the wives of the Sahaabah and those who came after them did not change their names.
Did you ever think why they didn’t dothat?
Surely, if it was a good thing, the wives of the Prophet
(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) would have done it
and the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) would
himself have instructed it and encouraged them to do it.
That is because it is Allaah’s order to keep your
father’s name as an indication of your lineage.
“Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their
fathers, that is more just with Allaah…” [al-Ahzaab
33:5]. And the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
" Whoever calls himself by other than his father’s
name, will be cursed by Allaah, the angels and all the
people." (Ibn Maajah -Saheeh by al-Albaani).
And he (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) also said:
“Whoever knowingly claims to belong to anyone other than his father, Paradise will be denied him.” (Ahmad,
al-Bukhaari, Muslim).
Now some might argue….“But the woman is not
claiming that her father is someone else. She is just
honoring her husband or she doesn’t mean it that way.
She just wants to belong to her husband out of love forhim.”
To those people I say….
If it was a matter of honor to have the husbands name
attached to the wife’s, wouldn’t our Ummahaat
havedone that??
Isn’t it the biggest honor in the WORLD to have the name of the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam)
attached to yours?? And yet the wives of the Prophet
(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) didn’t do that.
Ever wonder why??
And if it was a matter of expressing love for the
husband, no relationship between a husband and wife on the face of this earth was better than
therelationship between the Prophet(Sal Allaahu
Alaiyhi wa Sallam) and his wives. And yet none of the
Mothers of the Believers expressed their love for the
Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) by changing
their last names. It doesn’t make any sense
The last name is an indication of the father of the
person and represents the person’s lineage.
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd said: “This is one of the
beauties of Sharee’ah, because calling a person by
his father’s name is more appropriate for knowing who is who and telling people apart…..” (Tasmiyat al-
Mawlood, 30, 31).
Originally, the woman is ‘the Daughter of So and so’,
and NOT ‘the wife of So and so’. Since there is no
blood relationship between the husband and wife, how
can she take his last name as if she is part of the same lineage?
And surely, she is not claiming that he is her father!!!!
Also what happens if she gets divorced, or her
husband dies, and she marries another man? Will she
keep changing her surname every time she marries
another man? In addition to this, there are rulings attached to the
woman being namedafter her father, which have to do
with her inheritance, spending and who is her
mahram, etc. Taking her husband’s last name
overlooks all that.
Also, if you think about it, the husband is named after his own father, and what does she have to dowith the
lineage of her husband’s father? This goes against
common sense and true facts.
Besides, the husband has nothing that makes him
better than his wife’s father. So why should she
giveup her father’s name and take her husband’s last name??
And why does the man get to keep his father’s name
and not the woman??!!
It just doesn’t make any sense.
Sheikh Salih Al-Munajjid says:
“A woman changing her family nameto that of her husband after she gets married 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
orher father…… And Allaah knows best.”
Not only is it so in this world, but, wewill also be
called by our father‘s name in the Hereafter as well. The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
“On the Day of Resurrection, each betrayer will have a
banner raised beside him, and it will be said, this is
the betrayer of So and so, the son of So and
so.” (Bukhaari, Muslim).
So, all you single females out there, don’t be in such a hurry to change your maiden name after you get
married. And those of you who have already done
that, it is never too late. Take back your maiden name
and reclaim your identity. It is part of the Sharee’ah. ★ ★ Feel free to SHARE IT !! Surely, ﺍﻟﻠﻪ Will Grant you The Reward For Spreading Righteousness