Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Good Muslim Names by James Gunaseelan

Like Shaadi or marriage, giving a child a good Muslim name is considered to be just as important. Arabic names construct the basis of several Muslim names. A number of these names have relevance taken from the Islamic understanding of the God of Abraham. Given and family names drawn from the 99 names of God employed in Islam are quite widespread among Muslims from several nationalities.

There is a logical structure to Arab naming, usually employed in the Middle East, which makes it possible to comprehend an individual's recent ancestry. A whole name shows a person's given name, his father's name and his grandfather's name, in addition to the family name. Muhammad is one of the most popular Muslim names. There may also be variations in a Muslim name. For instance, variations for Muhammad include Mahmoud and Ahmed.

So you have experienced a wonderful Shaadi or lavish marriage, now is the time to think of a good Muslim name for your baby. When thinking of a name, there are many themes you can go with. For instance, if you want a strong name, you can choose Jabbar (fboy), which means mighty king, or Amira (girl), which means ruler. If you want something that stands for beauty, you can go for Nadhiyah (girl) or Husain (boy). For a name that stands for wisdom and intelligence, you may choose Rashida (girl), which means intelligence, or Rashad (boy), which means wisdom. Or how about choosing a theme that has to do with love? For girls, Rafiqa stands for sweetheart and for boys, Habib stands for beloved. There are many more names that have popular symbols attached to them, describing one as good-natured, kind, happy, honest, generous or noble.

Giving A Muslim Baby A Non-Arabic Name
As with Shaadi and other eventful occasions, naming a Muslim child is often carefully thought-out and made to have Islamic relevance. In Islam, Muslims are able to give their baby a non-Arabic name if they wanted. However, Islam does have a guideline for parents on choosing the appropriate Muslim names for their children. It is generally pointed out that a Muslim baby be given a good name. This could mean naming a child with the main purpose of reflecting one's Islamic identity.

Names For Sunni Muslims
One of the things that may be used to tell Sunni Muslims from Shiite Muslims is the name. However, this is only a general difference and Muslims around the world utilize some common names to give their babies, like Mohammad or Ahmad. Some names may have a sectarian indication and, if employed, establish almost certainly whether an individual is a Sunni or a Shiite. Such indication among Sunni Muslims include names like Omar and Othman. For Muslim women, name differences between Sunnis and Shiites are not as strong.

Using Muslim name online directories as well as some marriage websites may be able to help you find a name that you'll feel is right for your baby. Gather a handful of names you fancy and try to say each one out loud just to test if you really do like it. If you are having trouble deciding, you can simply give your baby a name taken from the previous generation of your family.

About the Author
James Gunaseelan writes in-depth and highly relevant articles about Muslim names. His articles will surely help you in deciding for the best name you can bestow upon your child.

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