Can a Muslim Woman Take Her Husband's First Name as Her Surname After Marriage

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In my country if a woman gets married and changes her surname, she uses her husband's first name instead of his last name e.g let say her name was Aisha Amir and she marries Abdullah Bello, she will be called Aisha Abdullah instead of Aisha Bello. The same goes for the children, I am currently bearing my fathers first name as my surname and my father bears his father's first name as his surname. Should I change it to his last name or should I leave it, what do I do in this situation

Mufti Tosif Qasmi · Accepted Answer

This matter is essentially about identification and social custom; it is not a religious issue that violates any Islamic ruling. In Islam, the key principle is that a person should maintain their attribution to their real father and not deny it.

Therefore, if you are identified by your father’s name—even if his first name is being used as a surname—this is completely correct and permissible. Likewise, in societies where a woman adopts her husband’s name for identification after marriage, this is also allowed and there is no harm in it.

The prohibition mentioned in hadith refers to someone denying their real father and attributing themselves to another person as their father, not to using a name for identification purposes.

So, you may keep your current name as it is; there is no need to change it. And if a woman uses her husband’s name for identification, that is also permissible.

Can a Muslim Woman Take Her Husband's First Name as Her Surname After Marriage

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