Can I Keep the Name Jahanara Noor for My Daughter?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Is the name “Jahanara Noor” good? Is its meaning good and halal? Can I keep this name for a girl?

Answer

Thank you for your question. This name is an Urdu and Persian name and was the name of the daughter of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

Prohibited Names

Ibn al-Qayyim mentions in his Tuhfat al-Mawdud: “Every name that implies a claim that is not true for the named and cannot be fulfilled at all, like “King of Kings” (Shahan Shah). Abu Hurayra narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The vilest name in Allah’s sight is Malik al-Amlak (King of Kings). The narration transmitted on the authority of Shayba (contains these words): There is no king but Allah, the Exalted and Glorious. Sufyan said: ‘Similarly, the word Shahinshah (is also the vilest appellation).’ Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said: ‘I asked Abu ‘Amr about the meaning of “Akhna‘.” He said: ‘The vilest.’” [Muslim]

[How Can Fathers Choose the Best Names for Their Children?]

Jahanara means light of the world or adorner/decorator of the world, which seems to fall into the above category due to the element of self-glorification.

Recommended Names

Also, in the Tuhfa, the best names are “Names of great and righteous people, scholars, and practicing scholars, especially the names of the noble Companions, then those who follow them from the Predecessors and great figures of the nation. Mughira Ibn Shu‘ba (Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: ‘You read ‘O sister of Harun’ (i.e. Sayyida Maryam) in the Quran, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), I asked him about that, whereupon he said: The (people of the old age) used to give names (to their persons) after the names of Apostles and pious persons who had gone before them.” [Muslim] [s. The best names are] Every name that is good in structure and meaning, both linguistically and according to Sacred Law. [Nawawi, al-Adhkar]

[How Can Fathers Choose the Best Names for Their Children?]

In light of the above, I don’t recommend this name, rather, find an Arabic name from the Quran, Hadith or Sira literature so that your daughter will be easily recognized as a Muslim woman.

Please see these links as well:

• Can You Give Me Guidance on These Baby Girl Names?
• What is the proper naming of a child?
• Naming our daughter Emaan

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.