Can I Change My Family Name to an Old One?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I have been told by my father that my current family name was changed by one of my great-grandfathers. My question is, am I allowed to change it to the one it was before that, and is it recommended?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
As you mentioned, your family name was changed by one of your great-grandfathers, and you want to change it to the previous one. This would be fine as long as you consult and inform everyone, especially your parents, about the change and the reason for it.
The prohibition is when changing entails ascribing one’s lineage to other than one’s biological father, as changing one’s lineage is sinful. In fact, one of the purposes that the Sacred Law came to preserve is lineage. [Nahlawi, al-Durar Mubaha]
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction, in sha’ Allah.
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
