Can I Name My Child Arham?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Can I name my child “Arham”?

Answer

Thank you for your question. May Allah bless you with a healthy and God-fearing child, and may He be the coolness of your eyes and pleasing to Allah Most High.

The word Arham (أرحم) is famously known for describing Allah Most High. The often-used phrase is “Arham ar-Rahimeen” (The Most Merciful of the Merciful). Arham is a comparative noun, meaning “more merciful than another,” and it can be used as a superlative as well: The Most Merciful.

As such, I don’t recommend that you name your son the Most Merciful or More Merciful, as that meaning is exclusive to Allah. But there are many names on the same Arabic pattern that Muslims commonly use. Examples are Amjad, Ahsan, Ayman, Akram, Ahmad, Arshad, Aslam, Ashfaq, Altaf, etc.

Please see these links as well:
Best Names to Name a Child
What is the proper naming of a child?

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

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.