Can We Give to Our Baby His Grandfather’s Name as a Surname?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: As salam alaykum,

My husband and his family including his mom all have his father’s name as a surname.

But there is this hadith: “He who knowingly attributed his fatherhood to someone other than his real father will be excluded from paradise.”
That seems like Ali would not be appropriate surname for our baby girl because it is his father’s name not my husband’s. Please could you make this clear for us?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray that this message finds you well, insha’Allah.

The interdiction is with respect to changing or denying one’s lineage. As for merely choosing a name, without such denial, this is permitted and the matter is expansive.

Please see: Can a Man Change His Last Name? and: Is it Necessary to Change One’s Name after Becoming Muslim?

And Allah alone knows best.

wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani