10 Facts about “Mohammed” the Most popular Name in Many Western Countries
Written by: Adnan Hmidan
10 facts about “Mohammed” the most popular name in many western countries like Britain and Belgium, surpassing their most historical and ancient names like George and Jean, whereas the name of “Mohammed” contests to be the third most popular name!
The most significant facts:
1- The spread of the Islamic presence in the western countries, alongside the love of Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, and his noble name.
2- Challenges in some western countries against this name’s bearers; they suffer especially when they deal with racist people or officials.
3- Exaggeration in the religious dimension understanding of the name according to some, and relating it to false texts like: “the best names are those of Mohammed and Abd”. Scholars say that this Hadith is fabricated and cannot be attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him.
4- We have not heard that the Venerable Companions in the Prophet Mohammed ‘peace be upon him‘ era were naming their newborn by his name, and we have not found any sort of that in his biography.
5- Naouaoui said in ‘Muslim’s Explanation’: Omar wrote to Kufa: do not name anybody by a prophet’s name, and ordered a group in the city to change their children names ‘Mohammed’ so they did tell him that the Prophet’ peace be upon him‘ himself has permitted them to name their children by his name so Omar let them.
The judge stated: the act of Omar is like edification of the Prophet’s name, peace be upon him, to not be violated as it is provided in Hadith: ” you name them Mohammed then you curse them- and it is said the reason of Omar’s inhibition was his hearing of a man saying to Mohammed Ibn Zaid Ibn El-Khattab: God did you that, yo Mohammed, so Omar called him saying: I see Prophet’s Mohammed, peace be upon him, is cursed with your name, I swear to Allah that no one will be called your name as long as I live, and he renamed him Abd El-Rahmen
6- There was a ban during the Prophet’s Mohammed life to combine his name and nickname and after his death that was permissible. This indicates what is narrated in Imam Ali ‘May Allah be pleased with him saying: I said, O Messenger of Allah, if a son is born for me after you, I will give him your name and your nickname, he replied ‘yes’. Narrated by El-Termidi ( Strong Hadith )
7- It is clear from the foregoing that this question falls within the permissible circle, not in Sunnah or obligation circle, therefore there is no differentiation of names in our religion as Muslims, but the core significance lies in the ethics, morals, and the right conduct in reality
8- iI is sad and painful to find the bearer of this honorable name is dogging it telling others that his name is Moe, or Modi, or other western conversions of names. In such a case, if their name is Samer or Rami it would be better and safer from the beginning.
9- As we teach our children for a time that is not ours, we have to name them with names suitable to those times and circumstances.
10- the core and most important thing more than the naming, no matter how venerable is, in my opinion: the good raising and proper care and upbringing of the son, or they will be far away from their name no in terms of character, nor in appearance.
What about westernizing names?
The call for reconsideration names with Mohammed, peace be upon him since it became a popular name does not mean westernizing the names and detaching from the real identity and melting the western atmosphere, so you see the Arab young man with purely Arabic traits holding a western weird name, but it comes along with the circumstances and environment of the child’s upbringing, thus we must choose an original Arabic name taking into account their surroundings, including:
- The easiness of spelling the names’ letters
- Avoid naming after political figures, because politics change always.
- Taking into consideration that the child will love and cherish their name in the future
What if the name is Mohammed?!
Being called Mohammed the most popular name in the western countries is a great honor that no Muslim can belittle, and if that occurs, we should teach our children to pride this name and to not abbreviate or modify it as if it is completely different from us.
What would we do when we are segregated due to this name?
We have not to remain silent and to forget the education and background of servility we used to be in, so we go the court, we do media campaigns to defend our rights and to collaborate with the free and honest men who refuse injustice and respect the human rights, we sign petitions and letters to those who present our voice in the Parliament.
Conclusion:
Is our presence in the west related to the mere naming of Mohammed peace be upon him over his majesty, and does the Islamic presence win, or more precisely: do Muslims benefit from the most popular name?!
Have the celebrating ones tried once to look for or question the sufferance of many young men bearing this name in several western countries especially the ones with high racism and Islamophobia? Many of them were obliged to change their names to Moe or Modi!
What about the rising of the extremist right-wing who makes use of these stories to fight Islam and Muslims in the west?!
Before misunderstanding me, I am not calling to the abandonment of this noble name, but to think for a while before naming it within the surrounding reality and circumstances, since who lives in France is unlike the one who is in Britain. Thus, we must avoid implicating our children with names that may make them suffer for long in particular areas in which they are destined to live in against their will.
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