May a person adopt an additional name for a legitimate benefit?
2026-10-14
T220 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Complete source question and answer
Complete original question and answer, 26/310–311. This is the historical case of a soldier adopting a Turkish name. It does not endorse every possible name or title.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
وسئل عن رجل اسمه أبو بكر صار جنديا، وغير اسمه، وسمي روحه اسم المماليك، فهل عليه إثم؟
الجواب
إذا سمي اسمه باسم تركي لمصلحة له في ذلك، فلا إثم عليه، ويكون له اسمان، كما يكون له اسم من سماه به أبواه، ثم يلقبه الناس ببعض الألقاب، كفلان الدين.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
He was asked about a man named Abū Bakr who became a soldier, changed his name and called himself by a name used by the Mamluks. Does he incur sin?
Answer
If he adopts a Turkish name for a benefit he has in doing so, he incurs no sin. He has two names, just as someone has the name given to him by his parents and people then give him a title, such as one ending in ‘al-Dīn’.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 26/310–311
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic checked against the cited source and adjacent question boundaries. Diacritics and display marks omitted; honorific glyphs expanded. Titles and scope notes are editorial.