Changing surname (family name) to husband’s name after marriage is Prohibited in Islam

The following is the Fatwa of Standing committee (IFTA): Shiekh Abdulaziz Ibn Baaz and Shiekh Ibn Al-Uthaimeen. 

Changing surname (family name) to husband’s name after marriage is Prohibited in Islam 

May 19, 2013 | Filed under: Fatawas of Scholars,Featured,Q&A Section

It is a common act seen across many cultures that women change their surname from father's to their husband’s surname after marriage. This is widely practiced throughout the world and Muslims have also adopted it. But, how many of you are aware that it is Haraam for a woman (after marriage to change her surname from her father to that of her husband? Example, before marriage she was “Fatima maqsood Ali” and after marriage to Sajid Siddique, she changes to “Fatima Sajid Siddique” or just “Fatima Sajid”.

This is haraam. It is not permissible for a woman to take her husband’s name or his family name because that is attributing oneself to someone other than one’s father, and imitating the kuffaar from whom this custom was adopted.

There are some very stern warnings regarding this from Allah and his Prophet (pbuh). Read below: 

“( ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﻨﺒﻲ ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠّﻢ : ﻣَﻦْ ﺍﻧْﺘَﺴَﺐَ ﺇِﻟَﻰ ﻏَﻴْﺮِ ﺃَﺑِﻴﻪِ .. ﻓَﻌَﻠَﻴْﻪِ

ﻟَﻌْﻨَﺔُ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﻭَﺍﻟْﻤَﻼﺋِﻜَﺔِ ﻭَﺍﻟﻨَّﺎﺱِ ﺃَﺟْﻤَﻌِﻴﻦَ ( ﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﺍﺑﻦ ﻣﺎﺟﺔ 2599 ﻭﻫﻮ ﻓﻲ

ﺻﺤﻴﺢ ﺍﻟﺠﺎﻣﻊ 6104 ″

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever calls himself by other than his father’s name (or attributes himself to someone other than his father), will be cursed by Allaah, the angels and all the people.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 2599)

ﺭﻭﻯ ﺍﻟﺒﺨﺎﺭﻱ (3508 ) ﻭﻣﺴﻠﻢ ( 61 ) ﻋَﻦْ ﺃَﺑِﻲ ﺫَﺭٍّ ﺭَﺿِﻲَ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻋَﻨْﻪُ ﺃَﻧَّﻪُ

ﺳَﻤِﻊَ ﺍﻟﻨَّﺒِﻲَّ ﺻَﻠَّﻰ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻪِ ﻭَﺳَﻠَّﻢَ ﻳَﻘُﻮﻝُ : ﻟَﻴْﺲَ ﻣِﻦْ ﺭَﺟُﻞٍ ﺍﺩَّﻋَﻰ ﻟِﻐَﻴْﺮِ ﺃَﺑِﻴﻪِ

ﻭَﻫُﻮَ ﻳَﻌْﻠَﻤُﻪُ ﺇِﻟَّﺎ ﻛَﻔَﺮَ ﻭَﻣَﻦْ ﺍﺩَّﻋَﻰ ﻗَﻮْﻣًﺎ ﻟَﻴْﺲَ ﻟَﻪُ ﻓِﻴﻬِﻢْ ﻓَﻠْﻴَﺘَﺒَﻮَّﺃْ ﻣَﻘْﻌَﺪَﻩُ ﻣِﻦْ ﺍﻟﻨَّﺎﺭِ

Narrated from Abu Dharr (ra) that he heard the Prophet (pbuh) say: “Any man who knowingly attributes himself to someone other than his father is guilty of kufr. Whoever claims to belong to a people when he has nothing to do with them, let him take his place in Hell.” [Bukhari 3508 and Muslim 61]

It was narrated that Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas and Abu Bakrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) said: “Whoever claims after having become Muslim to belong to someone who is not his father, knowing that he is not his father, Paradise will be forbidden to him.” [Bukhaari 4072 and Muslim 63]

What else needs to be said in this matter when clear commands of prophet (pbuh) are present? Besides this, the Salaf-us-saliheen have also sternly warned against this. 

It is not permitted for anyone to claim to belong to anyone other than his father. Imitating the kuffaar by dropping the wife’s surname and giving her the husband’s name is haraam; it is also a form of falsehood, and humiliation of the woman. There is no blood tie between the husband and wife, so how can she take his surname as if she is part of the same lineage?

Moreover, she may get divorced, or her husband may die, and she may marry another man. Will she keep changing her surname every time she marries another man? Furthermore, there are rulings attached to her being named after her father, which have to do with inheritance, spending and who is a mahram, etc. Taking her husband’s surname overlooks all that.

The husband is named after his own father, and what does she have to do with the lineage of her husband’s father? This goes against common sense and true facts. The husband has nothing that makes him better than his wife so that she should take his surname, whilst he takes his father’s name.

In many cases it has been seen that the woman is not ready to change the surname and the husband forces her to do so. Who doesn't love his or her own name given to us by our father?