Fatwa No : 89653
Including Grandfather’s Name as an Identifier

Including Grandfather’s Name as an Identifier

Assalamu Alaikum! I hope you are well. My question is: Is it permissible for a person, while naming their children, to use the grandfather’s name instead of the father’s name in the child’s full name (which is commonly done in our culture), and then, in forms or documents where there is a space for “Father’s Name,” to write the real father’s name? For example, if the child’s name is to be “Hamza” and the grandfather’s name is “Tariq,” can the child’s name be “Hamza Tariq,” while in the father’s name section of official forms, the actual father’s name is written? Is this permissible according to Shariah?

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

In the given scenario, if the child’s real identity and lineage from the father are well-known and established, and in all official forms and necessary documents the father’s name is entered in the “father’s name” section, it is permissible in Shariah to include the grandfather’s name as a secondary identifier alongside it.

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

کما فی القران المجید: ﴿ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ اللَّهِ﴾ (الاحزاب: 5)-