Q402 :My 13-year-old daughter’s name, Julisha, has
been criticized by our neighbors as being a Christian name. This has
caused her much worry. Is it essential to change it according to
Islam?
A402 : The Prophet did not change the name of any of
his netpanions unless there was a very good reason for such a change.
Generally speaking, the change was caused either by the name being
symbolic of beliefs which are contrary to Islam or its having a very
bad meaning. For example, if a netpanion of the Prophet was called
Abduluzza, which meant that he was servant of the well known idol
called Aluzza, the Prophet changed that name to Abdullah or
Abdurrahman, which meant that the person concerned was a servant of
Allah or a servant of the Merciful, who is Allah. I am not sure that
the name “Julisha” has any strong association with the Christian faith,
unless it is so in your part of the world. The name “Julia” is a well
known Christian name, but not “Julisha”. Besides, is it a name so
identifiable with Christianity, to the extent that the person who hears
it would immediately say that the holder is a Christian girl?
Apparently not, because if it was, you would have not given it to your
daughter. On the other hand, is it a netmon name in your part of the
world? If so, then it could be used by followers of different
religions. In this case, you certainly need not change it. You should
be guided in this respect by the Prophet’s action, which shows that a
change of name is needed when the name indicates or promotes beliefs
other than those of Islam.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )