AssalaamuAlaykum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuhu
I am in need of clarification and advice regarding Islam and the naming of your child.
I have just found out that I am pregnant with our first child SubhanAllah Alhamdulillah.
I am a Muslim by birth and my husband is a revert. His family at the moment is not Muslim (May Allah swt guide them)
I have looked into the rules regarding naming many times and understand key points such as the name you choose should be respectable, should not cause shirk (such as the name Rehmaan without Abd ul before it) etc
I also understand that while there are many Muslims who believe they should take Arabic names, this is more a matter of culture.
So the name Nuh and Noah are of equal blessing and one is not “more Muslim” than the other
(Please advise if this is incorrect)
My in-laws have mentioned that there is a tradition in their family for the first born son to have the name George as their middle name (or one of their middle names). This is something that is very important to them and this child will be their first grandchild.
I am struggling to find any resources that explain the origin of the name. I understand it is greek and means farmer or one who tends the earth.
And in that respect does not cause an issue in its meaning.
(I understand the Prophet pbuh advised a new Muslim to change their name from Zalzala as this means earthquake and from this we understand the meaning of the name should be something good and respectful)
I have read that St George was likely Palestinian/Arab decent and lived in Turkey in the timeline after the prophethood of Isa a.s and before that of Muhammad pbuh. It is understood that he was a Christian at the time but Christianity at the time was the belief in Isa a.s ‘s teachings – that there is no God but One God (Allah)
Please give some guidance on this matter. I of course want to raise a pious Muslim child and their first name will likely be a “textbook” Muslim name such as those of the Prophets.
But I worry about this tradition and if I cannot give the middle name George, the rift it may create between my In-laws (who have always been wonderfully accepting people MashaAllah) as well as any issue between them and their future grandchildren
I understand this may seem a trivial issue but I am wary of making any decision without advice and input from those who are more knowledgeable in Islam than me. Especially as for my In-Laws i strive to be a good example of Islam to InshaAllah bring them closer to Allah through my own actions and explanations.
Apologies for such a long post.
JazakAllah Khair for reading and being patient with me.
I highly await your response.
AssalaamuAlaykum
