Naming in the conduct of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and its role in building culture and identity

One of the fundamental policies of the Prophet in the field of education and establishing an ideal society based on religious teachings is the issue of ‘naming’. In order to build culture and identity, along with the Qur’anic commands, the Messenger of Allah aimed – in all relevant areas such as selecting beautiful names for children, refining and changing adults’ names, nicknaming, reforming and transforming tribal names and names of places and so forth – to remove pre-Islamic (Jahiliyah) elements from the naming culture, and to improve vitality and development in the community through the selection of honorable names consistent with the religious culture. In addition, he avoided reprehensible names and favored the selection of beautiful names even for his own personal property. Thus, the Prophet made the choosing of gracious and honorable names for all phenomena (persons and items) part of the public demand and the dominant culture.