Question Summary:
Should one name his child as Asiyah?

Question Detail:

We hope you are in the best of health and Imaan. There is a hadith which states that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) changed the name of a woman from Asiyah to Jameelah. We intend to potentially use the name Asiyah for our newborn inshaAllah. Can you please shed more light on the above Hadith and explain the permissibility of using such a name?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

You refer to the following hadith:[1]

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: غَيَّرَ اسْمَ عَاصِيَةَ، وَقَالَ: أَنْتِ جَمِيلَةٌ

Translation: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) changed the name Asiyah (disobedient) to 'Jamilah' (beautiful)."

In another hadith we observe that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam stated:[2]

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " كَمَلَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ كَثِيرٌ، وَلَمْ يَكْمُلْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ: إِلَّا آسِيَةُ امْرَأَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ، وَمَرْيَمُ بِنْتُ عِمْرَانَ، وَإِنَّ فَضْلَ عَائِشَةَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ كَفَضْلِ الثَّرِيدِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الطَّعَامِ "

Translation: There are many persons amongst men who are quite perfect but there are none perfect amongst women except Maryam, daughter of 'Imran, Asiyah wife of Pharaoh, and the (superiority) of `Aisha to other women is like the superiority of Tharid to other kinds of food. Bukhari / Hadith 3411

Take note that:

It is permissible to name آسِيَةُ and not عَاصِيَةَ. In English both have similar pronunciations.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Muhammad Yaasir Yunus Hussen

Student Darul Iftaa
Mozambique 

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

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[1] سنن أبي داود (4/ 288)

[2] صحيح البخاري (4/ 158)