What is the Ruling of Giving One’s Child Two Last Names?

Question: Assalam Alaykum, Is it permissible for a Muslim mom to give also her last name to her children so that the children have double last name: the last name of the father and the last name of the mother. Is it permissible in Islam to carry both your father’s and mother’s last name?

Answer: In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is not impermissible to give your child a double last name. This is because the only prohibition in this matter is that the lineage of the child not be altered. If the child’s name were (for example) ‘Abdullah Siraj the son of Zayd Siraj and was changed to ‘Abdullah son of Zubayr. This would be impermissible as this is deception in the lineage.

This is not the case with the modern concept of last names which are frequently family names and not the specific name of the child’s father as was the case in the past.

Hope this helps
Allahu A’alam

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a graduate from Tarim; a student of Habib Umar and other luminaries; and authorized teachers of the Qur’an and the Islamic sciences.