Q. When my son was born, I wanted to call him Ali, but my husband’s family consulted a religious scholar in Karachi who said that it was not a good name for him. He did so on the basis of information supplied to him, including the child’s parents’ names and dates of birth. He said also that he consulted the Qur’an, and that Ali does not have a meaning. He advised my family to call my child Imran, Please comment.
S. Jamal
A. What this religious scholar told you is nonsense. To start with, the name Ali is a good name, because it is used after one of the Prophet’s best companions, Ali ibn Abi Talib, who also was the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law. It also means high or sublime. That the man asked for the parents’ names and dates of birth to come to a decision suggests that he resorts to practices of astrology, which is forbidden in Islam.
As for consulting the Qur’an, I do not know any way of doing so, other than to open the Qur’an at random and see if the page contains a name. This is done by some people, but it is not a proper Islamic way. If you want to change your son’s name to Ali, you may do so and trust that Ali is a very good name. However, you need to consider whether this is easily done according to the law in your country.
Arab News Islam 13 June 2003