🏡 Rights & responsibilities · #63

May a wife use her husband's name, for example being called "Mrs Ahmad" or changing her surname?

Courtesy titles such as "Mrs Ahmad" or "Ahmad's wife" are permitted as titles; what is forbidden is changing lineage so that a person is attributed to someone other than her father.
The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever claims to be the child of someone other than his father, knowingly, Paradise is forbidden to him (Sahih al-Bukhari 6766), and Allah commands calling people by their fathers' names (al-Ahzab 33:5). So a Muslim woman's official name in Malaysia remains "binti" her father, which also protects her identity after divorce or death. A social title showing a marriage is not a change of lineage, just as the Prophet's ﷺ wives were known as his wives. For women living abroad where taking the husband's surname is the norm, it can be discussed with local scholars without denying one's true lineage. See Custody & lineage.

Sources

Sahih al-Bukhari 6766Surah al-Ahzab 33:5Sahih al-Bukhari 3508

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This answer is general reference, not a fatwa. For your situation, consult the religious affairs office, a Syarie lawyer or your state Syariah Court.

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