My name is just for me...
So that's my name...
My name is Sara...
The same is with your name... Its just for you, chosen for you...
I felt the beauty of this identity today, when someone told me that he was advised to change his name in order to have more chances in this life, as his name is related to Islam, and that exposes him to be descriminated against in a lot of fields in this life, whether studies, or work, etc...
One should know that, unlike in English, almost every Muslim name has a particular meaning, which is known. Names are not arbitrary or nonsense. Children usually receive their names from a local religious master or leader, and it is conveyed on the seventh day following birth, when a special feast ceremony occurs, called aqiqah. Most names derive directly or indirectly from the Qur'an (the Islamic scripture) and often are variants on one or more aspects or "attributes" of God. Also, Muslims are forbidden from using names which convey a negative connotation, and insulting nicknames like "tubby" or "shorty". Almost every Muslim name has a pleasant, even pious connotation, and an effort to find names which mean evil, arrogant things will not prove fruitful (except maybe in the Western mind): the actual meaning is invariably positive, even sublime, in the native language.
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