*CHANGING SURNAME AFTER MARRIAGE*

*QUESTION:*
A message has been circulated on social media that it is Haraam for a woman to change her surname to her husband’s surname after marriage. Is this correct?

*ANSWER:*
The above confusion stems from the prohibition of denying ones biological association as Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Waallam mentioned in a Hadith:

_“Verily, one of the worst lies is to claim (falsely) to be the son of someone other than one's biological father”_ (Bukhari)

e.g. if a person’s name is Musa and his father’s name is Haniff, he will be referred to as Musa the son of Haniff (Musa Bin Haniff). It will be prohibited to refer to him as Musa the son of Ahmed (Musa Bin Ahmed) as this will be denying his biological association.

In the case of the wife adopting the husband’s surname after marriage, the wife is not denying any biological association at all. She is merely indicating in which family she is married.

Hence, it will be permissible for a woman to change her surname to her husband’s surname after marriage as there is no prohibition in this regard.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Mufti Ismaeel Bassa

Confirmation:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai