Is It Permissible to Name Your Son Abdul-Hadi? A Scholarly Perspective

Understanding the Name Abdul-Hadi: Islamic Views on Naming Conventions

Question: Can one name their son Abdul-Hadi?

Answer: There is an important issue here: is “Al-Hadi” one of Allah’s names (Asma ul-Husna) or not? Scholars have differing opinions on this matter. Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said that he was not aware of any evidence proving it to be one of Allah’s names, and Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan (may Allah protect him) has said something similar. The correct view is that “Al-Hadi” is not one of the Asma ul-Husna but rather one of Allah’s attributes because Allah is, in essence, Al-Hadi, meaning the One who guides His servants. Allah Almighty states:  

“وَكَفَى بِرَبِّكَ هَادِياً وَنَصِيراً” (Al-Furqan: 31)

Translation: “And your Lord is sufficient as a Guide and a Helper.” 

Similarly, Allah says:  

“إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ” (Al-Qasas: 56)  

Translation: “Verily! You (O Muhammad ﷺ) guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided.” 

However, Allah has also called His Messengers “Hād” (Guides), as He says:  

“إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ ۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ” (Ar-Ra’d: 7) 

Translation: “You are only a warner, and to every people there is a guide.”

Therefore, it is permissible to name someone “Muhammad Hadi,” and if someone names their son “Abdul-Hadi,” there is no harm in that because such names have been used in the past, and none of the early scholars objected to them. However, when the article “Al-” (the) is added, as in “Al-Hadi,” it is reserved exclusively for Allah.

Respondent: Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi Hafizahullah

Jeddah Dawah Center, Saudi Arabia  

Interpreter: Hasan Fuzail