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Fatwa CenterRuling on the name 'Dhiraar'
Question
Assalamu alaykum,I am writing to inquire about changing my name. My current name does not have a surname, so I would like to change my given name to either Zafir or Zarrar, and my surname to either Al-Saif or Al-Ghazi.Could you please tell me what Zarrar means? And are Al-Saif and Al-Ghazi valid surnames?Thank you for your time and consideration.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The word “Dhirraar” is used linguistically to refer to the "reciprocal harming" that occurs between two people. That is, each of them harmed the other. It was said that it means "harm". In spite of the fact that some of the Companions were named Dhiraar, such as Dhiraar ibn Al-Azwar and others, it is better and more appropriate to use other names, such as 'Abdullah and Abdur-Rahman.
As for Al Saif and Al Ghazi, they are two surnames that are permissible in terms of meaning. If a person’s fathers or grandfathers had these two surnames, there is no harm in belonging to them. As for a person changing the name that his father gave him, the basic principle is that changing names is permissible in search of a good or better name. However, if there is no need to change the name, it is better to leave it as it is. Changing it may sometimes lead to confusion. In any case, if a person wants to change his name, he should do so in the correct and legal ways, as changing the name in incorrect ways may result in loss of rights and the like.
Allah knows best.
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