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Should I take the surname of my father or mother?

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Koopa39 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 04 December 2016 at 8:44am
[Please read fully the first post before posting an answer.]

Assalam Alaykoum,
 
I will convert to Islam soon and thus need to think about changing my western first name, middle name and surname (also called �family name� or �last name�).
 
I just read this article: https://islamqa.info/en/7180
 
At the very bottom of the article it is written:
Quote 4. The child must be named after his father even if the father is deceased or divorced, etc., even if he does not take care of the child or see him at all. It is utterly haraam to name a child after anyone other than his father, except in one case, which is when the child is born as the result of adultery (Allaah forbid). In this case the child should be named after his mother and it is not permissible to name him after his father.
 
My non-Muslim father married a non-Muslim women, lived with her for 15 years, had 3 children with her, then they separated and never saw each other again (except for one occasion perhaps).
 
My father then met my non-Muslim mother, they lived together for 25 years, they had 1 children (me), then my father died.
 
The problem is: My father never officially divorced with the other women, he never officially married my mother, when he died he officially was still married to the other women.
 
Thus my question is: For my surname, should I take the surname of my father or the surname of my mother?
 
Another idea would be to take the surname of one of my parents as my surname, and take the surname of my other parent as my middle name.
 
I have four options:
1) My surname = surname of my father ; My middle name = nothing
2) My surname = surname of my mother ; My middle name = nothing
3) My surname = surname of my father ; My middle name = surname of my mother
4) My surname = surname of my mother ; My middle name = surname of my father
 
I personally have no preference.
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semar View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote semar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 December 2016 at 11:58pm
Salam,

IMHO, in my understanding there is the only suggestion fo the prophet Muhammad SAW, regarding name is as long as it doesn't have a bad meaning.
So in your case you can choose any.
In Indonesia that over 250 million muslims, majority of the don't carry any sure name (their last name nothing to do with their parent's name), moreover many of them even  only have one name (first name only, no last name), like the first and second president of Indonesia. So far there is no Islamic scholar there complain about it.
Salam/Peace,

Semar

"We are people who do not eat until we are hungry and do not eat to our fill." (Prophet Muhammad PBUH)

"1/3 of your stomach for food, 1/3 for water, 1/3 for air"
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abuayisha View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote abuayisha Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 December 2016 at 7:36am
Salaams, and welcome! Keep your name and if you'd like adopt a "nickname" such as abuayisha.
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