The Ghanaian Minaret

It is not an uncommon ritual for expectant young Muslim couples to surf the internet, scramble the passages of the Quran to get a soothing name, or name children after influential personalities that parents want to honour.
In most cases, the expediency of sound and meaningful names is sacrificed for Arabic names that sound “sweet” and “modern”.

There is a clear shift from ‘old names’, synonymous with prophets, attributes of Allah, or famous companions, to abstract Arabic names that may not necessarily have good meanings.
For many, it is an attempt to reflect modern times and eliminate names that have lost their attractiveness due to wrong pronunciations or spellings, especially at the hands of non-Arabic speakers.

Here is a list of some popular Ghanaian Muslim names that may have lost their attractiveness due to how “corrupted” they have become.

1. Moro

Yes, it is a very popular name in Ghana. But what does Moro mean when Umar is intended? Umar is the name of a great Sahaba (companion) and the second Khalifa (successor) of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

He is also the father of Naana Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

2. Bukari

Bukari, often shortened to Abu, is a somewhat sluggish way of pronouncing Abubakar Sidiqque, also spelt Saddick.

Like Umar, Abubakar is a great companion, the first Khalifa of the prophet, and one of the earliest Muslims.

He has been a close friend of the prophet even before prophethood. He is also the father of Aisha, the wife of the prophet, known to be a great scholar and a major narrator of the hadith (sayings) of the prophet.

3. Shaibu

You didn’t think this was wrongly pronounced, right? Shu’aib (correct pronunciation) is the name of a nobleman whose story was captured in the Holy Quran.

According to the Qur’an, God sent the Arab prophet Shuaib to the Midianites. A devoted and holy man, Shuaib exhorted his people to worship the one and only God.

His folks used to defraud people of their wealth and worship a big tree. Additionally, he was the father-in-law of the prophet Musah.

4. Salifu/Salou

The correct name is Salih, which means righteous, virtuous, intact, and good. It is also the name of a prophet sent to the people of Thamud who demanded a pregnant she-camel from a rock before accepting Allah as one God.

The people eventually rejected the sign of Allah, killed the animal, and Allah punished them with thunderbolts and earthquakes, destroying the city.

5. Zenabu

The name, Zenabu or Aabu is the corrupted name for Zai-nab. The name is mostly attributed to two distinguished figures in the life of the Prophet.

Thus, his daughter and wife, respectively, were named Zainab bint Muhammed and Zainab bint Jahsh

6. Adiza

Khadijah, over the years, had been corrupted by Adiza. Whether for the sake of convenience or lack of knowledge, Khadijah is not the name to be corrupted, as it is dear to Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon Him).

It is the name of his first wife. Though far older than him, she believed, comforted, and supported the prophet during the early stages of his prophethood.

She is the woman who has given birth to almost all the children (six out of seven) of the prophet. It was after her death that the prophet married other women.

7. Fuseni

It is a corrupted name, mostly given to the younger male twin. Hussein (the correct name) is the diminutive of Hassan, which both loosely translates as good and beautiful.

They were the names given to the two twin grandsons of the Prophet Mohammed, who are the children of Ali (the cousin of the prophet) and Fathima, his daughter.

8. Sumaila/Ila

Whichever one of these you’ve heard anywhere, it is in reference to the Prophet Is-ma-il or Ishmael.
He is the first son of Prophet Ibrahim and Hajara (Hagar), his servant. This was the child Allah rescued after he had tested his father, asking that he (Ismail) be sacrificed. The prophet Muhammed was from the lineage of Ismail.

9. Issaka

This is the warped version of Ishak, also known as Isaac in the Christian faith. The prophet Ishak was one of two known sons of the prophet Abraham.

He is brother to the prophet Ismail, from whom came the lineage of the Prophet Muhammed.

10. Issifu/Isu

Names such as Isu or Issifu have over time taken the place of Yusuf, which is the name of a prophet.
Yusuf, known for his gift of interpreting dreams, was the son of Prophet Yakub, or Jacob.

He was sold off into slavery by his brothers out of jealousy, and later Allah raised him to be a high-ranking official in Egypt.

11. Awudu

This name is a mimic of Abdul or Abdullah, which means the slave of Allah. According to Islam, the best name one could give to his male child was Abdullah.

Abdul is also used as a prefix to any name that is among the attributes of Allah. So, it is quite unhelpful for any person to say his name is just Abdul.

12. Inusah

It is the corrupted name of Yunus or Jonah in English. Yunus was a prophet of Allah who was tested with darkness in the belly of a sea mammal that Allah had ordered to swallow him.

Upon reflection and seeking forgiveness, Allah eventually pardoned him for turning his back on the people Allah had sent him to.

13. Mahama/ Manma

These are some corrupted names of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammed (peace be upon him), which translates as ‘the Praised One’.

It remains a mystery how the name over time has metamorphosed, thereby losing its originality and became so accepted by Ghanaian Muslims.

14. Dramani

A name of a popular political figure in Ghana. Dramani is corrupted by Abdul Rahman, which means the servant of the Most Merciful.

Ar-Rahman is one of the 99 attributes of Allah, which most Muslims are familiar with.

15. Mumuni

It is another name known to be disdainful of modern Muslim couples. Mumuni is the corrupted version of Mu’min, meaning “believer. Al-Mu’min is said to be one of the attributes of Allah.

16. Masawudu

Fortunate, happy, and lucky are the meanings of Mas’ud, which has been corrupted to Masawudu. The name is prominent in Islamic history as it belonged to a young man known by the name Abdallah Ibn Mas’ud.

He was not only a reciter of the Quran, a learned man, or a fervent worshipper, but also a strong and courageous fighter for Islam.

17.Barikisu

This is the synthetic name of Bilkis, also spelt Bilqees, which is the Arabic name for the Queen of Sheba.

According to the Quran, the Queen and her people became Muslims after their encounter with Prophet Suleiman, who moved her throne from her palace to his end without the Queen noticing until she arrived at his place.

18. Dawuda

This word means dirt in the Hausa language. Dawud, also known as David in Christianity, is the name of a prophet who happened to be the father of Prophet Suleiman (peace and blessings of Allah be upon both).

19. Labaran

It is a name usually given to a male born in the holy fasting month of Ramadhan. It remains a mystery how a month so popular could be corrupted to Labaran and, in some instances, pronounced Labaram.

20. Fatawu

An Arabic name for the opening, the name Fa-tah has been corrupted to Fatawu. Al-Fatah is known to be one of the attributes of Allah.

Conclusion

While the list of the corrupted is lengthy, with names such as Meri as opposed to Mariam, Ziblim instead of Jibril and Seidu in place of Sa’id, not finding space in the write-up, it is very important for parents to settle on meaningful names that are easy on the tongue.

This is necessary to help avert the generational hassle of doing away with GOOD names that have been corrupted.