There is a hadith which states that the phophet Muhammad(saw) changed the name of a woman from Asiya to Jameelah. It is said that the name Asiya means disobedient and it was her original name even when she was a non believer and did not change her name after accepting the message of Moses (pbuh). Please explain

This is a question asked by a reader like yourself. If there is no reply from our staff, it is because we could not find a satisfactory answer for the question. If you have any information that may help with this question, please share it below.

Reader Comments:

on Wednesday 4th of February 2015 04:55:32 AM

I am planning to name my daughter with this name. I’ve made a few researches online and i found this information that may help you.

“Note the spelling of the name in Arabic, as mentioned in the hadith in Muslim, is آسِيَةَ (alif, seen, yah, ta-marbuwta). There’s another hadith in Saheeh Muslim where Rasulullah changed the name of a woman from ‘Asiyah to Jameelah.

Note the spelling difference: in the latter hadith, the name is spelt عَاصِيَةَ (ayn, alif, saad, yah, ta-marbuwtah). This name is from the root word ayn-saad-alif, which means to disobey, and is mentioned plenty of times in the Qur’an.

Given that the latter name uses letters that are harder to pronounce (ayn and saad), you would need to intentionally pronounce the name differently to use the unfortunate meaning. It won’t be a problem InshaAllah.”
on Wednesday 15th of February 2017 10:18:16 AM

my sisters name is asiyah this is not true.it can be true but i think they changed the meaning it is also written in the book please tell me is the meaning changed
on Monday 2nd of March 2020 03:42:40 PM

We mentioned that the Prophet changed names only when necessary, and he did this with both boys and girls, men and women. A Hadith reported by Abdullah ibn Umar mentions that the Prophet changed a woman’s name who was called Aassiyah. He said to her: “You are Jameelah.” Here the need for the change is quite obvious. Aassiyah is the female version of Aassi, both of which mean “disobedient.” The Prophet points out here that such a name is unacceptable because it stresses a quality which is associated with rejecting the faith or being rebellious. The Prophet gave her the name Jameelah, which means “pretty.” There is difference between Aassiyah (عاصيه) which is disobedient. And The name Asiya or Asiyah (آسية) Meaning of Asiya

Asiya is an indirect Quranic name for girls that means “pensive”, “wistful” and “melancholic”. It is the name of the pious wife of the Pharaoh, Asiya bint Muzahim, who lived at the time of Prophet Musa/Moses, as mentioned in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim. It is derived from the A-S-A root which is used in a number of places in the Quran. Since Asiya is an ancient name, it is possible that it has other meanings in pre-Arabian languages
on Friday 7th of January 2022 02:30:51 PM

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
1. It is permissible for you to name your daughter Asiyah. The name Asiyah means pillar, strong or fortified building. [1] The claim that one who is named Asiyah is always upset and involved in tragedies is incorrect. Asiyah (Radiallahu Anha) was the name of the wife of Firawn (Pharaoh) who brought Imaan on Musa Alayhisalam and was later executed by Firawn. The dua that Asiyah (Radiallahu Anha) made when she was being tortured by Firawn because of her accepting the oneness of Allah Taala is even mentioned in the Quraan: [2]
وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا امْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِنْدَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
And Allah Taala has cited for the believers the example of the wife of Firaun (Pharaoh), when she said “My Lord, build for me, near You, a house in Paradise, and deliver me from Firaun and his deeds, and deliver me from the unjust people.”(At-Tahrim-11)
Numerous traditions mention the virtues of Asiyah (Radiallahu Anha) out of which some are:
عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيِّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ فَضْلُ عَائِشَةَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ كَفَضْلِ الثَّرِيدِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الطَّعَامِ، كَمَلَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ كَثِيرٌ، وَلَمْ يَكْمُلْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِلاَّ مَرْيَمُ بِنْتُ عِمْرَانَ وَآسِيَةُ امْرَأَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ ‏”‏‏.‏
Rasulullah Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “The superiority of Aisha (Radiallahu Anha) to other ladies is like the superiority of Tharid (i.e. meat and bread dish) to other meals. Many men reached the level of perfection, but no woman reached such a level except Maryum (Radiallahu Anha), the daughter of Imran and Asiyah (Radiallahu Anha), the wife of Pharaoh.”(Bukhari-3433)
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: “حَسْبُكَ مِنْ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينَ مَرْيَمُ بِنْتُ عِمْرَانَ، وَخَدِيجَةُ بِنْتُ خُوَيْلِدٍ، وَفَاطِمَةُ بِنْتُ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَآسِيَةُ امرأة فرعون
Rasulullah Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “the following women are sufficient (as examples) for you Maryum (Radiallahu Anha), the daughter of Imran, Khadijah (Radiallahu Anha) the daughter of Khuwaylid, Fatimah(Radiallahu Anha) the daughter of Muhammad and Asiyah (Radiallahu Anha), the wife of Pharaoh.”(Sahih Ibn Hiban-7003)

Get the QuranicNames Android app!