78/108. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 6193 — Hazn and Sahl
To change a name for better name
Hadith About Hazn, Sahl, and the Meaning of Names
Sahih Bukhari : 6193
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 6193
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، أَنَّ ابْنَ جُرَيْجٍ، أَخْبَرَهُمْ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ بْنُ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ شَيْبَةَ، قَالَ جَلَسْتُ إِلَى سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ فَحَدَّثَنِي أَنَّ جَدَّهُ حَزْنًا قَدِمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم. فَقَالَ " مَا اسْمُكَ ". قَالَ اسْمِي حَزْنٌ. قَالَ " بَلْ أَنْتَ سَهْلٌ ". قَالَ مَا أَنَا بِمُغَيِّرٍ اسْمًا سَمَّانِيهِ أَبِي. قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ فَمَا زَالَتْ فِينَا الْحُزُونَةُ بَعْدُ.
Said ibn al-Musayyab Narrated from:
Narrated Sa`id bin Al-Musaiyab: That when his grandfather, Hazn visited the Prophet (ﷺ) the Prophet (ﷺ) said (to him), "What is your name?" He said, "My name is Hazn." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, " But you are Sahl." He said, "I will not change my name with which my father named me." Ibn Al-Musaiyab added: So we have had roughness (in character) ever since.
[1] ' Ḥazn ' means rough, hard ground.(2) ' Sahl ' is the opposite of ' Ḥazn ', i.e. even, soft ground.Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 6193In-book reference : Book 78, Hadith 217USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 8, Book 73, Hadith 213
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 6193
This Hadith repeats the report of Hazn visiting the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked his name, Hazn gave his name. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied that he was Sahl. Hazn refused to change the name his father had given him. Sa'id bin Al-Musaiyab then said that roughness remained among them after that. This Hadith about name meaning shows that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم preferred a softer and easier name over one that carried a rough meaning. It does not ask us to invent meanings beyond the text. It simply shows that names were taken seriously, and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم guided people toward names with better meanings.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم guided people toward names with better meanings.
- A person may feel attached to a name given by a parent.
- The report connects the refusal with continued roughness in the family.
- Good names are part of refined manners in Islam.
