The name Ghulam Awliya

Question

Question: The name of this humble servant is Ghulam Awliya (غلام اولیاء). My father gave me this name in infancy, and it is still in use today; this same name is recorded in all my certificates and the like. In this respect, thanks be to God: I have been in the company of some people of Allah. Out of sympathy, these elders raised some objection to my name: according to them, my name is not good.

Answer

The word “ghulam” (غلام) has several meanings: it means “‘abd” (slave), it also means “servant”, and it also means “youth”. In view of the first meaning, the name “Awliya” should not be given, because its sense becomes that one has been called “the slave of the awliya (the friends of Allah)”, whereas all, without exception, are the slaves of Allah alone.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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