Bearing the name AIlahi Bakhsh

Q: I am a Pakistani citizen bearing the name Allahi Bakhash. I have been living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a long time. I face a lot of problems because of my name. Opposed to my name, many official authorities have requested that I change it. That is why I am asking your opinion about this name of mine and whether I am allowed to change it. I would like to add that my father chose that name according to his Urdu-Islamic culture. In Urdu this name means 'The gift of Allah'. It is composed of two words: 'Allahi' which means Allah and 'Bakhash' which means gift. Since word order of the genitive construction in Urdu is the opposite of Arabic word order, (Part No. 11; Page No. 463) the meaning of my full name is 'the gift of Allah'. I have already asked the opinion of some scholars who showed no objection to it.Dear Sir: I am kindly requesting your opinion about this issue which has been and still is a source of trouble for me. May Allah protect and guard you.

A: If the reality is as you have mentioned, there is nothing wrong with being named 'Allahi Bakhash' which in Arabic means '`Atiyyat-ul-Allah' or 'the gift of Allah'. It would still be better to change your name to the equivalent Arabic `Atiyyat-ul-Allah'. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.