Assalam o laikum, First of all thank you for answering my question regarding "Muhtad". I have another question regarding the name "Azaan"/"Adhaan" (call to prayer). In Pakistan it is a common name for boys but I have heard recently that it is not prescribed to use it as a name because it comes under the heading which points to oneness of Allah. Can you please explain if it is true and why we cannot use this name? My husband really likes this name but now we are confused because of this. Also regarding the name "Muhtad", could you please confirm its meanings, would it mean "someone on the right path"?
Answer
Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,
There is no issue with using Azaan/Adhaan/Athaan as a name. In Islam any name is acceptable unless it has a bad or un-Islamic meaning, but Adhaan is a general word that means "to call", "to announce", it doesn't contain any connotation that would make it forbidden.
What makes a name forbidden is the meaning you associate with it, and for Adhaan, if you just mean the general meaning of "to call" or "to announce", there is no issue with it. And if by it you mean "call to prayer", again there is no issue with this. A call to prayer is an Islamic activity, and there are good and accepted Islamic baby names that refer to other Islamic activities, such as Duaa (supplication).
There is nothing in Adhaan that points to the oneness of Allah, Adhaan is just an activity like Duaa.
Yes, Muhtad means "one on the right path", it has the same exact meaning is Muhtadi.