When it comes to names, some people play by the rules… and some rewrite them entirely. Pakistani actress Urwa Hocane has taken her own spin on tradition, swapping the classic “Hussain” for the trendy “Hocane.” The move didn’t just raise eyebrows, it triggered a viral reaction from a Mufti, who called out the modern twist on Islamic names.
During Ramadan transmission, in which Muftis from different Islamic schools of thought who provide Islamic perspectives and rulings on social and religious matters, Urwa’s spelling choice came up and a Mufti weighed in on the trend of deliberately altering or modernizing Islamic names.
He specifically commented on Urwa Hussain (Urwa Hocane) allegedly changing the spelling of “Hussain” to “Hocane.”
عروہ حسین نادیہ خان کو ایڈمائر کر رہی ہے جبکہ مجھے سو فیصد یقین ہے کہ اس سوال کے پیچھے دماغ نادیہ خان کا ہی ہو گا 😅 pic.twitter.com/5FuF9BnYhl
— کیڑےمکوڑے (@Form_45) February 26, 2026
The program host asked, “Mufti Sahib, these days celebrities are intentionally changing the spelling of their names, like Urwa who changed Hussain to Hocane, even though the original name is Hussain. What is your stance on this?”
The Mufti responded that it is not permissible to intentionally distort someone’s name. “Hocane” is not an Arabic name, so calling someone by such a name is incorrect.
He cited a saying of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), who saw a person deliberately mispronouncing someone’s name and said, “You are oppressing them, because pronouncing a person’s name correctly is their right; it is the name given to them by their parents.”
He further added that we should be careful even when choosing Islamic names. For instance, some people avoid the name Muhammad due to the high respect and responsibilities it entails. Similarly, deliberately altering someone’s name is not correct.
