Muslim child calling the parents 'Mama' and 'Papa'
Fatwa No: 89296

Question

Is it allowed to a Muslim child to call his/her parents as 'Mama' and 'Papa'?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

The Arabic language is the chosen language by Allaah to be the language of the Book that has been revealed to this nation. It is also the language of the Prophet to whom this Book has been sent down. Therefore, every Muslim who is able to learn and speak Arabic should do so and teach it to his/her children and make them speak it so that they grow up loving the first generation of this nation, who were the companions and the righteous predecessors . Some scholars have stated that getting used to speaking a given language has an effect on the mind, morals and religion of the person. If a Muslim is obsessed by the language of non-Muslims, this could lead him/her to imitate them in their religion and character, and be affected by their customs and habits. Therefore, one should not teach his children to utter these words, but this does not mean that it is forbidden to do so.

Allaah knows best.

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