Does the Holy Qur’an forbid nicknames?

No, not every nickname. The Holy Qur’an forbids twisting someone’s name against their will in order to mock, insult or hurt them. A friendly pet name is not what it means.

Some English translations render this passage with the word “nicknames”. That easily gives the impression that every nickname is forbidden. But that is not what is meant.

The verse above lists this alongside other prohibitions: do not mock others, do not defame them. The prohibition about names belongs in that same context. It means calling someone by a twisted or demeaning name in order to ridicule, wound or humiliate them, against their will.

An everyday example makes the difference clear. A mother calls her child by an affectionate short name, and the child is happy to hear it. That is not mockery. It is quite different when classmates deliberately distort a child’s name so that others laugh and the child feels ashamed. That is exactly what the Holy Qur’an forbids.

So what matters is not the name itself but the intention and its effect. Anyone who calls another person by a name should ask whether it honours or belittles them, and whether the other person is glad to hear it.