The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names [Paperback]

Maneka Gandhi (Author), Ozair Husain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2004

Major reference on Parsis and Muslims

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (October 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143031848
• ISBN-13: 978-0143031840
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,663,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Having a baby? You NEED this book!, May 25, 2006

By 

Fatima J "Fatima J" (Dubai, UAE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names (Paperback)

For Muslims, if your first language isn't Arabic, it is often difficult selecting an appropiate baby name with a good and sound meaning. So many people just go for a name even when they are unsure of the accurate meaning because they like the sound, or choose a name that is the flavor of the season in their home countries, or resort to very standard names. Searching on the internet for a baby name is risky because a lot of websites contain incorrect or incomplete meanings for Muslim names. There are a few other Muslim baby name books besides this one, but The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi names is the most extensive and the meanings given are 100% accurate. Muslim names generally come from Arabic, Persian, and Turkish and this book contains a vast selection of names from all three languages (though far less Turkish) including language of origin, meaning, and relevent famous historical figure with the name. If you own this book you are guaranteed that you can select a name and know the sound meaning. The book uses a simple transliteration system to ensure correct pronunciation from Farsi and Arabic. Unfortunately, neither Arabic nor Nastaliq scripts are used as a supplement, but if you understand the book's transliteration system you can easily figure out the spelling in Arabic/Farsi. Another minor problem with the book is that the "ta marboota" in Arabic feminine names is sometimes written as T and sometimes as H. In Arabic it is silent, but Urdu speakers pronounce the T (like saying Amanah in Arabic as Amanat in Urdu). If the authors revise this book they should choose one system to follow and not jump back and forth between H and T. Technically you could pronounce it either way depending on whether you want to use Arabic or Urdu pronunciation for your baby's name, so it is not that big of a deal. Perhaps the authors could just add that information into the introduction, for that is the book's only flaw. Anyway, it is a GREAT book. It also contains names from Zoroastrian mythology, but if Muslims are concerned about that, it is easy to tell which names those are so there is no chance of choosing a Parsi mythological name for your baby. If you are an Arabic, Farsi, or Urdu language student, this book is great for you just from a linguistic stand point. It is just an all around useful and enriching book for your shelf.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars male or female?? who knows?!, November 24, 2006

By 

Soph - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names (Paperback)

This book is great with meaning and sheer volume of names. However if youre a parent looking for a name for your child there is one major draw back - IT IS NOT DIVIDED INTO MALE AND FEMALE NAMES! So if you are a new Muslim or unfamiliar with the languages, particularly Arabic it becomes struggle to decipher girl/boy names (you have to simply have use your general sense and usethe meaning of the name and whether it "sounds like" a girls name or boys i.e. guess! The authors do not even comment in the introduction about the reasons they've excluded this major aspect of the naming.
I was excited to receive this book then disappointed when I got it - I now have to wade through the huge book from A-Z making guesses as to which names are masculine and which are feminine. I just cannot understand why they have not divided into male and female! It's ridiculous! Like our first jobs as parents, choosing a name, isn't hard enough?!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive guide, December 31, 2002

By 

A Hannan Ismail (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names (Paperback)

For readers interested in etymology and the derivation of words, this is an excellent source. Names have been listed here based on lexical origins first and only then for their religious connotations. It makes for rich reading and I highly recommend it.