No. Absolutely not.  However, the Prophet ﷺ changed some names of his companions that contained extremely negative meanings after they converted to Islam. Islam does not require a person to abandon their roots and culture as long as they do not contradict the principles of the religion. Thus, a person is free to choose what style of dress to wear, for example, and types of food to eat as long as they do not violate something that is prohibited such as exposing nakedness or the consumption of pork. See our article here for a more detailed discussion.

The most important thing to start with is consistent and structured learning with a teacher. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best and most beloved actions to Allah are those that are consistent, even if they are small.” Focus on improving your character and your relationship with Allah, rather than external dos and don’ts.

People don’t choose a madhab (legal school), it chooses you really. It is mostly down to demographics. For example, pretty much all of the Muslims in Spain and North Africa will follow the Maliki School. If you have access to scholars from a particular school, then by default, you will become an adherent of that school. The case is the same for most imams too, unless they have studied each school extensively. It’s extremely rare that a scholar will be proficient in three schools and even rarer that they will be proficient in all four.

There are different opinions regarding keeping a dog. The mainstream opinion is that it is prohibited to keep it in the home unless there is a need to do so, some minority opinions only view it as disliked. If someone is already emotionally attached, it would not be prohibited.

A person should not keep a dog in the house except a dog that guards their wealth.

(Al-Muhit al-Burhani, Miscellaneous Section)

As for keeping a dog for hunting, or guarding crops, houses, and cattle, then it is permitted by consensus.

(Al-Binayah Sharh al-Hidayah, Chapter of Trade)

It is permitted to keep a dog for all kinds of benefits and to prevent harm, even if not in the countryside.

(Minah al-Jalil, Section of Trade)

Music is permitted in Islam; however, using specific musical instruments is a matter of difference of opinion. Muslim scholars will agree that certain types of music are prohibited. As for the permissibility of using certain musical instruments, it is an age-old debate amongst Islamic scholars spanning over 1,000 years.

Musical instruments are not intrinsically prohibited according to the soundest view. Interestingly, there is no clear prohibition of musical instruments in the Quran or any authentic hadith.

The fact that there is this difference of opinion shows that the ruling is not clear-cut and unequivocal. So, whoever wants to follow the opinion of permissibility may do so, and whoever wants to take a more cautious stance may do so.

We must also bear in mind that music historically was always a live performance and heavily associated with gatherings of drinking and fornication. For this reason, we find blanket prohibitions in some legal texts and then exceptions being made for certain instruments. However, there is no solid evidence in the Quran or Hadith stating that any instrument is prohibited.