It can get confusing when first reading all the names in the Seerah of Nabi صلي الله عليه و سلم . Understanding why some Sahaabah were more famous by their names, whilst others by their titles, whilst others by their fathers' names requires understanding the 'Arab naming system. The following two diagrams show this.
Some important information regarding 'Laqab' and 'Kunyah':
لقب
A Laqab is a title or nickname that the person is known by. A Laqab can come before or after a person’s name. Not everybody has one. Two famous Alqaab [plural form of Laqab] that our Messenger صلي الله عليه و سلم was given before Prophethood were: Al-Ameen [The Trustworthy] and As-Saadiq [The Truthful].
To read more, here is the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_name
كنية
A Kunyah is a teknonym; a type of epithet. It is a naming device used by the Arabs where a person takes the name of any of his children [usually the oldest] and uses it as his/her title. Rasulullah صلي الله عليه و سلم’s favourite Kunyah was ‘Abul Qaasim’ [The father of Qaasim]. His first born son was called Qaasim.
However, a person may have a Kunyah that does not necessarily relate to his/her children. Our Mother Aisha was called ‘Umm Abdillah’ [the Mother of Abdullah] after her nephew, Abdullah ibn Umar. A famous Sahaabi Suhaib Roomi’s Kunyah was ‘Abu Yahya’, yet he never had any children.
Some people are renown by their Kunyah to such a degree that even their name is forgotten! One of the ten Companions promised Paradise is renown by his Kunyah, Abu Ubaydah. His name was ‘Aamir.
Alternatively, some people are known only by their name whilst their Kunyah is not renowned. The third Caliph in Islam was Sayidina 'Uthman. His Kunyah was Abu Abdillah.
Interestingly, some people are given a Kunyah after an attribute that describes them. Abu Jahal was the worst enemy of Islam. Abu Jahal means ‘the father of ignorance’. On the opposite end, the friend of Islam, Sayidina Abubakr’s real name was Abdullah. Why was he nicknamed Abubakr? According some narrations, due to his love for camels as a child, he was named ‘the father of the camel foal’.In a similar way, Nabi صلي الله عليه و سلم named his close companion AbdurRahmaan ‘Abu Hurairah’ which means the ‘father of kitten’. This was because he had a kitten which he kept with much love. May Allah be well pleased with our beloved Messenger and his beloved Companions. Aameen.
To read more, here is the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunya_%28Arabic%29
0 comments:
Post a Comment