General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)
كتاب الأدب
Chapter 70: Changing bad names
The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) changed the name of ‘Asiyah and called her Jamilah.
Zainab daughter of Abu Salamah asked him: Which name did you give to your daughter? He replied : Barrah. She said: The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) forbade giving this name. I was called Barrah but the Prophet (May peace be upon him) said: Do not declare yourselves pure, for Allah knows best those of you who are obedient. He said: we asked; which name should we give her? He replied: Call her Zainab.
A man called Asram was among those who came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: What is your name? He replied: Asram. He said: No, you are Zur'ah.
When Hani went with his people in a deputation to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he heard them calling him by his kunyah (surname), AbulHakam.
So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called him and said: Allah is the judge (al-Hakam), and to Him judgment belongs. Why are you given the kunyah AbulHakam?
He replied: When my people disagree about a matter, they come to me, and I decide between them, and both parties are satisfied with my decision.
He said: How good this is! What children have you? He replied: I have Shurayh, Muslim and Abdullah. He asked; Who is the oldest of them? I replied: Shurayh. He said: Then you are AbuShurayh.
Abu Dawud said: This is Shuraib who broke the chain, and who entered Tustar.
Abu Dawud said: I have been told that Shuraib broke the gate of Tustar, and he entered it through tunnel.
AbuDawud said: The Prophet (ﷺ) changed the names al-'As, Aziz, Atalah, Shaytan, al-Hakam, Ghurab, Hubab, and Shihab and called him Hisham. He changed the name Harb (war) and called him Silm (peace). He changed the name al-Munba'ith (one who lies) and called him al-Mudtaji' (one who stands up). He changed the name of a land Afrah (barren) and called it Khadrah (green). He changed the name Shi'b ad-Dalalah (the mountain path of a stray), the name of a mountain path and called it Shi'b al-Huda (mountain path of guidance). He changed the name Banu az-Zinyah (children of fornication) and called them Banu ar-Rushdah (children of those who are on the right path), and changed the name Banu Mughwiyah (children of a woman who allures and goes astray), and called them Banu Rushdah (children of a woman who is on the right path).
AbuDawud said: I omitted the chains of these for the sake of brevity.
Masruq said: I met Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) who said: Who are you? I replied: Masruq ibn al-Ajda'. Umar then said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: al-Ajda' (mutilated) is a devil.
Do not call your servant Yasar (wealth), Rabah (profit), Nijih(prosperous) and Aflah (successful), for you may ask; Is he there? And someone says: No. Samurah said: These are four (names), so do not attribute more to me.
The Aposlte of Allah (May peace be upon him) forbade giving four names to our slaves : Aflah (successful), Yasar (wealth), Naf(beneficial) and Rabah (profit).
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If I survive (God willing), I shall forbid my people to give the names Nafi' (beneficial), Aflah (successful) and Barakah (blessing). Al-A'mash said: I do not know whether he mentioned Nafi' or not. When a man comes and asks: Is there Barakah (blessing)? The people say: No.
Abu Dawud said: A similar tradition has been transmitted by Abu al-Zubair on the authority of Jabir from the Prophet (ﷺ) through a different chain of narrators. This version has no mention of Barakah.
Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by Shu'aib b. Abi Hamzah from Abi al-Zinad through different chain of narrators. This version has the words "akhna' ismin" (most obscene name) instead of "akhna ismin" (the vilest name).
Chapter 71: Nicknames
This verse was revealed about us, the Banu Salimah: "Nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness (to be used of one) after he has believed." He said: When the apostle of Allah (ﷺ) came to us, every one of us had two or three names. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to say: O so and so! But they would say: Keep silence, Messenger of Allah! He becomes angry by this name. So this verse was revealed: "Nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames."
Chapter 72: One who has the kunyah of Abu Eisa
Zayd ibn Aslam quoted his father as saying: Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) struck one of his sons who was given the kunyah AbuIsa, and al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah had the kunyah AbuIsa. Umar said to him: Is it not sufficient for you that you are called by the kunyah AbuAbdullah? He replied: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave me this kunyah. Thereupon he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was forgiven all his sins, past and those followed. But we are among the people similar to us. Henceforth he was called by the kunyah AbuAbdullah until he died.
Chapter 73: Saying to someone else's son, "O my son"
The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him: My sonny.
Abu Dawud said: I heard Yahya b. Ma'in praising the transmitter Muhammad b. Mahbub, and he said: He transmitted a large number of traditions.
Chapter 74: Aman having the kunyah Abul-Qasim
Abu Dawud said : Abu Salih has transmitted it in a similar way from Abu Hurairah, and similar are the traditions of Abu Sufyan from Jabir, of Salim b. Abl al-Ja’d from Jabir, of Sulaiman al-Yashkuri from Jabir, and of Ibn al-Munkadir from Jabir and similar others and Anas b. Malik.
Chapter 75: The view that Prophet's name and kunyah should not be combined in one person's name
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone is called by my name, he must not be given my kunyah (surname), and if anyone uses my kunyah (surname), he must not be called by my name.
Abu Dawud said: Ibn 'Ajlan transmitted it to the same effect from his father on the authority if Abu Hurairah. It has also been transmitted by Abu Zar'ah from Abu Hurairah in two different versions. And similar is the version of 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abi 'Amrah from Abu Hurairah. This version is disputed: Al-Thawri and Ibn Juraij transmitted it according to the version of Abu al-Zubair; and Ma'qil b. 'Ubaid Allah transmitted it according to the version of Ibn Sirin. It is again dispted on Musa b. Yasar from Abu Hurariah, transmitting it in two versions: Hammad b. Khalid and Ibn Abi Fudaik varied in their versions.
Chapter 76: Concession allowing them to be combined
I said: Messenger of Allah! tell me if a son is born to me after your death, may I give him your name and your kunyah? He replied: Yes. The transmitter Abu Bakr did not mention the words "I said". Instead, he said: 'Ali said to the Prophet (ﷺ).
A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah! I have given birth to a boy, and call him Muhammad and AbulQasim as kunyah (surname), but I have been told that you disapproved of that. He replied: What is it which has made my name lawful and my kunyah unlawful, or what is it which has made my kunyah unlawful and my name lawful?
Chapter 77: Giving a man a kunyah when he does not have a son
The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) used to come to visit us. I had a younger brother who was called Abu ‘Umair by Kunyah (surname). He had a sparrow with which he played, but it died. So one day the prophet (May peace be upon him) came to see him and saw him grieved. He asked: What is the matter with him? The people replied: His sparrow has died. He then said: Abu ‘Umair! What has happened to the little sparrow?
Chapter 78: Giving a kunyah to a woman
Aisha said: Messenger of Allah! All my fellow-wives have kunyahs? He said: Give yourself the kunyah by Abdullah, your son - that is to say, her nephew (her sister's son).
Musaddad said: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. She was called by the kunyah Umm Abdullah.
Abu Dawud said: Qurran b. Tammam and Ma'mar all have transmitted it from Hisham in a similar manner. It has also been transmitted by Abu Usamah from Hisham, from 'Abbad b. Hamzah. Similarly, Hammad b. Salamah and Maslamah b. Qa'nab have narrated it from Hisham, like the tradition transmitted by Abu Usamah.
Chapter 79: Speech that conveys other than the intended meaning
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: It is great treachery that you should tell your brother something and have him believe you when you are lying.