Chapter 256

The permissibility of giving a man a kunyah ‘father of so-and-so’ or a woman the kunyah ‘mother of so-and-so’

Remembrance 1
THERE IS NO limit to this. A large number of the Companions and those after them were given the kunyah ‘Father of So-and-so’. Among them was ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān Honorific symbol, who had three kunyahs: Abū ‘Amr, Abū ‘Abdullāh, and Abū Laylā. There were also Abū ad-Dardā’ and his wife Umm ad-Dardā’ the Elder Honorific symbol. She was a Companion and her name was Khayrah. Umm ad-Dardā’ the Younger was his other wife, and her name was Hujaymah and she had a tremendous rank. She was an eminent jurist, known for her abundant intellect and her luminous merit; and she was a Tābi‘. Further examples include Abū Laylā, the father of ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā, whose wife was Umm Laylā. Both Abī Laylā and his wife Umm Laylā were Companions. There is Abū Umāmah, the name of a large number of Companions. There are also Abū Rayḥānah, Abū Rimthah, Abū Rīmah, Abū ‘Amrah Bashīr ibn ‘Amr, Abū Fāṭimah al-Laythī (whose [given] name is said to have been ‘Abdullāh ibn Unays), Abū Maryam al-Azdī, Abū Ruqayyah Tamīm ad-Dārī, and Abū Karīmah al-Miqdād ibn Ma‘dīkarib—all of whom were Companions.
Of the Tābi‘īn there were Abū ‘Ā’ishah Masrūq ibn al-Ajda‘ and innumerable others. As-Sam‘ānī says in al-Ansāb that he was called Masrūq (stolen) because a man stole him when he was small and then later he was found.
It has been reliably established in the Ṣaḥīḥ that the Prophet Honorific symbol gave Abū Hurayrah the kunyah Abū Hurayrah. And Allah knows best.

References

[1] In both cases, the title of this chapter spells out that “So-and-so” covers both genders, which means that it is also acceptable for men and women to be given kunyah s based on their daughters’ names.