and he will then have two names, just as someone has a name given to him by his parents and is later given an honorific by people, such as “So-and-so of the Faith.”

He was asked:

What about the titles commonly accepted among people?

He replied:

As for titles, the practice of the early generations was to use personal names and kunyahs (parental bynames). When calling someone Abū So-and-so, they sometimes named him after his child. They also gave kunyahs to those who had no children, with reference to the person’s own name, his father’s name, the son of his namesake, or something associated with him. Thus, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—gave ‘Ā’ishah a kunyah after her sister’s son, ‘Abd Allāh. Likewise, they would call a man named Dāwūd “Abū Sulaymān” because he bore the name of David—peace be upon him—whose son was named Solomon. Similarly, Ibrāhīm would be given the kunyah Abū Ishāq. They also called ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Abbās “Abū al-‘Abbās,” and the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—called Abū Hurayra by that name after a kitten he had with him.

This remained the practice throughout the first three generations. Then, when non-Arab rule gained ascendancy under the Umayyads, they began to . . . (1)

Later, they introduced titles incorporating “of the Faith” and greatly expanded their use. There is no doubt that, whenever possible, the proper course is to follow the early generations’ customary forms of