Allah bless him and grant him peace—is named Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh. For this reason, one group omitted mention of the father from the Messenger’s wording (1), so that it would not contradict their fabrication. Another group distorted it, saying: “His ancestor is al-Husayn, whose kunyah (honorific name) is Abū ‘Abd Allāh; thus, it means Muhammad ibn Abī ‘Abd Allāh.” They thereby treated the kunyah as a personal name.

Among those who followed this approach was Ibn Talhah in his book, which he entitled Ghāyat al-Sūl fī Manāqib al-Rasūl (The Ultimate Aspiration Concerning the Virtues of the Messenger) (2). Even the slightest examination reveals that this is an outright distortion (3) and a lie attributed to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Does anyone understand his statement:

“His name will match my name, and his father’s name will match my father’s name,”

to mean anything other than that his father’s name is ‘Abd Allāh? Does this wording indicate that his ancestor’s kunyah is Abū ‘Abd Allāh?

Moreover, how would this distinguish him? How many descendants of al-Husayn are named Muhammad! Could not every one of them, by reference to his ancestors, be called Muhammad ibn Abī ‘Abd Allāh, just as this man has been? How could someone seeking clarity turn to a man named Muhammad ibn al-Hasan and say, “His name is Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh,” meaning thereby that his ancestor is Abū ‘Abd Allāh?

In this man’s case, identifying him (4) as Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, or ibn Abī al-Hasan—since