43. Good Conduct and Manners
٤٣۔ كتاب الأدب
The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) changed the name of ‘Asiyah and called her Jamilah.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ غَيَّرَ اسْمَ عَاصِيَةَ وَقَالَ أَنْتِ جَمِيلَةُ
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.
أَنَّ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتَ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ سَأَلَتْهُ مَا سَمَّيْتَ ابْنَتَكَ قَالَ سَمَّيْتُهَا بَرَّةَ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْ هَذَا الاِسْمِ سُمِّيتُ بَرَّةَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لاَ تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمُ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِأَهْلِ الْبِرِّ مِنْكُمْ فَقَالَ مَا نُسَمِّيهَا قَالَ سَمُّوهَا زَيْنَبَ
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.
يُقَالُ لَهُ أَصْرَمُ كَانَ فِي النَّفَرِ الَّذِينَ أَتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا اسْمُكَ قَالَ أَنَا أَصْرَمُ قَالَ بَلْ أَنْتَ زُرْعَةُ
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.
أَنَّهُ لَمَّا وَفَدَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَعَ قَوْمِهِ سَمِعَهُمْ يَكْنُونَهُ بِأَبِي الْحَكَمِ فَدَعَاهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَكَمُ وَإِلَيْهِ الْحُكْمُ فَلِمَ تُكْنَى أَبَا الْحَكَمِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ قَوْمِي إِذَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِي شَىْءٍ أَتَوْنِي فَحَكَمْتُ بَيْنَهُمْ فَرَضِيَ كِلاَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا أَحْسَنَ هَذَا فَمَا لَكَ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ قَالَ لِي شُرَيْحٌ وَمُسْلِمٌ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَمَنْ أَكْبَرُهُمْ قُلْتُ شُرَيْحٌ قَالَ فَأَنْتَ أَبُو شُرَيْحٍ
The Prophet ﷺ asked: What is your name? He replied: Hazn (rugged). He said: You are Sahl (smooth). He said: No, smooth is trodden upon and disgraced. Sa'id said: I then thought that ruggedness would remain among us after it. 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.
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَهُ مَا اسْمُكَ قَالَ حَزْنٌ قَالَ أَنْتَ سَهْلٌ قَالَ لاَ السَّهْلُ يُوطَأُ وَيُمْتَهَنُ قَالَ سَعِيدٌ فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ سَيُصِيبُنَا بَعْدَهُ حُزُونَةٌ
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.
سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ الأَجْدَعُ شَيْطَانٌ
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.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لاَ تُسَمِّيَنَّ غُلاَمَكَ يَسَارًا وَلاَ رَبَاحًا وَلاَ نَجِيحًا وَلاَ أَفْلَحَ فَإِنَّكَ تَقُولُ أَثَمَّ هُوَ فَيَقُولُ لاَ إِنَّمَا هُنَّ أَرْبَعٌ فَلاَ تَزِيدَنَّ عَلَىَّ
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).
نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ نُسَمِّيَ رَقِيقَنَا أَرْبَعَةَ أَسْمَاءٍ أَفْلَحَ وَيَسَارًا وَنَافِعًا وَرَبَاحًا
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.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنْ عِشْتُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْهَى أُمَّتِي أَنْ يُسَمُّوا نَافِعًا وَأَفْلَحَ وَبَرَكَةَ قَالَ الأَعْمَشُ وَلاَ أَدْرِي ذَكَرَ نَافِعًا أَمْ لاَ فَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يَقُولُ إِذَا جَاءَ أَثَمَّ بَرَكَةٌ فَيَقُولُونَ لاَ
The vilest names in Allah’s sight on the Day of resurrection will be that of a man called Malik al-Amlak. 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).
النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ أَخْنَعُ اسْمٍ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ رَجُلٌ تَسَمَّى مَلِكَ الأَمْلاَكِ