The Benefits of Giving Children a Kunyah (“Abu…” or “Umm…”)

1⃣. Following the Prophetic practice The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to give kunyah even to children. In Sahih Al-Bukhari, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I had a younger brother called Abu ‘Umayr — I think he had just been weaned. Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) came, he would say to him: ‘O Abu ‘Umayr, what happened to the little bird?’” He had a small bird that he used to play with. 2⃣. Being hopeful for a long life for the child Giving a child a kunyah is a way of hoping that he will live long enough to grow up and have children of his own. It is also a way of hoping that an elderly person who has no children may still be blessed with a child. The early Muslims used to give a kunyah to young boys and even to those who did not yet have children, out of this sense of hope. One proof of this is what At-Tabarani narrated: The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) the kunyah “Abu ‘Abdirrahman” before he had any children. 3⃣. Protecting children from bad nicknames Giving a child a kunyah helps prevent people from giving them unpleasant or insulting nicknames. In this meaning, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Give your children kunyah early, before bad nicknames reach them.” Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali said: “Hurry to give kunyah before nicknames.” He also said: “We give our children kunyah while they are young out of fear that a nickname might attach to them.” These and other reports were mentioned by Imam Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr in his book Bahjat Al-Majalis wa Uns Al-Mujalis (p. 163). 4⃣. Reviving the Arab tradition It is well known that the Arabs used to care greatly about giving kunyah (honorary names). So doing this keeps that tradition alive. Source: https://t.me/Abu_Hudaifah/2916