1. It is narrated from Zaid bin Aslam from his father that Umar bin Khattab
scolded his son, because his agnomen was Abu Isa. The agnomen of Mughira bin
Shoba was also Abu Isa. Umar said to him: Why did you not give yourself the
agnomen of Abu Abdullah? He replied: The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) kept
my agnomen as Abu Isa. Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) has
forgiven past and future sins,1 but we are responsible for ourselves.2 After that he
used to address him as Abu Abdullah till he was killed.3
2. Wife of Ubaidullah Ibne Umar came to Umar and complained: “O chief
of believers, will you not save me from Abu Isa?”
Umar asked: “Who is Abu Isa?”
The wife said: “Your son, Ubaidullah.”
Umar said: “Woe be on you, how can you call him Abu Isa?”
And he summoned his son and asked: “Woe be on you, have you adopted
the agnomen of Abu Isa?”
He warned and threatened him; after that he bit his hand till he screamed.
Then he beat him up and said: “Woe be on you, did Isa have a father? Can’t you
have agnomens, which Arabs adopt? Like Abu Salma, Abu Hanzala, Abu Arfata
and Abu Murra.”4
3. Umar wrote to the people of Kufa: “Do not name anyone on names of
prophets;” and commanded the residents of Medina to change the names of their
sons if they were named Muhammad, till some companions of Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
said that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) himself had permitted them to name their
sons as Muhammad. At that time he left them alone.5
4. Umar heard a man called another person as Zulqarnain and told him:
“Now that you exhausted names of prophets; you have started naming people
after angels?”
Allamah Amini says: These reports expose the ignorance of Caliph:
1. The Caliph prohibited naming people as Muhammad. And ordered
changing names of persons, who were named as Muhammad, whereas the
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) had said: “One who has three sons and has not
named anyone as Muhammad, is ignorant.”6
He also said: “When you name your son Muhammad, you must not beat him
or deprive him of anything.”7
And said: “On Judgment Day, Almighty Allah looks at one, whose name is
Ahmad or Muhammad and says: O My servant, you, who is named after my
beloved, Muhammad, how did you not feel ashamed to commit sin?” He would
hang his head in shame and say: “Indeed, I am guilty of sins.”
Allah, the Mighty and Sublime will say: “Jibraeel, take the hand of My
servant and admit him to Paradise. I feel ashamed to punish by Hellfire, a servant
named Muhammad.”8
The Prophet himself named most persons born during his lifetime as
Muhammad. Moreover, Islam has encouraged people to name children with
beautiful names and Muhammad is the most beautiful name and the best name,
through which God is worshipped and praised. That is why it is narrated from the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) that:
“On Judgment Day, you will be summoned by your names and names of your fathers; so choose good names for yourself.”9
He also said: “Among the rights of children is that they should be given
good names and trained well.”10
2. His prohibiting people from using names of prophets, which after names
derived from the beautiful divine names: that is Muhammad, Ali, Hasan and
Husain, are the most beautiful names.
It is mentioned in a traditional report from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) that:
“There is no house having a name of a prophet, except that Allah, the Mighty and
High raises an angel, who sanctifies them every morning and night.”11
And he says: “Choose your name from names of prophets and the best name
in view of Allah is Abdullah, Abdur Rahman and the most true of them is Harith
and Hamam and the worst of them is Harb and Murrah.”12
3. Umar condemned using agnomen of Abu Isa on the pretext that Isa (a.s.)
did not have a father.
Did the Caliph think that everyone, who named himself as Abu Isa regarded
himself as father of Isa, son of Maryam that objection should be raised against
him whether Isa had a father? Or he thought that agnomens of fathers should be
according to names of their children. That is why he said to Suhaib: “Why you
named yourself Abu Yahya; you who don’t have a son?”
4. More amazing is the fact that the Caliph after hearing the statement of
Mughira that the Prophet named him Abu Isa, he testified to it, yet he did not
give up his view and regarded him to be forgiven of his sins by Prophet. He
asked him and his companions not to commit sins; because he did not know what
their end shall be.
I don’t know whether he proved through definite evidences that it was sin in
which chastisement is followed by forgiveness. Moreover, how he understood
that Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) committed sins that he argued through verse of
Surah Fath that sins of Prophet are forgiven. No, he does not have a proof, on the
contrary, through this imaginary reasoning, he deliberated whether Isa had a
father?
Now, if this statement had evidence – and I definitely don’t say that – then
refuge of God, kudos to the non-infallible Prophet. And if he issued this
statement due to sophistication, then woe be on one, who utters without knowing.
5. After regarding these two agnomens bad, his punishment was that before
beating them up, he used to bite his hand and time has never heard of such
punishment.