| Short meaning of Abu Hurairah | See below for detailed meaning |
|---|---|
| Original Spelling | أبو هريرة How to write Abu Hurairah in the original language, such as Arabic or Persian |
| Alternate spellings of Abu Hurairah | Abu Hurayrah All of the above spellings are acceptable for this name. You may also create your own spelling. |
This is NOT a Quranic name, but Muslims can use it since it has a good or neutral meaning.
Meaning of Abu Hurairah
Abu Hurairah, also spelled Abu Hurayrah, is the name of a famous Sahabi (follower of Prophet Muhammad PBUH who met the him during his lifetime), known for the greater number of hadiths he transmitted. His actual name is ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Ṣakhr al-Dawsī (عبد الرّحمن بن صخْر الدَّوْسِيّ), and it is narrated that the nickname Abu Hurairah was given to him by the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, although the narrations mentioning this have not been trusted by all scholars.
Origin of Abu Hurairah’s Nickname “Father of Cats” / “Companion of Cats”
According to Tāj al-ʿArūs fī Jawāhir al-Qamūs,
وَعبد الرّحمن بن صخْر الدَّوْسِيّ الصحابيّ الْمَشْهُور، اختُلِف فِي سَبَب تكْنِيَتِه بأَبي {هُرَيْرَةــ، فَقيل: لأَنّه رأَى النَّبيُّ صلى الله تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسلم قي كُمِّه هِرَّةً فَقَالَ: يَا أَبا هُرَيْرَةَ. فاشتهر بِهِ، قَالَ السُّهَيْلِيّ: كَنَّاه} لِهِرَّةٍ رَآهَا مَعَه، وروى ابْن عَسَاكِر بِسَنَدِهِ عَن أَبي إِسْحَاق قَالَ: حدَّثني بعض أّصحابي عَن أَبي هُرَيْرَة قَالَ: إنَّما كَنَانِي النَّبيُّ صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وسلَّم بأَبي هُرَيْرَة لأَني كنتُ أَرْعى غَنَماً فوجدْتُ أَولادَ هِرَّةٍ وَحْشِيَّةٍ فجعلتُها فِي كُمِّي، فلمّا رُحْتُ عَلَيْهِ سمِع أَصواتَ هِرَّةٍ، فَقَالَ: مَا هَذَا فقلتُ: أَولادُ هِرَّةٍ وجدتُها. قَالَ: فأَنتَ أَبو هُرَيْرَةَ. فلَزِمَتْني بعدُ، قَالَ ابْن عبد البَرّ: هَذَا هُوَ الأَشْبَهُ عِنْدِي. وَفِي بعض الرِّوَايَات مَا يدلّ على أَنَّه كُنِي بهَا فِي الجاهليَّة.
Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr al-Dawsi, the renowned companion: there was disagreement concerning the reason for his kunya [title or nickname] of Abu Hurairah. It was said: because the Prophet, may Allah the Exalted’s peace and blessings be upon him, saw a kitten in his sleeve and said: “O Abu Hurairah,” and he became famous by this. Al-Suhayli said: He gave him this kunya because of a kitten he saw with him. Ibn Asakir narrated with his chain from Abu Ishaq who said: Some of my companions told me from Abu Hurairah who said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, only gave me the kunya of Abu Hurairah because I was herding sheep and I found the offspring of a wild cat and put them in my sleeve. When I returned to him, he heard the sounds of a kitten, so he said: “What is this?” I said: “The offspring of a cat I found.” He said: “Then you are Abu Hurairah.” And it stuck with me afterward. Ibn Abd al-Barr said: This is what seems most likely to me. In some narrations there is that which indicates he was given this kunya during the pre-Islamic period [in which case all the previous narrations are unreliable or fabricated – Ikram].1
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