Kunyas, Cowardice and Principles: Use This to Keep your Walls and Pages Free from Trolls by Imam Suhaib Webb It seems like (no matter the topic) posts online are eventually invaded by the rude comments of Abū (insert name) or Um (insert name). In Arabic, Abū means “Father of” and Um means “Mother of.” These are called kunyas in Arabic. A quick background search on these people reveals everything from lion pictures, jihad flags, superheroes and even pictures of the forbidden. In short, often times, these people are using kunyas to hide their identity. Here are two axioms related to the use of kunyas that I heard from my teachers: “If a person tries to act like a scholar or speak from a position of authority, using a kunya (Abu or Um) to hide his identity then he is considered majhūl (unknown) and his critiques or statements about faith rejected.” (I heard this verbatim from my teacher in hadith Sh. S’ad Jawīsh al-Shaf’i). And “An unknown critic is ignored.” For that reason, The Mālikis do not allow books written by “unknown sources” for religious guidance (fatwā) to be relied on, and scholars of hadīth reject the criticism of an “unknown person.” People who comment with kunya’s – hiding their identity so they can critique, intimidate others or claim religious authority, are not only contradicting the faith they claim to love, but should be called out for their cowardice and ignored. The same for those who post blogs that attack others, hiding their identity. Those who use kunyas sincerely with the intention to follow the Sunna of the Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him) this post does not apply to them. So, the next time an unknown bully tries to intimidate you, or take over your comments section, please feel free to send this their way. Suhaib Webb Imam Suhaib Webb was guided to Islam in 1992 and studied with Sheikh Abu Mustapha of Senegal for ten years, learning Arabic, Fiqh and Tajwīd. In addition, he studied with Sh. Muhammad Nur ‘Abdullah, Sh. Abdullah Hamoud, Sh. Moustaph al-Maliki and Sh. Salhi al-Qasimi a student of the late Sh. ‘Uthaymeen. He enrolled at al-Azhar University and completed his studies there in 2010, studying as a Mufti for two years at Dar al-Iftā al-Masriyyah. He memorized the Qur’an holding a number of licenses in traditional studies. He is currently serving in Boston as the Resident Scholar of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center and is the founder of the Ella Collins Institute. Imam Suhaib is a member of the North American Fiqh Council.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 19:09:48 +0000
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