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Is it permissible to use the kunya "Abu Al-Alam" (Father of Knowledge)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade names that imply self-praise and commendation. Therefore, the kunya "Abu al-Ilm" (Father of Knowledge) is religiously disliked (makrooh) because it contains self-praise, arrogance, and boasting. Some jurists have even considered it a major sin if it is boasting without right or necessity.

Indeed, a true possessor of knowledge would not entertain such a thought, for knowledge is humility and an awareness of one's own ignorance.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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