Short answer
Yes. A kunya (a name like Abu Yusuf or Umm Abdullah) is a sunnah honour and does not need a real child. The Prophet ﷺ gave Aishah the kunya Umm Abdullah though she had no children, and he called a little boy "Abu Umayr". The Hanafi school permits it, and giving a child a kunya is a good custom too.
Taking a kunya is permissible and a good custom, whether or not you have a child by that name, and giving a kunya to a child is also permitted. The Hanafi scholars hold that the prohibition on the kunya Abu al-Qasim applied in the Prophet's lifetime.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Many Shafi'i scholars, including al-Nawawi, held that taking the kunya Abu al-Qasim remains forbidden after the Prophet's death.
Explanation
The kunya is an Arab way of honouring someone: Abu (father of) or Umm (mother of) followed by a name. Calling someone by their kunya instead of their bare name shows respect. Aishah once told the Prophet ﷺ that all her friends had kunyas, and he told her to take the kunya of her nephew Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr. She was known as Umm Abdullah though she never had children.
A kunya for a child. Anas had a small brother with a pet bird. The Prophet ﷺ would tease him kindly: "Abu Umayr, what happened to the little bird?" The scholars drew from this that giving a child a kunya is allowed, and that it raises his dignity from an early age.
Choosing a kunya:
- Many people take the name of their eldest child, or of the child they hope to have.
- Some use the name of a prophet or Companion they love, such as Abu Bakr or Umm Salamah.
- Avoid kunyas that praise yourself or carry a bad meaning, the same rules as for names. See best names and names to avoid.
Abu al-Qasim. The Prophet ﷺ said: name yourselves with my name but do not take my kunya. The Hanafi scholars, with many others, explain that this was to avoid confusion while he was alive, so it is permitted now, though some scholars of the Shafi'i school kept the ban. For naming in general, see naming a baby.
The evidence
Sunan Abi Dawud 4970
Grading to be checked... فاكتني بابنك عبد الله ...
"Take the kunya of your son Abdullah."
Aishah was given a kunya though she had no children.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6129
Sahih... يا أبا عمير ما فعل النغير ...
"O Abu Umayr, what happened to the little bird?"
A small child was called by a kunya.
Sahih al-Bukhari 110
Sahih... تسموا باسمي ولا تكتنوا بكنيتي ...
"Name yourselves with my name, but do not take my kunya."
The source of the discussion on the kunya Abu al-Qasim.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on names and kunyas. A kunya may be taken without a child, and a child may be given a kunya.
- al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim (al-Nawawi), Kitab al-Adab, chapter on the kunya Abu al-Qasim. Sets out the views on the kunya Abu al-Qasim.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.