A Child of the Hijrah

Ruqayyah and 'Uthman were among the first Muslims to emigrate to Abyssinia, fleeing the persecution of Quraysh. The biographers report that Ruqayyah bore 'Uthman a son there, and they named him 'Abdullah.

'Uthman became known by him as Abu 'Abdullah, "the father of 'Abdullah". Even after the boy's death, the kunya stayed with 'Uthman for the rest of his life, so that every time his companions called him by it, they named this child.