There is a great deal of disagreement regarding the name of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), which suggests that his personality was not a real one but rather an imaginary character with no existence in real life.
References
◄ Riyadh al-Jannah fi al-Radd 'ala al-Madrasah al-'Aqliyyah wa Munkiri al-Sunnah, Dr. Syed Hussain al-Afani
◄ Shubuhat wa Abateel Munkiri Ahl al-Sunnah, Abu Islam Ahmad Abdullah
◄ Abu Hurairah Rawiyah al-Islam, Muhammad Ajab al-Khatib
First Point
The existence of disagreement regarding the name of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah does not affect his integrity nor does it negate the reality of his personality. Therefore, his being well-known by his kunyah (patronymic) is sufficient to establish his identity.
There are companions and other such personalities who are known by their kunyah and about whose names there is disagreement, but such a matter is not raised about anyone else, which clarifies the main purpose. For example:
Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah
You are among the Ashara Mubashra, among the early predecessors, and you were given the title Amin al-Ummah. You are also known by your Kunya. His name was Amir and his father's name was Abdullah. However, he was known by his lineage from his grandfather's side as Abu Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah. Now, if in his fame neither his name nor his father's name is well-known, should his personality be denied? Certainly not; rather, being known by his Kunya is sufficient to identify his personality.
Abu Dajana al-Ansari
His name was Samak, while his father's name is mentioned by some as Khursha and by others as Uwais bin Khursha. He was also known by his Kunya. He had the honor of participating in the battles of Badr and Uhud. In fact, in Uhud, he stood back-to-back with the Prophet ﷺ, defending him ﷺ and facing arrows.
Abu al-Darda
You are also among the noble companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, whom Imam Dhahabi has referred to with titles such as Al-Imam, Al-Qudwah, Hakim Hadhihi Al-Ummah, and Sadd Al-Qurra' bi Dimashq. This is the personality who, during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, used to recite the Quran to him ﷺ, and during his time, the Quran was compiled. You were known by your kunya, and there are various reports about your lineage; some have mentioned your name as Uwaymir and your father's name as Zaid, some have mentioned your father's name as Amir, some Abdullah, and some Tha'laba. Despite this, it is known that you were an Ansari and belonged to the tribe of Banu Khazraj.
From these examples, it becomes clear that other companions were also known only by their kunya. But there is no disagreement about their personality, so why is there disagreement about Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah?
Second point
The kunyah of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah is famous and well-established through multiple chains of narration, and in fact, this kunyah was given by the Prophet ﷺ himself. Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned it in his book. Moreover, in Al-Isabah, it is detailed that the Prophet ﷺ called him Aba Hur, so Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah said, "Do not call me Abu Hurairah; the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called me Aba Hur," and the masculine form is better than the feminine. In the books of biographies, the reason for this kunyah is also mentioned: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah used to play a lot with cats in his childhood, so he came to be called Abu Hurairah, meaning "the one with cats." Then this kunyah became famous and overshadowed his actual name.
Third Point
In the books of history and biographies, there is frequent mention of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him. This is clear evidence that Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah was a personality who had his own distinct existence.
Fourth Point
Even in the present era, there are hundreds of such examples. Many personalities are famous by their pen names or pseudonyms instead of their real names, and these names have become so dominant that people do not know them by their real names.
For example, the famous columnist of Ummat newspaper, Sailani, his real name is Ehsan Kohati. Similarly, the renowned Urdu poet Ghalib's real name was Asadullah Khan. Patras was also a pseudonym; Balakhurd became famous by this name, and his real name was forgotten. Ibn Insha wrote columns under at least nine pseudonyms. Similarly, Haji Laq Laq's real name was Atta Muhammad.
The British essayist and critic known as Elia had the real name Charles Lamb.
The Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Isaac Bickerstaff's real name was Jonathan Swift.
In fact, history has seen women who wrote under male pen names. For example, the playwright and novelist famous as George Sand had the real name Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin. The novelist and poetess known as George Eliot was actually named Mary Ann Evans. The British author known as Vernon Lee was actually Violet Paget. Similarly, Isak Dinesen's real name was Karen Blixen. Rob Thurman's real name was Robyn.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of such examples can be given, so if this principle is used to declare a personality doubtful due to variations or differences in names, then this principle would apply to all of them, resulting in the literature of all languages being considered unreliable and worthless.
