Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

The name Muhammad (may peace be upon him) is the passive participle of the second form of the verb hamada (to praise or laud), and means "(he who is) worthy of praise" or "(one who is) often praised." Muhammad is the passive participle of the first form of the same verbal root, "(he who is) praised, to whom praised is due."

In addition, the mystics discovered by applying the method of ishtiqaq kabir (the derivation of a certain meaning from each letter of a word) that his name consists of the m of majd (glory), the h of rahma (mercy), the m of mulk (kingdom) and d of dawam (everlastingness).

The Prophet himself is credited with the saying: “Do you not wonder how God averts from me the abuse and the curse of the Qoraish? They insult me as blameworthy (mudhammam) and curse me as the blameworthy one, but I am a praiseworthy one (muhammad),” vide Dala’il an-Nubuwwat (Medina, 1969, p. 121) by Baihaqi. In another hadith, the Prophet mentions as his names, besides Muhammad, Ahmad (derived from the same root, hamd), al-mahi or he through whom God effaces (mahw) infidelity, al-hashir or he at whose feet mankind will gather at judgment day, and finally al-aqib or the last (because there will be no prophet after him).

Among these names, Ahmad has gained a very special importance in Islamic theology. The Koran (61:5) states that God “will send a Prophet by the name of Ahmad” or “of highly praiseworthy name.”

The Prophet was called during his early youth al-Amin (the faithful) for his people were impressed by his noble qualities and reliability.

Besides Muhammad and Ahmad, we also find Abdallah (God’s servant) or Abduhu (His servant), vide Koranic verses 17:1 and 53:10 – both verses referring to his exalted rank during his heavenly journey. The mysterious letters at the beginning of Sura 20 and Sura 36, Taha and Yasin were likewise understood as names of the Prophet. Sura 20 begins: “Taha – did We not send down the Koran upon you?” The letters Yasin at the beginning of Sura 36 are interpreted as Ya insan, “Oh man!” – which is again an address to the Prophet. Hence, Taha and Yasin became proper names among the Muslims and many writers have pondered their secret meanings, reading Taha, for instance, as an abbreviation of tahir (pure) and hadi (guide).

In Koran (33:45), the epithets bashir (bringer of good tidings) and nadhir (warner) are used for the Prophet. Another Koranic verse contains a description of the Prophet as sirajun munir (a shining lamp).

The Prophet is also called al-mustafa (the chosen one) and al-mujtaba (the elected one). The prominent Divine addresses to the Prophet are in the introductory words of Sura 74, Ya ayyuha’l mudaththir (O you covered one) and Sura 73, Ya ayyuha’l muzammil (O you enwrapped one).

Among the non-Arab Muslims, the Prophet was frequently referred to with appellations pertaining to his native country and his family: Qoraishi, Muttalibi, Hashimi, Makki, Medini, or simply Arab.

It would be a big project to collect all the loving and admiring epithets with which the poets and prose writers and mystics have surrounded the Prophet, who is often simply called rasul-i akram (the most noble Prophet) or risalat-sarwar-i kai’nat (the leader of the universe).