THE EXCELLENT NAMES OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

Extracted from

The Cure
SAHIH-SHEFA
by Su reme !u"t#ce A$u%fad% E&ad' d#ed ())*+CE - I"%am#c ,ear -..H/ Re orted $& 0ra1d Muhadd#th Ha$#$ Haf#2 A$du%%ah 3e1 Sade4 Re5#"ed $& Muhadd#th A$du%%ah Ta%#d# A1 ada tat#o1 $& Ser5a1t of Had#th' Sha&4h Ahmad Dar6#"h (Ara$#c/ 7hade#8ah A9 Ste he1" (E1:%#"h/ A&e"ha Nadr#&a (I1do1e"#a1/ Copyright 1984-2011 Allah.com Muhammad.com. All rights reserved. erms o! "ervice - Copyright#$% %olicy & 'uideli(es

The Prohibition of Favoring the Prophet noble prophets

over other

The proof that Prophet Muhammad is the noblest of all mankind and the best of all the prophets has been established and proven in both the Koran and prophetic quotations. (Shaykh Darwish added: And the Prophet's evident high etiquette and elegance when he mentions his noble fellow prophets ! The question arises as to the meaning of the prophetic quotations that speak of the prohibition against stating there is any preference amongst them. You will recall earlier we mentioned the prophetic saying, !o worshipper should say that " am better than #onah Matta$s son. % similar statement is reported by Masood$s son. %bu &urayrah also reported an incident when a #ew said, 'y the (ne whose chose Moses over mankind. )hereupon an %nsar hit him saying, &ow dare you say this when the Messenger of %llah, peace be upon him, is among us* The Prophet happened to overhear what was said and said, +o not make differences between the prophets. "n another rendering of the preceding hadith it reads, +o not make me better than Moses ,,. +o not let any of you say " am better than #onah, Matta$s son. %gain, %bu &urayrah reported the Prophet said, )hosoever says " am better than #onah Matta$s son has lied. (Shaykh Darwish commented: This is
because no ordinary person, regardless of his rank or depth of knowledge is fit to judge the prophets who are far higher than ordinary humans in all aspects especially their unseen qualities.

(ne day a man came to the Prophet and addressed him saying, ( best of mankind* &e replied, That is %braham.

-cholars e.plain the meanings of these quotations in several ways. "t has been e.plained that the prohibition occurred before he was informed that he was the Master of the children of %dam, so consequently he forbade anyone to differentiate between them in the rank of prophethood and its common core. %nother e.planation is that the Prophet forbid pride and arrogance. said it out of humility and to

(thers e.plained the saying with the meaning that if there was differentiation between them it could either lead to the lessening or detracting from the status of any one of them, a case in particular is what %llah said about Prophet #onah. -cholars e.plain that this is in order to prevent the unknowledgeable person belittling or lessening his high rank on account misunderstanding the verse, "#e went away in anger thinking $e had no power over him" /012345. )hen reading this verse, such a person might incline to think that he was lesser in rank. "t has also been e.plained that it is the prohibition of differentiating between the prophethood and the delivery of the Message. %ll the prophets are equal in this respect and consequently there is no difference. &owever, there is differentiation between the prophets regarding the elevation of their states, miracles, election, rank and kindness. %lthough all of the prophets, peace be upon all of them, have the blessed connection of prophethood, we should reserve some differentiation. This is because %llah &imself has favored some of them above others. 6or e.ample there are Messengers who received a message, and Messengers who possess resolution and firmness, as one finds in !oah, %braham, Moses, #esus and Muhammad, or "dris /7noch5 8 the one who was raised to a high position. #ohn 8 the one to whom 9udgment was given when he was young. +avid 8 was the one to whom the Psalms was given. #esus 8 the one to whom clear signs were given. Moses to whom %llah spoke, and others whom %llah raised in degree. %llah tells us, "$e have preferred some prophets above others" /142::5. %nd, "%f these &essengers' $e have preferred some above others" /020:;5. % scholar of "slam commented on the word preferred saying, Preference is that of preferring them in this world, and of this there are three aspects2 1. The greatness and prominence of their signs and miracles.
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0. The purity and si<e of their nation. ;. The quality and prominence. To clarify the third aspect, it is that it refers to the generous gifts highlighting the honor given specially to them by %llah and included such eliteness as being selected for speech, favors and close friendship. (ne finds that the Prophet$s conduct was always guarded against saying or doing anything that could be used as a source of dissension, because there are those who would not hesitate to belittle the prophethood of #onah, peace be upon him, and disregard the fact that he was among those who were chosen. "t was said as an act of compassion on behalf of the Prophet for his nation. %nother e.planation is the possibility that the word " refers to whosoever says it, in other words no one should think he is better than #onah because of the )ords of %llah concerning him. The degree of prophethood is better and higher and therefore its value cannot be diminished by even an atom. %llah willing, /insha%llah5, we will discuss this matter further. -uccess is from %llah, and &e is the &elper 8 there is no god e.cept &im*

The Excellent Names of the Prophet

#ubair Mutim$s son tells us of the names given to the Prophet and said that the Prophet said, " have been given five names. " am Muhammad, " am %hmad, " am %l Mahi /the eraser5 by whom %llah e.tinguishes disbelief. " am %l &asher /the gatherer5 at whose feet mankind will gather, and " am %l %qib /the last in prophetic succession5. (ne of the special gifts, given to Prophet Muhammad by %llah lies in the fact that %llah named him %hmad and Muhammad which are names derived from the %rabic root to praise . The name Muhammad bears the meaning the ob9ect of more praise , whereas %hmad bears the meaning of more praised . 'oth the names Muhammad and %hmad are found in the Koran, and these names are also derived from the same root from which some of the finest !ames of %llah are derived. Therefore the creation praise the =reator with &is +ivine praised finest !ame, and also venerate &is Prophet with his praised prophetic name.

Prophet Muhammad is the most e.cellent, and best of all those who praise and the one who is most praised among creation. Prophet Muhammad is referred to by the name $%hmad$ in the Koran, and this name was known to #esus and mentioned in the original >ospel revealed to him. The name $%hmad$ is derived from the word $praise$ whereas the Prophet$s name $Muhammad$ bears the meaning of abundance of praise. (n the +ay of ?esurrection, the Prophet will come as the bearer of the 'anner of Praise /to %llah5 and this is will be the completion of the perfection of the praise for him, and his @ord will, as promised, give him the Praiseworthy -tation. %t that time and place, the first and last generations will thankfully praise him for the intercession he makes for them, and as we learned earlier, he will begin praising %llah in a way never given to anyone before. "n the previous 'ooks given to the prophets, the nation of Prophet Muhammad are referred to as the praisers , therefore it befits him that he is called Muhammad and %hmad. These two names are very special and contain not only qualities but signs. 'efore Prophet Muhammad$s advent, no one had been called %hmad. %llah in &is wisdom had preserved it especially for him. 7ven though the name %hmad had been written in previous scriptures proclaiming the good news of his coming, no one was called by it before his coming. The same can be said of his name Muhammad. !either %rabs nor nonA%rabs knew of it until shortly before his birth when they heard the news and that it would be a person bearing this name who had been selected to be a prophet. )hen the news of his name became known, si. %rabs named their son Muhammad in the hope that it would be their son who would be the chosen one, but %llah had selected &is Message to be placed with Muhammad, %bdullah$s son. The si. Muhammad$s were, the son of Bhayha whose grandfather was %l #ulah %l %wsi, the son of Maslama %l %nsari, the son of 'arra %l 'akri, the son of -ufyan whose grandfather was Mu9ashi, the son of &umran %l #ufi and the son of Khu<a$" %s -ulami. %llah prevented all of them from claiming the prophethood and there was no contender amongst them and the name was established as being his. (f the Prophet$s name %l Mahi 8 the eraser A the one who would erase disbelief, it has been said that it might possibly be because he erased disbelief from Mecca and other %rab lands of which he prophesi<ed would
*

convert and came about after his passing. "n many visions, and in the state of wakefulness, the Prophet was shown the boundaries of his nation and promised it would e.tend to those limits. The erasing of disbelief is referred to in general, meaning victory and overcoming as %llah says, "(t is #e who has sent forth #is &essenger with guidance and the )eligion of truth to uplift it above every )eligion" /C2;;5. Prophet MuhammadDs name %l %qib 8 the last in prophetic succession A is that no other prophet will come after him, he is the last, the seal of the Prophethood. The Prophet told his =ompanions, " am %l %qib, and there will be no prophet after me. %llah says, "#e is the &essenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets" /;;.EF5. The ProphetDs name %l &asher 8 the gatherer A it is because the people will be gathered at his feet. This name has also been e.plained as meaning that all people will be gathered before him because %llah says, "(n order that you will be a witness above the people' and that the &essenger be a witness above you" /021E;5. "t has also been said that gathered at his feet is an indication of his precedence over all others. %llah says, "that they are standing on a sincere footing with their *ord" /1F205. >athered at his feet has also been e.plained with the meaning in front and around him, and that it also refers to his prophetic way. The Prophet tells us that he has five names. These names e.isted in the ancient scriptures and were known to their knowledgeable religious authorities. %nd %llah knows best. The father of Moses %l %shari tells us, the Prophet said, " am Muhammad, %hmad, of all the prophets " am the last to come, " am the >atherer, the Prophet of ?epentance, the Prophet of &eroism. "n another report it reads The Prophet of Mercy and ?est. %llah willing /insha%llah5, all these names are correct. %llah speaks of &is Prophet saying, "$e have not sent you e+cept as a mercy to all the worlds" /0121F45. &e also says, "to recite to them #is verses' to purify them' and to teach them the ,ook and the $isdom" /G020.5 %lso, "And guides them to a Straight Path" /:21G5 and &e speaks of his qualities saying, "he is gentle' merciful to the believers" /C21035.

Prophet Muhammad spoke of his nation saying, "t is a nation that has been shown mercy. (f his nation %llah says, "they charge each to be patient' and charge each other to be merciful" /CF2145. "n &is Mercy, %llah sent Prophet Muhammad not only as a Prophet and a Messenger for his nation but also for all mankind, and the one who asks for their forgiveness. %llah made Prophet MuhammadDs nation one that shows mercy, and one to whom mercy is attributed. Prophet Muhammad commanded his followers to be merciful to one another and praised this quality in them saying, %llah loves those of &is worshipers who are merciful. The Prophet encouraged his followers to be merciful and said, The Merciful loves those who are merciful, therefore show mercy to all upon the earth and whosoever is in the heavens will show mercy to you. $ The title Prophet of &eroism is an indication that he will fight. This is reported again by &udhayfa who said that the Prophet is The Prophet of Mercy, the Prophet of ?epentance and the Prophet of &eroism. "n the Koran, %llah calls &is Prophet by many blessed names, some we have already mentioned. %mongst those not mentioned are the2 @ight, @uminous @amp, +etailing )arner, )arner, 'earer of >lad Tidings, the +etailing 'earer of >lad Tidings, )itness, )itnesser, Manifest Truth, -eal of all the Prophets, =ompassionate, Merciful, Trusty, Mercy to all the worlds, 'lessing of %llah, 6irmest Tie, -traight Path, >enerous, Bnlettered Prophet, and the "nviter to %llah. (Shaykh Darwish commented: This is
because no ordinary person, regardless of his rank or depth of knowledge is fit to judge the prophets who are far higher than ordinary humans in all aspects especially their unseen qualities.

The Prophet has many other attributes as well as ma9estic names. -ome are mentioned in the ancient scriptures and also in the scriptures of the prophets. "n the Prophet$s sayings one finds many names frequently used by his =ompanions and followers. These include names such as the2 =hosen, -elected, %bu$l Kasim, the 'eloved, Messenger of the @ord of the )orlds, %ccepted, "ntercessor, the 6earfully %ware, %mender, Truthful, =onfirmer, >uide, Master of the =hildren of %dam, Master of the Messengers, @eader of the 6earfully %ware, @eader of those whose forehead and feet shine from
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the traces of ablution, 'eloved of %llah, 6riend of the Merciful, Possessor of the Hisited Pool, "ntercessor, the Praiseworthy -tation, Possessor of Means, the 7.cellent and the &igh +egree, Possessor of the =rown, %scended, 'anner and -taff, ?ider of 'urak, the traveler at the speed of light, (wner of the -heA=amel and the 6ine =amel, the Possessor of Proof, Power, -eal, -ign and the 7vidence, Possessor of the -taff and the Possessor of the Two -andals. "n previous scriptures the following names are found2 the ?elied Bpon, the =hosen, the 7stablisher of the Prophetic )ay, the Pure, the -pirit of Purity, the -pirit of the ?eal. "n the >ospel he is referred to as, the Paraclete . Tha$labah e.plained that the Paraclete is the one who distinguishes between truth and falsehood. The preceding suffices as brief glimpse at his blessed names, titles and qualities of which there are many more.

Allah Honors the Prophet

with some of His Names

The &onor of %llah to the Prophet by gifting him with some of &is own 'eautiful !ames and by describing him with some of &is own splendid qualities )e are told in the &oly Koran of the honor %llah bestowed on many of &is prophets by gifting them with some of &is (wn !ames. 6or e.ample, he called Prophets "shmael and "saac %lim meaning the knowing and their father Prophet %braham &alim meaning the forbearing . Prophet !oah was bestowed with the name, -hakur meaning thankful and both Prophets #ohn and #esus were given the name 'arr , meaning devoted . Prophet Moses was blessed with the names Karim and Iawwi meaning noble and strong . Prophet #oseph was given the name &afidh %lim meaning the knowing guardian , and Prophet #ob was named -abur meaning the patient. Prophet "shmael was also called -adiq %l )a$d meaning True to the promise . Peace be upon all the prophets. %s for Prophet Muhammad one finds that %llah preferred, honored and adorned him with an abundance of &is (wn !ames, and that he was known by these names to earlier prophets. There are many gifted names, amongst which #udge 7yad, gathered the following2
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)e begin with &is !ame %l &amid which means Praiseworthy . The meaning is that %llah praises &imself by &imself and &is worshipers praise &im. "t also bears the meaning of the (ne /%llah5 who praises &imself and praises acts of obedience. (ur beloved Prophet is called by two names both of which mean praised, they are Muhammad and %hmad. To shed more light, %hmad bears the meaning of the greatest of those who praise, and the most noble of those to be praised. &asan, Thabit$s son, the great poet, known for his poetry said that praised the Prophet indicated to this when he said, 6or him it has been taken from &is (wn !ame so that he is ennobled . %llah has called &imself, the Kind, the >entle /%r ?auf5 and the Most Merciful /%r ?aheem5. There is a similarity between these two !ames, and we find %llah adorning &is Prophet with them in &is )ords, "and is gentle' merciful to the believers!" /C21035. %mongst the !ames of %llah is the =lear Truth /%l &aqq %l Mubin5. The Truth /%l &aqq5 which is e.istent, and is an irrefutable reality. =lear /%l Mubin5 is the (ne whose +ivinity is apparent. %llah calls &is Prophet by clarity saying, "until the truth and a clear &essenger came to them" /E;20C5. %nd, "( am a plain warner" /1:23C5. %llah also refers to him saying, "Say: '% people- .he truth has come to you from your *ord! $hosoever is guided is guided only for himself' and whosoever goes astray' he is astray for himself! ( am not a guardian over you!" /1F21F35. %nd &e says, "they belied the truth when it came to them" /G2:5. "t has been said that the preceding refer to Prophet Muhammad others say it means the Koran. &owever, what is understood is that it is the opposite of falsehood. The Prophet$s truthfulness and characteristics are an irrefutable reality. The clear is he whose actions and message are clear, or the one who clarifies what %llah sent him with. %llah says, "so that you can make clear to people what has been sent down to them /1G2EE5. %llah has named &imself %n !oor , meaning The @ight . &e is the Possessor of @ight, the =reator, and illuminates the heavens and the earth with lights. %llah is the (ne who enriches the hearts of believers with the light of guidance. "n chapter : verse 1:, %llah tells us "A light has come to you from Allah and a /lear ,ook!" "t has been said that the light refers to the Prophet and it has also been said that it refers to the Koran. %llah calls &is Prophet "a caller to Allah by #is permission' a light shedding lamp"

/;;2EG5. This verse makes his position clear, confirms his Prophethood and what he brings to mankind illumines the hearts of believers. %nother of the !ames of %llah is The )itness /%sh -hahid5 and bears the meaning of the (ne who is %llAKnowing. %llah calls &is Prophet a witness and says, % Prophet' $e have sent you as a witness" /;;2EG5 and, "and that the &essenger be a witness above you" /021E;5. 6urthermore, another of the !ames of %llah is, The >enerous and &onorable /%l Karim5. "t has the attributes of being the (ne, with whom there is much good. "t has also been e.plained as meaning, The (verflowing of >enerosity , and, The 6orgiving as well as the &igh . %llah calls the Prophet !oble . "n a prophetic quotation the Prophet said, " am the most noble and master of the children of %dam. 7ach meaning of the name is equally valid for him. %llah has named &imself The Mighty /%l %dhim5. %nd its meaning is the (ne who is ma9estic, everything relies upon &im. )hen &e speaks of the Prophet "Surely' you are of a great morality" /G32E5. %llah has named &imself $$The Thankful /%sh -hakur5. This !ame bears the meaning of the (ne who rewards even the smallest action. -cholars have also said that it means, the (ne who praises those who obey. %llah described Prophet !oah with it saying, "#e was truly a thankful worshiper" /142;5. "n gratitude for the blessings given to him by his @ord, Prophet Muhammad said, )hy shouldn$t " be a thankful worshiperJ "t is recognition of its worth, and praise of &im, as well as striving for increase because %llah says, "(f you give thanks' ( will increase you" /1E245. Two of &is other !ames are The Knower /%l %lim5, the Knowing /%l %llam5 the Knower of both the Bnseen and -een. %llah bestowed &is Prophet with the virtue of knowledge from &im. &e says, "#e taught you what you did not know! .he ,ounty of Allah to you is ever great" /E211;5, and in another verse %llah says, "and teach you that of which you have no knowledge" /021:15. &e is also called %shA-adek /the true5 and many hadiths mention the Prophet as being %shA-adek %l Masduq /the truthful and confirmer5.

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%mongst the !ames of %llah are, The >uardian /%l )ali5, and The Master /%l Mawla5, both bear the meaning of &elper. %llah tells us, "0our guide is only Allah' #is &essenger" /:2::5. "n the saying of the Prophet he said, " am the guardian of those who believe. %llah says, ".he Prophet has a greater right on the believers than their own selves" /;;2G5. The Prophet said, To whomsoever " am his authority, %li is also his authority. %nother of the !ames of %llah is The Pardoner /%l $%foe5. The meaning of this is that &e is the (ne who acquits. "n both the Koran and the Torah %llah refers to the Prophet by this name, and we find &im commanding Prophet Muhammad to accept what is easy, saying "Accept the easing" /421CC5, and "yet pardon them' and forgive" /:21;5. )hen this verse was revealed to the Prophet he asked the %rchangel >abriel to e.panded upon its meaning. >abriel replied, )ait until " ask the (ne who knows. Bpon his return >abriel said, ( Muhammad, %llah orders you to renew yourself with those who sever themselves from you, and to give to those who refuse to give to you, and forgive those who are un9ust to you. The Prophet said, Pardon those who wrong you. &e is also described in the Torah as &e is neither coarse, nor harsh, rather he pardons and overlooks. %mongst the !ames of %llah is, The >uide /%l &adi5. %llah gives success to whosoever of &is worshipers &e wills, meaning guidance to &is )ay and &is invitation to them. %llah says, "Allah invites you to the #ouse of Peace! #e guides whom #e will to a Straight Path" /1F20:5. %llah says, "And you' surely guide to a Straight Path" /E02:05, and refers to the Prophet saying, a caller to Allah by #is permission" /;;2EG5. %llah is the ultimate >uide and says, "0ou cannot guide whom you please1 it is Allah who guides whom #e will! #e knows well those who are guided" /032:G5. "n this verse there is an indication to the way in which this attribute can be applied to other than %llah. &e, the 7.alted is called, The >uardian of 6aith /%l Mu$min5, The Protector /%l Muhaymin5, and these !ames have similar meanings. %llah$s !ame %l Mu$min, means that &e is the (ne who confirms &is promise to &is worshipers. &e confirms the truthfulness of &is )ord and &is believing worshipers and Messengers. "t has also been e.plained with the meaning
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%llah is the (ne who affirms &is (neness about &imself. "t has also been said it means that &e is the (ne who protects &is worshiper in this world from in9ustice. %nd protects believers in the 7verlasting @ife from the punishment. %l Muhaymin has been e.plained as meaning the Trustworthy . %s for %men /%meen5 it is the word which is used at the end of supplications, and it has been said that it is amongst the !ames of %llah and that its meaning is the >uardian of 6aith /Mu$min5. %s for the Protector /Muhaymin5 it is said that it means )itness and the Protector. The Prophet was given names %l %meen, %l Mu$min, %l Muhaymin. )ell before his prophethood, he was known as %l %meen. %llah says, "he believes in Allah and trusts the believers" /C2G15. Meaning the Prophet confirms with the truth. The Prophet said, " am the trustworthy of my =ompanions. This also means the Prophet is %l Mu$min /witness and protector5 The Pure /%l Iuddus5, is another of the !ames of %llah, and means the (ne detached from all imperfections, and pure from the characteristics of creation. The Mosque in #erusalem, /'ayt %l Maqdis5 is so called, because it was there that a person can be purified of sin, and also purified was used in the purified valley, 6or you are in Towa, the sacred valley /0F2105 , and the Pure -pirit />abriel5 and supported him with the -pirit of Purity />abriel5 /02345. "n the previous scriptures of the prophets Prophet MuhammadDs name is recorded as being purified which means being in the status of purified from all sins, %llah told him, "that Allah forgives your past and future sins" /E3205, or it is said to mean that, it is by him people are purified, by his being in the status of no sin, and that by following the Prophet they are freed from sin as %llah says, "to purify them" /G0205. (f his Prophet %llah says, ",y #is permission #e takes them out from darkness to the light" /:21G5. "t has also been said that its meaning is the status of purity from all blameworthy qualities and baseness. %llah is called The Mighty /%l %<i<5, and this name means having absolute power, conqueror and victor, or, the (ne of whom there is no likeness, or gives power to others. %llah tells us, ",ut the might belongs to Allah' and #is &essenger" /G;235.

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%llah called &imself The 'ringer of >lad Tidings and )arning . &e says, ".heir *ord gives them glad tidings of mercy from #im2 /C2015. %nd, "Allah gives you glad tidings of 3ohn" /;2;C5 and "Allah gives you glad tidings of a $ord (,e from #im" /;2E:5. %llah speaks of Prophet Muhammad as being the bearer of glad tidings, as a warner and a herald, in other words, some one who conveys good news to those who obey %llah and warns those who disbelieve and disobey.

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