The Names of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)

The names of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) carry meanings that perfectly correspond to ‘the one named’. There is absolute congruence between his names and his embodiment of their meanings.

Divine wisdom entails that there be a correspondence between the name and ‘the one named’ in terms of beauty or ugliness. This is why the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would at times change an ugly name to a beautiful name, and occasionally change a good name to an ugly name, such when he named Abu al-Hakam ‘Abu Jahl,’ or when he named Abu ‘Amir the Monk to ‘the Corrupt One’ (al-Fasiq).

A multitude of names points to the greatness of one named and demonstrates the importance and status given to him.

Names, truly speaking, point to the ‘one-named’. The grammarians say the name/noun is ‘that which qualifies to be a subject’. Given this, the concern with the names of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is concern with the greatest Subject in creation—the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).

The first thing with which the Adamic human was honored was knowledge of the names.

The names of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) encompass the details of his descriptions and qualities, and for him truly the names point to the reality of the one named.

Scholarly works explaining the Prophetic names

1. Al-Munbi’ bi Asma’ al-Nabi by Ibn Faris (d. 395 AH).
2. A poem on the names of the Prophet and their meanings by Imam al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH).
3. Ibda’ al-Khafa Sharh Asma’ al-Mustafa (Making the Unclear Clear in Commentary on the Names of the Chosen One) by Imam Abu al-Hasan Ahmad al-Harrali (d 637 AH)
4. Bushra al-Labib bi Dhikra al-Habib by Imam Ibn Sayyid al-Nas (d. 734 AH).
5. ‘Aqd al-Zabarjad min Huruf Sayyidina Muhammad (The Ruby Centerpiece from the Letters of the Name Muhammad) by Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Ahmadi (d. circa 1200 AH).
6. Fakhr al-Abrar fi Ba’d ma fi Ism Muhammad min al-Asrar (The Pride of the Pious Concerning Some of the Secrets Contained in the Name Muhammad) by Imam Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Khalili (d. 1147 AH)
7. al-Nahja al-Sawiyya (The Straight Path) by Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 971 AH)
8. Al-Riyad al-Aniqa fi Sharh Asma’ Sayyid al-Khaliqa (The Resplendent Garden: An Explanation of the Names of the Master of Creation) by Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti.
9. Tadhkirat al-Muhibbin, by Shaykh Muhammad b. Qasim al-Rassa’ (d. 895 AH)
10. Matali’ al-Masarrat (part of a larger commentary on Imam al-Jazuli’s Dala’il al-Khayrat), by Imam Muhammad Mahdi al-Fasi (d. 1113 AH).