List of Names and Titles

Below is a list of 201 titles / names of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ according to the collection of Imam al-Jazuli. It is numbered as 202, as the names Ra’uf and Rahim (187 and 188 on the list, respectively) are separate whereas Imam al-Jazuli considered Ra’uf and Rahim as a single name since they come together, without any conjunction, in the Quran.

Meaning of the Name of Muhammad

Muhammad is the name by which the Prophet is best known. The Prophet ﷺ said:

The name Muhammad is derived from the root ḥa-mīm-dāl (ح-م-د), which means ‘to praise’; this, being the passive participle of the second form, signifies ‘One who is praised continuously and copiously.’ He is so called because his name is forever being mentioned on the tongues of the denizens of the heavens and the earth at every moment in time, and also in their hearts. In fact, he is remembered and brought to mind upon seeing and recognising every beautiful and noble quality and through every knowledge learnt, understood and absorbed since he is the source and epitome of all noble qualities manifested in creation. Not only is he praised abundantly in this world, owing to the guidance and wisdom that he brought: he will also be praised in the next life , thanks to his intercession for the whole of creation after the Resurrection. His name alludes not only to his being much praised but also to the fact that his qualities and virtues are endless and we can never encompass them. The more we discover, the more Allah reveals to us so that we may continue to praise him until the end of time and beyond.

According to a Hadith cited by Abu Nuaym al-Isfahani, it was his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, who named him Muhammad. When asked why he had done so – the name being unknown amongst his forefathers — he answered, “It is my hope that the denizens of all the heavens and the earth will sing his praises.” It was said that he named him so because of a dream in which he saw as if a chain of silver was emanating from his back; one edge of it was in the firmament and the other was in the lands, one side of it pointed towards the east and the other in the west. Then it turned into the form of a tree, with light on every one of its leaves, to which all mankind in the east and west were holding fast. He saw the Arabs and non-Arabs all bowing and people from amongst the Quraysh holding fast to it. Then a group of people came and tried to cut the tree down; but when they drew close, a young lad whose beauty and fragrance Abd al-Muttalib had never seen or smelt the like of, appeared and broke their backs and gouged out their eyes. Abd al-Muttalib tried to reach out to take hold of the tree but he could not reach it. He was told, “You will have a share of it — but through the people who are holding fast to it.” Upon waking up, he related this dream to one of the divines of Quraysh and they interpreted it as meaning that a child would emerge from hi_s progeny to whom all the people in the east and west would hold f_ast and whose praises would be sung by the denizens of the heavens and earth. (Rawd al-unuf)

It is also related by Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa^’d that the Prophet’s mother Amina heard a voice speak to her, informing her that she had given birth to the leader of his nation and that she should name him Muhammad. Scholars say, combining these two narratives, that she mentioned this to Abd al-Muttalib and so he named him Muhammad, since her experience confirmed what he himself had seen.

No one had been known by this name until shortly before his birth, according to Qadi Iyad. Zarqani in his commentary on al-Mawahib al-ladunniyya agrees that this is the position of the majority of scholars and is the soundest. Since the Jews and Christians were aware of his impending arrival, about fifteen boys, according to Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani’s commentary on Bukhari, were named Muhammad in the hope that they would be blessed with prophethood in their household. Yet none of them claimed prophethood, and all passed away before the spread of Islam except Muhammad ibn Adi, who by some accounts accepted the religion at the hand of the Prophet ﷺ.

Honorifics

In central and south Asian countries such as Pakistan and Turkey, the Prophet ﷺ is often referred to with the honorific title Hazrat (Arabic: حضرت) and is called Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ denoting his majesty and holiness. Elsewhere in the Muslim world, the title Sayyiduna (Arabic: سیدنا), meaning “our master” is often said before the name of Muhammad ﷺ.

There is also a strong emphasis on sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ after his name is mentioned, orally or written. It is related from Ali who said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The miser is the one who, when I am mentioned in his presence, does not send prayers upon me.’”(Tirmidhi)

The most common prayer after the mention of the name of Muhammad ﷺ is ﷺ / صلى الله عليه وسلم (sallAllahu alaihi wasallam), meaning “Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him”. This is sometimes abbreviated to “SAW” or “PBUH” (peace be upon him) when written in English. Abbreviations are however discouraged and there is a strong emphasis on writing out the prayer fully upon the mention of the name of Muhammad ﷺ.

References

• Heavenly Guide to the Beacon of Pure Light – Idris Watts.