Who Named the Prophet (PBUH)?
من الذي سمّى الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم؟
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was born, his mother sent word to his grandfather to give him the glad news of his grandson, and he came rejoicing and took him into the Kaaba. He prayed to Allah and thanked Him, and he chose the name Muhammad for him, and this name was not common for the Arabs as it was mentioned that only about twenty men were called by that name. He circumcised him on the seventh day, as the Arabs used to do.
لما ولد الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، أرسلت أمه إلى جده تبشره بحفيده، فجاء مستبشرا ودخل به الكعبة، ودعا الله وشكر له، اختار له اسم محمد، وهذا الاسم لم يكن مشهورا في العرب، ويذكر أن الذي تسمى به قرابة عشرين رجلا وهو عدد قليل قبل، وختنه يوم سابعه كما كان العرب يفعلون.
1. A Seventh-Day Feast and the Name | وليمة اليوم السابع والسؤال عن الاسم
The scholar's answer has Abd al-Muttalib choose the name when he took the newborn into the Kaaba, and circumcise him on the seventh day, as the Arabs used to do. Another report, which Ibn Kathir quotes from al-Bayhaqi, describes the seventh day: Abd al-Muttalib sacrificed for the child and invited Quraysh to a meal, and when they asked what he had named him, he said: "I named him Muhammad." The report dates the feast; it does not say the name was first given that day.
مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّـهِ (سورة الفتح: 29)
في جواب الشيخ أن عبد المطلب اختار له الاسم حين دخل به الكعبة، وختنه يوم سابعه كما كان العرب يفعلون. وفي رواية أوردها ابن كثير عن البيهقي أن عبد المطلب ذبح عنه يوم السابع ودعا قريشًا، فلما أكلوا سألوه: ما سميته؟ قال: سميته محمدًا، فالرواية تؤرخ الوليمة لا أول التسمية.
2. Rarity of the Name Among Pre-Islamic Arabs | ندرة اسم محمد بين العرب وحفظه للنبي
The name was not common among the Arabs: the scholar notes that only about twenty men are reported to have carried it before him. The Quran calls him Muhammad four times (3:144, 33:40, 47:2 and 48:29) and records Jesus announcing him by the name Ahmad (61:6).
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ (سورة آل عمران: 144)
لم يكن اسم محمد مشهورًا في العرب، ويذكر الشيخ أن من تسمى به قبله قرابة عشرين رجلًا. وقد ورد اسم محمد في القرآن أربع مرات (آل عمران 144، الأحزاب 40، محمد 2، الفتح 29)، وبشر به عيسى عليه السلام باسم أحمد (الصف 6).
3. The Reason Provided by Abd al-Muttalib | جواب عبد المطلب عن سبب التسمية
Asked why he had passed over the names of his forefathers, Abd al-Muttalib answered, in the same report from al-Bayhaqi: "I wanted Allah to praise him in heaven and His creation to praise him on earth."
وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ (سورة الشرح: 4)
ولما سألته قريش: فما رغبت به عن أسماء أهل بيته؟ قال: أردت أن يحمده الله تعالى في السماء، وخلقه في الأرض، كما في رواية البيهقي التي أوردها ابن كثير.
4. Linguistic Meaning of "Muhammad" | الدلالة اللغوية البليغة لاسم محمد
Al-Qurtubi explains on 61:6 that "Muhammad" carries the meaning of "praised" with emphasis and repetition: the one praised time after time. The Prophet himself contrasted it with its opposite: "Do you not wonder how Allah turns away from me the insults and curses of Quraysh? They insult Mudhammam and curse Mudhammam, while I am Muhammad" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3533).
قال القرطبي في تفسير سورة الصف: محمد منقول من صفة، وهي في معنى محمود، ولكن فيه معنى المبالغة والتكرار، فالمحمد هو الذي حمد مرة بعد مرة. وقال ﷺ: «ألا تعجبون كيف يصرف الله عني شتم قريش ولعنهم؟ يشتمون مذممًا ويلعنون مذممًا وأنا محمد» (صحيح البخاري 3533).
5. Divine Inspiration of the Mother Aminah | إلهام أمه آمنة بالتسمية المباركة
Ibn Ishaq, quoted by Ibn Kathir, reports that his mother Aminah used to tell how, while she was carrying him, she was told: "You are carrying the master of this nation, so when he is born, say: 'I place him in the protection of the One,' and name him Muhammad."
روى ابن إسحاق، كما نقل ابن كثير، أن آمنة كانت تحدث أنها أتيت حين حملت به فقيل لها: إنك قد حملت بسيد هذه الأمة، فإذا وقع إلى الأرض فقولي: أعيذه بالواحد، وسميه محمدًا.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Who gave Prophet Muhammad his name?
His paternal grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib. The scholar's answer says he chose the name when he took the newborn into the Kaaba; in another report he tells Quraysh the name at a feast on the seventh day.
Why did Abd al-Muttalib choose the name Muhammad?
In a report Ibn Kathir quotes from al-Bayhaqi, he said he wanted Allah to praise him in heaven and His creation to praise him on earth.
Was the name Muhammad common in Arabia at that time?
No. The scholar notes that only about twenty men are reported to have carried the name before him.
What does the name Muhammad mean linguistically?
It means the one praised time after time, as al-Qurtubi explains on 61:6.