Q. Could you please clarify whether it is true that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has 99 names. To my knowledge, this is true of God only. Please comment.
A. Siddiqui
A. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is called by several names, but the name he was given at birth was Muhammad. His mother reports that she heard a voice telling her that she was carrying a boy who would be the best of mankind, and that she should call him Muhammad.
His grandfather wanted to call him Ahmad, which is his second name mentioned in the Qur’an. Both these names are derived from a root that signifies praise. Muhammad in particular means “one who is often praised.” From the same root a further name is derived, which is Mahmood. The Prophet is also called by other names, but these are mostly attributes or qualities that he is known to have had. An example of these is Mustafa, which means “chosen.” Furthermore, he is described in the Qur’an by certain qualities, and some people claim that these are also names of his. This is not true, because some of these are attributes of God, such as Ra’oof and Raheem, which mean kind and compassionate respectively. When these are used on their own, they refer to God, not to the Prophet.
To find 99 names and qualities by which to call the Prophet will require some arbitrary usage of such qualities. Besides, there is nothing to be gained by such an exercise. We know that the Prophet combined the best qualities that could be found in the best of people. To give him a name for each such quality is a totally unnecessary exercise. People, however, think that by doing so they demonstrate their great love of the Prophet. The fact is that such love is best demonstrated by following the Prophet’s example, not by singing his praises, much worthy of praise as he certainly is.