Names of Muhammad

The website Quran Focus has an article titled, The 99 Names of Muhammad. The article states, “According to the Arabs, the more names someone has, the more noble he is.” So what are we to make of the fact that they associate 99 names with Allah as well as 99 names with Muhammad. What else are we to think except that they are making Muhammad a partner with God?

[14:30] They set up rivals to rank with GOD and to divert others from His path. Say, “Enjoy for awhile; your final destiny is Hell.”

وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا لِّيُضِلُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ قُلْ تَمَتَّعُوا۟ فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ

[41:9] Say, “You disbelieve in the One who created the earth in two days, and you set up rivals to rank with Him, though He is Lord of the universe.”

قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ فِى يَوْمَيْنِ وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُۥٓ أَندَادًا ذَٰلِكَ رَبُّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

But it is even worse. According to the site SalawatHub, they list 202 names of Muhammad – more than twice that of the names attributed to God. It also makes the following statement regarding the names of Muhammad:

The Arabs say that the more names a thing is given, the more noble it is. A number of scholars have compiled collections of the names of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to increase the appreciation of who he actually is. In some cases they collected 99 names, to match the 99 Names of Allah mentioned in a famous Hadith. In other cases, they collected far more. Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi relates in his commentary on Kitab al-shamail, the great Hadith compilation of Imam Tirmidhi describing the Prophet ﷺ, that some Sufis have said that the Prophet has a thousand names. Ibn al-Faris includes 2020 in his Tafsir Asma al-Rasul, while Abu al-Hasan al-Subki states that they number 4000. Qastallani relates just over 500 in his work al-Mawahib al-ladunniyya. Qadi Iyad, in al-Shifa, his classic treatise on the Prophet ﷺ, limits himself only to those names ascribed clearly to him; he also says that the Prophet ﷺ has 30 names which are also among the Names of Allah.

As if attributing more names to Muhammad than God is not blasphemous enough, if we look at the names they give the prophet, we see many of these names are the names of God.

It is worth mentioning that there is a difference between a name and an attribute. If we say someone is kind, we infer that they possess the qualities of kindness, but if we say that their name is Kind, then we infer this entity can be used as a substitute for that word. So, while believers are encouraged to imitate the attributes of God in their actions, none can share in His name. On the other hand, when it comes to the names ( اسم ) of God, no other entity can possess any of His names because no other entity can substitute for God. This is because God is Absolute ( l-ṣamadu / ٱلصَّمَدُ ).

[112:1] Proclaim, “He is the One and only GOD. [112:2] “The Absolute GOD. [112:3] “Never did He beget. Nor was He begotten. [112:4] “None equals Him.”

قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ

If a person claims another entity shares the same name as God, then they are inferring that that person can be used as a substitute for God. Therefore, how can anyone use any of the names of God for any other entity other than God and still claim to be a monotheist?

All the names of God are unique to Him and are used to call upon Him alone. Just like we wouldn’t call any other entity Allah (God), it would be blasphemous to call any entity the same name we use for God.

Below is the list of the 202 names attributed to Muhammad from the article, and we can see that a number of these names are explicitly used for God in the Quran. For example, Pardoner ( عَفُوٌّ ), Witness ( شَهِيدٌ ), Truth ( حَقٌ ), Honorable ( كَرِيمٌ ), Beneficent ( بَرٌّ ), Kind ( رَؤُوفٌ ), Merciful ( رَحِيمٌ ), Almighty ( عَزِيزٌ ).

[37:159] GOD be glorified; far above their claims.

سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

[52:43] Do they have another god besides GOD? GOD be glorified, far above having partners.

أَمْ لَهُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

[59:22] He is the One GOD; there is no other god besides Him. Knower of all secrets and declarations. He is the Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

[59:23] He is the One GOD; there is no other god besides Him. The King, the Most Sacred, the Peace, the Most Faithful, the Supreme, the Almighty, the Most Powerful, the Most Dignified. GOD be glorified; far above having partners.

هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

[59:24] He is the One GOD; the Creator, the Initiator, the Designer. To Him belong the most beautiful names. Glorifying Him is everything in the heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty, Most Wise.

هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقُ ٱلْبَارِئُ ٱلْمُصَوِّرُ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

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