The praised one. The last of them, the mercy to the worlds, the most beloved name on earth.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
His story
He grew up an orphan. Allah reminds him: "Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?" 93:6.
Revelation began in the cave of Hira, and for twenty-three years he called people to Allah. He is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets 33:40, and Allah said to him: "You are of a great character" 68:4.
At Ta'if he was rejected, and walked away in grief. The angel of the mountains offered to crush the city between two mountains. He said no: he hoped their children would worship Allah alone Bukhari 3231.
He never took revenge for himself Bukhari 3560. He never hit a woman or a servant Muslim 2328. Anas served him for ten years and never once heard "uff" from him Bukhari 6038.
Hiding in the cave during the migration, with the enemy at the entrance, he told his companion: "Do not grieve. Allah is with us" 9:40.
Moments
- 01
The orphan
He grew up an orphan. Allah reminds him: "Did He not find you an orphan and shelter you? Did He not find you lost and guide you? Did He not find you in need and enrich you? So do not oppress the orphan, and do not turn away the one who asks."
- 02
The cave of Hira
In the cave of Hira, on the mountain above Makkah, the first words of the Quran came to him: "Read, in the name of your Lord who created. Created the human being from a clinging clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by the pen, taught the human being what he did not know."
- 03
Ta'if
Rejected in Ta'if, he walked away in grief and did not come to himself until Qarn ath-Tha'alib. The angel of the mountains came and offered to crush the people between two mountains. He said: "No. I hope Allah will bring from their descendants people who worship Allah alone, associating nothing with Him."
- 04
The cave of Thawr
Leaving Makkah in secret, he hid in the cave of Thawr with Abu Bakr while their enemies searched outside. Abu Bakr was afraid. He said to him: "Do not grieve. Allah is with us." Allah sent down His tranquillity upon him and supported him with soldiers they did not see.
- 05
The Night Journey
In one night Allah took His servant from the Sacred Mosque to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, and then up through the heavens. In each heaven he met the prophets before him: Adam, Yahya and Isa, Yusuf, Idris, Harun, Musa, and Ibrahim, each welcoming him as a brother and a prophet.
- 06
Mercy
Allah describes how he led people: "It is by mercy from Allah that you were gentle with them. Had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have left you. So pardon them, ask forgiveness for them, and consult them in the matter." The last messenger, sent as mercy.
What he did when…
A man asked him for advice. He said: "Do not get angry", and repeated it every time the man asked again Bukhari 6116. The strong person is not the one who wins a fight, but the one who controls himself when angry Bukhari 6114. If you are standing, sit. If that does not help, lie down Abu Dawud 4782. And say: I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan Bukhari 6115.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6116Sahih al-Bukhari 6114Sunan Abi Dawud 4782Sahih al-Bukhari 6115
Rejected at Ta'if, he walked away in grief. The angel of the mountains offered to crush the town between two mountains. He refused, and chose hope for their children instead: that one day their descendants would worship Allah.
His enemies were at the mouth of the cave, close enough to see them if they looked down. He said to his frightened companion: "Do not grieve, Allah is with us." Fear was real. So was Allah's company.
As the leader of a whole nation, whenever he was given a choice between two things he chose the easier one, as long as it was not a sin. He never struck a woman or a servant with his hand, and he never took revenge for himself.
When revelation paused for a time and people taunted him that his Lord had abandoned him, Allah sent down: "By the morning light, and by the night when it is still. Your Lord has not left you, nor is He displeased. What comes after will be better for you than what came before."
He never took revenge for his own sake. When the wrong was against him personally, he let it go. He only stood firm when it was a violation of what Allah had made sacred.
Allah told him: "Had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have left you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them." Gentleness was not weakness. It was the reason people stayed.
Anas served him for ten years as a boy and never once heard "uff" from him, or "why did you do that?", or "why didn't you do this?". He never struck a woman or a servant. The greatest man of all was gentlest at home.
He was driven out of Makkah, the city he loved, and hid in a cave with one companion while they searched for him. Allah describes that moment: "the second of two, when they were in the cave, when he said to his companion: Do not grieve, Allah is with us." Leaving home did not mean leaving Allah's care.
His words, for you to keep
لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا
If your child carries this name
محمد Muhammad
Muhammad means "the praised one". It is the most given name on earth. A child who carries it carries a promise: to be praised for his character, as he was. Kindness at home, honesty in trade, mercy when angry. That is what makes a Muhammad.
Sources on this page
Quran 3:159Quran 9:40Quran 17:1Quran 21:107Quran 93:1-11Quran 93:3-5Quran 96:1-5Sahih Muslim 2328Sahih al-Bukhari 3207Sahih al-Bukhari 3231Sahih al-Bukhari 3560Sunan Abi Dawud 4782Sahih al-Bukhari 6038Sahih al-Bukhari 6114Sahih al-Bukhari 6115Sahih al-Bukhari 6116
Quran meanings are given in plain English, close to the Arabic. Hadith numbers follow sunnah.com.