Is it religiously permissible to call someone with the kunyah (nickname) of the Prophet, that is, Abul-Qasim, and give a child the name "Muhammad"?

"You may call yourself by my name, but not by my kunyah. If you have my name, do not have my kunyah. If you have my kunyah, do not have my name." How should we understand this hadith? What should we do in practice?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) ordered fathers to give their children good names and said that the people would be called by their names on the Day of Judgment and that names would affect people. He said that the best names were the ones containing the word "Abd" and that Allah liked especially the names "Abdullah" and "Abdurrahman" among them (see al-Hindi, Kanz, XVI/417 ff). He stated the following about his name:

"You may call yourself by my name, but not by my kunyah (nickname)." (Muslim, Adab 1)

Acting upon this hadith, Shafiis and Zahiris say nobody can be given his nickname "Abul-Qasim" but the majority of the scholars say it is related to the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and that it can be used after his death since there is no possibility of confusion. For, the hadith above was stated by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) when somebody called out "Ya Abal-Qasim" to address somebody else, the Messenger of Allah turned toward him and the man said, "O Messenger of Allah! I did not mean you." After his death, such confusion is not possible.

That Tahawi said, "There were several people among Companions whose names were Muhammad and whose nicknames were Abu'l-Qasim" supports this. Ayni, who explained Bukhari, gives the list of those people one by one. (Ayni; Umdatul-Qari, IX/328) However, Bayhaqi states the following:

"The prohibition of taking his nickname is absolute (is not limited with his period). The hadiths about this are more in number and sounder."(Bayhaqi, as-Sunan al-Kubra, IX/310)

There is also the view that the prohibition of taking his nickname is valid for only those whose names are "Muhammad" (Nawawi, Sharhu Muslim, IX359/60). The following hadith reported by Bayhaqi supports this:

"He who takes my name should not take my kunyah; he who takes my kunyah should not take my name."(Bayhaqi, ibid, IX/309)

However, it is known that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) allowed Hz. Ali to name his child "Muhammad Abul-Qasim". Tabari says this shows that this prohibition is at the degree of makruh, not haram. (Irshad as-Sari, X/573).

In fact, the following hadiths were also reported:

"Do not beat the children whom you named Muhammad and do not deprive them of favors."  "When you give a child the name Muhammad, treat him well; do not make a wry face at him." [Hindi, ibid XVI/48, Suyuti, al-Jamius-Saghir (Faydul-Qadir) I/35] 

"A person who had three children and did not name one of them Muhammad acted ignorantly." [Hindi, ibid (from Tabarani) XVI/419]

However, all of these three hadiths are quite weak. Ibn al-Jawzi says the third one is mawdu (fabricated). Some other scholars said it was not mawdu. (Munawi, Faydul-Qadir; VI/237-38) Therefore, even if these hadiths are not taken into consideration, we see in a narration by Ibn Asakir that the name "Muhammed" is encouraged:

"If a person gives his son the name Muhammad seeking blessing, he and his son will be in Paradise." (Munawi, ibid VI/237)

Suyuti says this hadith is the example hadith regarding the issue and that it is hasan. Besides, Azrai says some Hanbali scholars prohibited Jews and Christians from taking names like Muhammad, Ahmad, Abubakr, Umar, Hasan and Husayn when he lived and that some weak Shafiis followed this view. Then, he says the first two names were probably prohibited due to the possibility of cursing and mocking but it is not really known why they held that view. This view is disputable. For, there have been Jews called Jesus and Christians called Moses and this has not been condemned throughout history. Man takes the names of the people that he loves and respects. However, if they are mocked in a place, it needs to be prevented. (Munawi, ibid I/385) As it is seen, there is nothing stating that non-Muslims cannot take those names.

However, there are some scholars who say that it is forbidden to take the name Muhammad in any case. They base their view on the following hadith:

"You call your children Muhammad and then curse them." [Hindi, ibid XVI/418 (45200; Suyuti, ibid]

In fact, Suyuti describes this hadith as sound but it does not prohibit giving the name Muhammad; it means it is a bad deed to curse the people who are called Muhammad. The examples in history and the Messenger of Allah himself prevent us from understanding the other way. Thousands of people have been given the name Muhammad since the Era of Bliss and nobody has condemned it. When somebody from Ansar had a son, he wanted to call him Muhammad; so, he asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about the decree of it and the Messenger of Allah said,

"You did Ansar a favor. Take my name but do not take my kunyah." (Muslim, Adab 6)

Another evidence supporting this view is the act of Hz. Umar regarding the issue. He sent an order to Kufa and asked them not to give the name of the Prophet to their children. He also asked a group of people in Madinah to change the names of their children called Muhammad. However, when they said the Prophet had allowed them, he gave up this attitude. (Nawawi, Sharhu Muslim, XIV/364)

One can think if Hz. Umar did not know it was permissible. According to Qadi Iyad, he did so in order to prevent the name of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) from being disrespected. According to a view, when he heard Muhammad b. Zayd addressed "O Muhammad! Allah did it to you!", Umar called him and said to him,

"I see that people curse the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) because of you. You will not be called Muhammad from now on."

Then, he changed his name as Abdurrahman. His decree about changing the name Muhammad is because of this incident. (ibid)

That our ancestors avoided giving the name Muhammad to their children and that they called their children "Mehmed" instead is an example of grace: the sameness for love and difference for respect. They are soldiers themselves and the individual soldier is called Mehmetcik. Its army is the home of the Prophet and it is like that in the history of Islam.

In conclusion, it is permissible to give the name Muhammad to children but it is not permissible to show disrespect to this name. Furthermore, it is a nice attitude and mustahab to give this name to children to seek blessing and to remember the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). It is permissible for those to give this name to their sons if they want to give Islamic education to them. However, it is necessary to tolerate those people like Hz. Umar who react to this in an environment where children are not generally given Islamic education. (Allah knows the best.) (see Ibnul-Athir, Jamiul-Usul I/381-82)

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