Al-Hamid and Ahmed

[Kazem]

Salam everyone.   Someone in my circle of friends asked a question that if the title of Allah can be ‘Al Hamid’ (which means praiseworthy)  then How can Muhammad get the title Ahmad (which means the praised one) ?  Shouldn’t Ahmad be a name for Allah and not a Human?

[N. Truth Seeker]

Walaykom as Salam.  No, there is a lot of difference between the names Al-Hamid and Ahmed.  What need to be understood here are the contextual facts of both these words.

First of all, Al-Hamid is one of the 99 names of Allah which means ‘Praiseworhy.’  Please note, the words ‘Hamid’ and ‘Hameed’ are basically the same, have the same definition, just slightly differing spellings.

Allah The Greatest is the Divine Power, Praiseworthy because of His complete perfection. Muhammad (pbuh) is created by Allah; he is the ‘praised one’ or the 'one who praises Allah' which is the definition of, Ahmed.  Ahmed is the praised one at a human level, based on his righteous spiritual and moral deeds without perfection.  The positive deeds of humans are complimentary but not worthy of perfection which is only the attribute of Allah.  Humankind can be merciful, generous or wise, but only within the limited capacity of a created being.  The highest and flawless perfection of these qualities belong only to Allah.   While we can praise both Allah and man, the highest form of praise or the unlimited praise synonymous with perfection belongs to Allah only and comes first & foremost before any smaller praises for righteous humans.  Thus,  Al-Hamid and Ahmed, respectively.

Just as Ahmed means ‘praised one’ or the one who praises, Muhammad means honored, blessed and purified  with the best features of a human being in morality, honesty and loyalty, but without perfection. Al-Hameed is the name of Allah Azza Wajal, The Greatest, which means that he is the only one who deserves hamd, that is, praises and glory.

Arabic is a rich language.  Translating words from Arabic to English often requires context and may have multiple meanings.   Words with similar Arabic root can have differing meanings or differing levels in Arabic. E.g. the highest form of the root word “ha-mi-da” is “Hameed” which means “the praiseworthy.” But an English translation of another level of the same root word might carry the same meaning in English.  Therefore, the understanding of Arabic grammar and context helps to clarify.

To conclude:  Al-Hamid is unique to Allah, while Muhammad and Ahmad are names only for humans and much below the rank of Allah.  It is also important to remember that the word Hamid or Hameed must be preceded by Al, that is, Al-Hamid or Al-Hameed to specifically define the Supreme Power which is Allah only, never Muhammad nor anyone else.

[Kazem]

Thanks brother.  I hear many Muslims having this name Hamid.  Is that ok?

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Yes, it’s ok.  When humans have that name the connotation is not the person being praiseworthy, rather it refers directly to Allah as the praiseworthy.  Therefore you will not hear anyone with the name Al-Hamid, it is just Hamid or Abdul Hamid.   

There are quite a few titles of Allah which people take as names though not all.   E.g. Hamid or Khaliq  etc. can be taken as names, and as names of people these words refer to the attributes of Allah, usually with the prefix ‘Abdul’ and never with the prefix “al.”

[Kazem]

JazekAllah khair, sister.   I get your point.

[Ruhi_Rose]

All such names taken by humans refer directly to the qualities of Allah The Greatest.

Another point worth mentioning, the Prophet (pbuh) had certain titles like Sadiq al Amin and Mustafa.  Taking the example of Mustafa, it means "the chosen one" referring to the Final Messenger.  Many people have that name, Mustafa.  But that doesn't mean they are alluding to themselves as "the chosen one."  The allusion is  to the Prophat (pbuh) and the people have selected that name for themselves or their children in memory and honor of the Prophet (pbuh).

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Exactly, that's a good example.

[Kazem]

👍