principle in discourse is to establish fresh meaning, not merely reiterate what has already been said. If, therefore, we were to render the verse as “mercies from their Lord and mercy,” the second phrase would simply repeat the first, linking one identical term to another.

The sound position, then, is the first: Allah’s ṣalāh upon His servant is His praise of him in the highest company of angels.

As for the poet’s words, “Muhammad, the finest Prophet ever sent,” Muhammad is one of the Prophet’s names, peace and blessings be upon him. In the Noble Qur’an Allah mentions two of his names:

• Ahmad
• Muhammad

Regarding Ahmad, it is quoted on the tongue of Jesus (peace be upon him). Jesus chose that name either because only that wording was revealed to him, or because it conveys superiority, for Ahmad is originally a comparative—one might say, “So-and-so is the most praiseworthy of people.” Thus he addressed the Children of Israel with it to highlight the Prophet’s perfection.

As for Muhammad, it is the passive participle derived from ḥamada (“to praise”). The more likely view is that Allah revealed this name for two reasons:

1 – To make clear to the Children of Israel that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is the most praiseworthy and the best of mankind;
2 – To test and try them, for the Christians said, “The one Jesus foretold is Ahmad, whereas the one who has come to the Arabs is Muhammad; Ahmad is not Muhammad, and Ahmad has not yet appeared.” Concerning such people Allah says: “As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they follow what is ambiguous of it” (Q 3:7).

We say to them: your claim that he has not yet come is false, for in that same verse Allah says: “Yet when the clear proofs came to them, they said, ‘This is manifest sorcery’” (Q 61:6).