– wa-barakātuh (and His blessings): the plural of barakah, meaning abundant good of every kind. Allah Most High says, “And this is a blessed Reminder” (21:50), drawing attention to the divine bounties that flow from it.

– as-salāmu ʿalaynā (peace be upon us): intended are all those present—the imam, the congregation—and the angels.

– ash-hadu … etc.: that is, I make a decisive proclamation, for shahādah is conclusive knowledge. Al-Rāghib writes: “Shahādah is a statement that issues from knowledge gained through the witnessing of insight or of eyesight.”

– ar-rasūl (the messenger): the root of irsāl is baʿth (dispatching); hence rasūl means “one who has been sent.” The word may refer to one or many; its plural is rusul. A human messenger of Allah is a man to whom revelation has come and who has been commanded to convey it. The rasūl thus has two relations: to the Sender—“Indeed, We shall surely help Our messengers” (Ghāfir 40:51)—and to those to whom he is sent—“When their messengers came to them with clear proofs” (Ghāfir 40:83).

– Muḥammadan: Philologists say that Muḥammad and Maḥmūd are passive participles derived from ḥammada (to praise abundantly), owing to his many praiseworthy qualities. Ibn Fāris notes that our Prophet was named Muḥammad ﷺ because Allah knew the multitude of his laudable traits. The Prophet ﷺ has numerous names: they are “names” insofar as they designate his person and “attributes” insofar as they point to their meanings.

There is no Christian doubt that his name in the Gospel is Aḥmad. Aḥmad is a comparative form of the active participle, whereas Muḥammad is a passive participle: he is the most praising of people toward his Lord (Aḥmad), and he is the one most praised for the goodness within him (Muḥammad). Both stem from the same root.

– ayyuhā an-nabiyy (O Prophet): here the discourse shifts from the third person to direct address, although the third person would ordinarily suit the context, because they obtained this blessing only through him; they therefore address him openly and specifically. Likewise, the term “prophet” is used instead of “messenger,” even though messengership is the higher rank, so that both descriptions may be combined for him.