Al-Muqaddimāt al-Mumahhidāt - Ibn Rush al-Jadd - (3/364)

Al-Muqaddimāt al-MumahhidātIbn Rush al-Jadd

ibn Mut‘im, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “I have five names: I am Muhammad, and I am Ahmad. I am al-Māhī, through whom Allah effaces unbelief. I am al-Hāshir, at whose feet people will be gathered—meaning that they will follow me—and I am al-‘Āqib.”

His statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “I have five names,” does not prove that he has no others. Mentioning some of his names, even while specifying their number, does not exclude the rest. This is like saying, “So-and-so has three qualities: such-and-such.” This does not preclude his having other qualities. Since these five names are derived from his attributes, there is nothing to prevent his having other names derived from his attributes. Indeed, reports establish this: this hadith is also transmitted through Muhammad ibn Jubayr ibn Mut‘im, from his father, with the addition: “Allah has also called him kind and merciful.” Among his names reported elsewhere are al-Muqaffī, the Prophet of Repentance, and the Prophet of Battle. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, also called him the Seal of the Prophets.

Other names derived from his attributes, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, may be added to these transmitted names, for these too are derived from his attributes. Muhammad and Ahmad derive from praise. Al-Māhī, the Effacer, derives from Allah’s effacing unbelief through him, as he stated in the hadith, and effacing the sins of those who follow him. Al-Hāshir, the Gatherer, derives from his community’s being gathered to him on the Day of Resurrection and following him, standing before him, behind him, and to his right and left. Al-‘Āqib, the Last, signifies that he is the last of the prophets. Al-Muqaffī, the Successor, signifies that he followed the prophets who preceded him. The Seal of the Prophets has a similar meaning. He was called the Prophet of Repentance because, through him, Allah Most High accepted the repentance of those of His servants who repented. He was called the Prophet of Battle because he was sent to fight in the cause of the religion. Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds.

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His Age, Peace Be upon Him, When Allah, Mighty and Majestic, Made Him a Prophet

Allah, Mighty and Majestic, made him a prophet when he was forty years old. It is also said that he was forty-three; the reports from Ibn ‘Abbās differ on this.

ابن مطعم «أن رسول الله- ﷺ قال: لي خمسة أسماء، أنا محمد، وأنا أحمد، وأنا الماحي الذي يمحو الله بي الكفر وأنا الحاشر الذي يحشر الناس على قدمي، يريد يتبعوني، وأنا العاقب». وليس في قوله- ﷺ لي خمسة أسماء دليل على أنه لا أسماء له غيرها، إذ لا ينتفي عنه بذكر بعض أسمائه وإن ذكر عددها سائرها. وهذا كما تقول: في فلان ثلاث خصال وهي كذا وكذا، فلا ينتفي أن تكون له خصال سواها؛ لأن أسماءه هذه الخمسة مشتقة عن صفاته، فلا يمتنع أن يكون له أسماء سواها مشتقة من صفاته. بل قد جاء ذلك، فروي هذا الحديث من رواية محمد بن جبير بن مطعم عن أبيه وزاد فيه: وقد سماه الله رؤوفا رحيما. وروي أيضا في أسمائه المقفي، ونبي التوبة، ونبي الملحمة. وسماه الله ﷿ خاتم النبيئين. وجائز أن ينضاف إلى هذه الأسماء المروية سواها مما هو مشتق من صفاته ﷺ، لأن هذه أيضا مشتقة من صفاته: محمد وأحمد من الحمد، والماحي من أن الله يمحو به الكفر كما قال في الحديث، ويمحو به ذنوب من تبعه. والحاشر من أن أمته تنحشر إليه يوم القيامة وتتبعه فتكون قدامه وخلفه وعن يمينه وشماله. والعاقب من أنه آخر الأنبياء. والمقفي أنه قفا من قبله من الأنبياء. وخاتم النبيين مثله في المعنى. وسمي نبي التوبة لأن الله تعالى تاب به على من تاب من عباده. وسمي نبي الملحمة لأنه بعث بالقتال على الدين. والحمد لله رب العالمين. فصل في سنه ﵇ يوم نبأه الله ﷿ ونبأه الله- ﷿ وهو ابن أربعين سنة، وقيل وهو ابن ثلاث وأربعين سنة، اختلفت الرواية في ذلك عن ابن عباس.