The power of one’s name.
In Arabic, all female and male names have meaning or are derived from meaning. Muhammad comes from the Arabic word – Hamad or Hamada – which means grateful, praised, honourable, a person who deserves constant praise due to their good traits. The name Sulaiman, like the Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) peace and blessings upon him, translates to his qualities: strength, powerful king and kingdom, dominion over the seen and unseen by God’s will, perceives the speech and communicates with animals. Now my brother has a child named Sulaiman and seems to have ability to see the dimension veiled from what we see. There are others like him, adults male and female not named Sulaiman that can involuntarily see as well, so perhaps this is a failed probability, but perhaps the name influences the traits of one’s character.
Muhammad (pbuh), lived his name well and this is why he is Allah’s beloved. He lived in a state of gratitude in all his days, and we know he had very hard long years, he was known as the trustworthy one, and trust breeds honour. He was known to have love and care for all humanity, regardless of colour, ethnicity and religion. He was a man who lived days caring for his community and beyond, he balanced his life around living, and God. Today his name is synonymous with all that is opposite of his traits.
To Moses We gave the Scriptures and after him We sent other apostles. We gave Jesus son of Mary veritable signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Will you then scorn each apostle whose message does not suit your fancies, charging some with imposture and slaying others? – Quran [2:86]
Hamza, the prophet’s uncle, one of the earliest Islamic convert renowned for his strength, fearlessness, and bravery on the battlefield. The Lion. His name is derived from the Arabic word Hamuza, meaning strong or steadfast. Ali, means high, noble or elevated. Umar, derived from the Arabic word Umr or life, means flourishing.
In Arabic and Islamic context no name or word stands alone with no depth in meaning, we now shy away from naming our children Islamic names because of the trouble associated with them. Truth is, all these names carry profundity, and when we go back to our texts we open ourselves to greater depths of knowledge and meaning.
Keep learning, as you learn your mind will expand, as your mind expands you will come to see things not for the way they are but for the way they truly are. And that makes all the difference.
