How many names did Nabi (S.A.W.) have?
Question
How many names did Nabi (S.A.W.) have? Furthermore, can the attributes ‘Al-‘Awwal and ‘Al-Aākhir be used for Nabi (S.A.W.)?
Answer
From the books of Ḥadīth and Tafsīr we deduce that Nabi (S.A.W) has over 99 attributes, but just to confirm with the famous names of Allah-Taʿālā, 99 attributes of Nabi (S.A.W.) were chosen.
The meaning of (‘Al-‘Awwal) and ‘Al-‘Aākhir) will differ for Nabi (S.A.W.). ‘Al-‘Awwal will mean either his Rūḥ (soul) was created before all the souls or his Prophethood was announced first.
The meaning of ‘Al-Aākhir will mean that he was the last prophet to be sent into this world.
Lastly, it is preferred not to mention these two attributes of Nabi (S.A.W.), ‘Al-‘Awwal and ‘Al-Aākhir together, side by side. The reason for this is to remove doubts which could occur, because generally, when a person listens to these two words (‘Al-‘Awwal and ‘Al-‘Aākhir), his mind immediately turns towards the normal meaning, which is its use for Allah Taʿālā.
For further details, please refer to:
Fatawaa Darul Uloom Zakariyya (vol. 1, Pg 55-57; Pg 296-299)
And Almighty Allah Taʿālā knows best
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