Muhammad   

The Arabic language consists of various roots, from which can derive many related words. The majority of these roots consist of 3 letters. For example, all of the following words are derived from the root “r, s, l”:

”arsala” = to send

“risaala” = letter

“mursil” = sender

“rasool” = messenger

The name of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad – as well as a number of other common Arabic names - is derived from the root “H, m, d”:

“Hamida” = to praise

“Hameed” = praiseworthy

“aHmad” = more praiseworthy

“maHmood” = “muHammad” = praised

Not surprisingly, the name “Muhammad” is common subject of Islamic calligraphy:

“muHammad” = =

While this name can be written in the normal way...:

...calligraphy more often follows common Arabic handwriting by writing the first two letters (m and H) as follows:

Or, alternatively (and more symmetrically):

As was the case with “Allah”, “Muhammad” can be presented multiple times in a single image:

(Another example is on our home page)

And, as was the case with “Bismillah ar-raHmaan ar-raHeem”, “Muhammad” can be presented as a mirror image of itself:

Muslims customarily follow the mention of important names with kind words. The names of prophets – including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and others - are commonly followed by a prayer that peace (and blessings) be upon them. In Arabic, this phrase is written:

“Peace be upon him” = alayhis salaam = 

“Blessings of God and peace be upon him” = Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam =

In normal writing, these prayer are often abbreviated in either their Arabic (“a.s.”, “s.a.w.s.”) or English (“p.b.u.h.”) form. Sometimes, a tiny graphic of the latter phrase in Arabic is used:

“Prophet Muhammad said….”

Both phrases are found in Islamic calligraphy depicting Muhammad’s name. The latter, however, is more commonly used:

And, as always, additional decorative marks can be added:

In the Islamic tradition, prophets themselves aren’t credited as the source of divine knowledge. Rather, they are considered “messengers” of God. The root of “messenger” was introduced in the first step of this lesson:

messenger = “rasool” = 

God’s messenger = “rasool Allah” =

Accordingly, you will find this title alongside Muhammad’s name in works of Arabic calligraphy:

This recognition of Muhammad as one of the prophets of God is fundamental to the Islam. It follows that the above phrase is half of the Islamic testament of faith (the “shahada”). We will cover the second half in next month’s lesson.

End of Lesson