بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I begin by praising Allāh, the Almighty, the Great, the One Who sent to us a Prophet, reciting to us, teaching us the Book and Wisdom, and purifying us.

May Allāh send salutations and peace upon the Best of Creation, the one who was mentioned in previous Scriptures, to be the Last of Prophets, Muḥammad ﷺ.

It is no hidden secret that every Prophet prior to the Final Prophet ﷺ was preparing for him, and so they were revealed about his coming, and about his finality, as we see in the Qurʾān:

﴿ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ ٱلنَّبِىَّ ٱلْأُمِّىَّ ٱلَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُۥ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَىٰهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْخَبَـٰٓئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَٱلْأَغْلَـٰلَ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلنُّورَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُۥٓ ۙ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ۝١٥٧﴾ [الْأَعْرَاف: ١٥٧]

{“˹They are˺ the ones who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whose description they find in their Torah and the Gospel.¹ He commands them to do good and forbids them from evil, permits for them what is lawful and forbids to them what is impure, and relieves them from their burdens and the shackles that bound them. ˹Only˺ those who believe in him, honour and support him, and follow the light sent down to him will be successful.”} [7:157]

So, know that he ﷺ is definitely mentioned in the Previous Scriptures, and many scholars have delved into this topic specifically.

From those topics, the scholars have compiled names of the Prophet ﷺ, and some of those names are found in Previous Scriptures. Some have been explained and some haven’t. I will be taking from various works on his ﷺ names, namely ar-Riyāḍ al-ʾAnīqaħ by as-Suyūṭī, al-Bahjaħ as-Sanīyyaħ by him too, al-Mustawfā by ʾIbn Diḥyaħ, and various other works.

ʾUkhrāyā, the Eschatos & Qudmāyā – The Protoktistos

ʾUkhrāyā is his name found in the Gospels, according to as-Suyūṭī, and it refers to him being the Last of Prophets. We also find this name within our Ḥadīth tradition:

٣١٦٤٨ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ مِسْعَرٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ كَعْبٌ: «إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يَأْخُذُ بِحَلْقَةِ بَابِ الْجَنَّةِ، فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ آيَةً مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ أُخْرَايَا قُدْمَايَا نَحْنُ الْآخِرُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ».

ʿAbdaħ ʾIbn Sulaymān narrated to us, from Misʿar, from ʿAbd al-Malik ʾIbn ʿUmayr, from Muṣʿab ʾIbn Saʿd, who said, Kaʿb said, “The first of those to grasp the ring of the Door of Paradise, and it will be opened for him, is Muḥammad ﷺ. Then he recited a verse from the Torah: ʾukhrāyā qudmāyā — ‘We are the last [to come] who are the first [on the Day of Resurrection].’”

The above Ḥadīth also mentions Qudmāyā which can allude to the Prophet ﷺ being the first creation of Allah.

What is interesting is that Kaʿb al-ʾAḥbār mentions the two names and they resemble ܐ݈ܚܪܳܝܶܐ (ʾaḥrāyē), meaning the latter ones, and ܩܰܕ݂ܡܳܝܶܐ (qadmāyē), meaning the former ones, which exactly resembles Matthew 20:16 in the Syriac New Testament:

ܗܳܟ݂ܰܢܳܐ ܢܶܗܘܽܘܢ ܐ݈ܚܪܳܝܶܐ ܩܰܕ݂ܡܳܝܶܐ ܘܩܰܕ݂ܡܳܝܶܐ ܐ݈ܚܪܳܝܶܐ

Meaning: “Thus the last shall be first, and the first last.”

It occurs again in Matthew 19:30: “Many who are first shall be last, and the last first.”

ܩܰܕ݂ܡܳܝܶܐ … ܐ݈ܚܪܳܝܶܐ، ܘܰܐ݈ܚܪܳܝܶܐ ܩܰܕ݂ܡܳܝܶܐ

One may argue that this isn’t the Torah, but rather the Gospels, but as as-Suyūṭī states, this name is found in the Gospels, and perhaps Kaʿb was using “Torah” in a broader sense. Either that or the verse is a verse that was never preserved in the Torah and was hence lost.

This Nation is the last in worldly succession but the first on the Day of Judgement to enter Paradise, and that’s why he ﷺ is the Eschatos and the Protos.

My translation of Qudmāyā is also a bit of a stretch to the name, however it is intentional to allude to the fact that he ﷺ is the first creation, but for accuracy in this instance, Protos (the first) is a stronger translation.

Al-Birraqlīṭīs – The Paráklētos

This name comes in various forms:

• al-Barqlīṭis,
• al-Birqlīṭis,
• al-Baraqlīṭis,
• al-Barqlīṭus,
• al-Barqalīṭus
• Bārāqalīṭ,
• Bāraqalīṭ,
• Bāraqlīṭ,
• Bāriqlīṭ,
• Bārqalīṭ,
• Bāraqilīṭaħ,
• Sarkhatilus,
• Sarkhaṭīlis,
• Fāraqalīṭ,
• Fāraqlīṭ,
• Fāriqlīṭ,
• Fārqalīṭ, and
• Fāraqilīṭaħ.

They are all the same name, with variations in spelling. This is found in the Gospels, and translates to the Paraclete. Its meaning is either the Holy Spirit or the Clarifier between Truth and Falsehood.  It is also said to mean the Praiser or Oft-Praiser. The majority of the People of the Book say it means the Saviour. This is from one of the more well-known mentions of the Prophet ﷺ in Previous Scriptures:

¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

Helper here in the verse is Παράκλητον (paráklētos) in the original Greek. There is another verse that also mentions this too:

² My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

Advocate again is the same as Helper in the last verse. Both of these prophesise the Prophet ﷺ.

We see that Jesus, ʿĪsā, specifically foretells his Disciples about the coming of this Paraclete, and that they know him, which mirrors the aforementioned verse of the Qurʾān, that they find him ﷺ in their Books.

Bamaʾdh Maʾdh

This is mentioned in the first Book of the Torah, Genesis. The name also comes in the following forms:

• Bimaʾudh Māʾudh
• Bamaʾdh Maʾdh
• Bimʾudhmaʾudh
• Bimʾudhbimʾudh

In the third part of Genesis, Allāh addresses ʾIbrāhīm saying,

“As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly.”

וְלִיִשְׁמָעֵאל שְׁמַעְתִּיךָ, הִנֵּה בֵרַכְתִּי אֹתוֹ וְהִפְרֵיתִי אֹתוֹ וְהִרְבֵּיתִי מְאֹד מְאֹד

Transliteration: Ve-li-Yishmaʿel shamaʿtikha, hinei berakhti oto ve-hifreiti oto ve-hirbeiti me’od me’od.

The word me’od me’od (מְאֹד מְאֹד), which means exceedingly here, has an older form: bim’od me’od (במאד מאד). This word has a numerical value of 92 using Hebrew gematria. The name Muḥammad ﷺ also has the same numerical value in the ʾabjad numerical system.

This name was placed in code, and not directly stated, for if it were explicit, it would have been altered like the rest of the Torah, hence this is a secret mentioning of the coming of the Final Prophet ﷺ.

Ḥāṭ Ḥāṭ

Now it’s said to be mentioned in the Pslams, however I cannot find a direct verse they quote, so using the word we can assume it means to encompass or to protect, taking from the root ḥ-w-ṭ, and there are verses in the Pslams referring to that:

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Psalm 91:4

This verse mirrors the following verse from the Qurʾān:

﴿لَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِۦٓ أَزْوَٰجًۭا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَٱخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۝٨٨﴾ [الْحِجْر: ٨٨]

{Do not let your eyes crave the ˹fleeting˺ pleasures We have provided for some of the disbelievers, nor grieve for them. And lower your wing to the believers.} [15:88]

So Ḥāṭ Ḥāṭ could mean the Sentinel as he protects and encompasses those who he protects. This is something I have extracted myself from the name as I could not find anything written hence this is from my own extrapolation.

Ḥabīṭā – The Arbiter of Truth

This is the one whom Allah uses to discern truth and falsehood, and we find this in:

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth… he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13

“When he comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.” John 16:8

The Prophet does distinguish the Truth and Falsehood:

﴿تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـٰلَمِينَ نَذِيرًا ۝١﴾ [الْفُرْقَان: ١]

{Blessed is the One Who sent down the Decisive Authority to His servant, so that he may be a warner to the whole world.} [25:1]

Ḥammāṭāyā – The Guardian of the Sanctuary, Forbidder of Vice

The name also comes as:

• Ḥimyāṭā – The Protector of the Sacred Precinct
• Ḥimṭāyā – The Protector of the Sacred Bounds

These names involve protection of the Ḥaram for he ﷺ protects these areas, and forbids evil:

﴿يَأْمُرُهُم بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَىٰهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ ۝١٥٧﴾ [الْأَعْرَاف: ١٥٧]

{He commands them to do good and forbids them from evil,} [7:157]

The Prophet ﷺ said,

إِنَّ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ حَرَّمَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ، فَهُوَ حَرَامٌ بِحُرْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

“Allah made this City Sacred on the day He created the heavens and the earth; it therefore remains sacred by Allah’s sanctification until the Day of Resurrection.”

He also said:

لَا يُعْضَدُ شَوْكُهُ، وَلَا يُنَفَّرُ صَيْدُهُ، وَلَا تُلْتَقَطُ لُقَطَتُهُ إِلَّا مَنْ عَرَّفَهَا، وَلَا يُخْتَلَى خَلَاهُ

“Its thorny vegetation is not to be cut, its game is not to be disturbed, its lost property is not to be picked up except by one who will announce it, and its fresh herbage is not to be cut.”

The following verses in the Previous Scriptures reflect this:

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” Psalm 91:1–4

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.” Isaiah 42:6–7

Ṭāb Ṭāb – The Utterly Pleasant

There is a verse in the Pslams that strikingly refers to this name:

“You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.” Psalm 45:2

We also have:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news…” Isaiah 52:7

And the Arabic translation uses ما أطيب…, referring to the purity and pleasantness of him ﷺ.

Kandīdah

Kandīdah is mentioned in the Psalms but the scholars don’t mention a translation or meaning for it. This is merely speculation but this name could refer to the Latin name “Candidus” (feminine form is Candida), meaning bright or luminous. This term was used for Saints in the Christian tradition, and hence was Jesus too:

“Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus…” My beloved is white [candidus] and ruddy… Song of Songs 5:10 (Vulgate)

“Qui vicerit, sic vestietur vestimentis candidis…” He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments… Revelation 3:5 (Latin Vulgate)

So most likely, Latin translations of these texts reached the Arabs and they utilised this term for certain verses as we can see:

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow Psalm 51:7

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart… Psalm 24:3–4

And knowing the Prophet ﷺ he ﷺ is absolutely pure so, the word could mean the Unstained.

This again is from my own reasoning as to what the name could mean.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the names of the Prophet ﷺ we can find in Previous Scriptures. There are many more mentioned by the scholars, and even more to unearth. I pray that this small article benefits others, and myself, and is a means for me to draw nearer to the Beloved ﷺ.

والحمد لله رب العالمين، وصلى الله على سيد المرسلين وسلم وعلى آله وصحبه ومن تبعه إلى يوم الدين