Blessed Names and Characteristics of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

AUTHOR: KRISTEN OBARSKY

This month, I explored the short and sweet book, The Blessed Names and Characteristics of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ by Abdur Raheem Kidwai. The author organizes each chapter around one of the ninety-nine names of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, providing a brief explanation and context for each. Each chapter or name is about one paragraph to a page of concise and clear explanation. 

I did appreciate the book’s quality—the embossed cover with glittery accents is especially thoughtful. However, I would have liked to see the author dive deeper into the significance of learning and reciting these names. New converts, for example, may not fully understand the blessings associated with doing so. Therefore, including a longer introduction, with brief discussion on the importance of ṣalāwāt—a reflection and remembrance of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ—would have highlighted how reciting these names can lead to rewards and the forgiveness of sins.

Also, the reader would benefit from more stories and hadiths from the sīra. As a result, I see this book more as a supplementary read rather than a core text. Nonetheless, the importance of knowing Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ names and reflecting on and reciting ṣalāwāt carries great rewards, and I am thankful to have this book. Since it is short, I can see it being one of my regular Ramadan rereads.

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