Is it sunnah to name your child Muhammad?

The four schools agree on this.

Explanation

When a man from the Ansar named his son Muhammad and people objected, the Prophet ﷺ approved and said: name yourselves with my name, but do not use my kunyah (Abul-Qasim). Muslims across the world have followed this, which is why Muhammad is one of the most common names on earth.

Points to know:

• The kunyah: the Prophet ﷺ forbade calling yourself Abul-Qasim in his lifetime, because people would call out "Abul-Qasim" and he would turn. Most scholars hold that this was tied to his lifetime.
• Weak reports: narrations such as "whoever names his child Muhammad will enter Paradise" are not authentic. The reward is in following the sunnah and honouring the name.
• Respect: treat the name with honour. If a child named Muhammad does wrong, correct the action without abusing the name.
• Double names: in South Asia and elsewhere, boys are often named Muhammad plus a second name, such as Muhammad Yusuf, and called by the second. This is permissible.

The names most loved by Allah, the Prophet ﷺ said, are Abdullah and Abdur Rahman; Muhammad is also among the best because it was his. See best names and naming after a prophet. For the Prophet's family, see the family tree.

The evidence

Where the ruling is recorded

• al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on names and kunyas. Recommended names and the kunyah Abul-Qasim.
• Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hazr wa al-Ibahah, discussion of names. On the names Muhammad and Ahmad and the kunyah.

Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.