Ahmad (Arabic: أحمد, romanized: ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. It is also used as a surname.
Etymology
The word derives from the root ح م د (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic أَحْمَدَ (ʾaḥmad), from the verb حَمِدَ (ḥameda, "to thank or to praise"), non-past participle يَحْمَدُ (yaḥmadu).
Lexicology
As an Arabic name, it has its origins in a Quranic prophecy attributed to Jesus in the Quran 61:6 which most Islamic scholars concede is about Muhammad. It also shares the same roots as Mahmud, Muhammad and Hamed. In its transliteration, the name has one of the highest number of spelling variations in the world.
Some Islamic traditions view the name Ahmad as another given name of Muhammad at birth by his mother, considered by Muslims to be the more esoteric name of Muhammad and central to understanding his nature. Over the centuries, some Islamic scholars have suggested the name's parallel is in the word 'Paraclete' from the Biblical text, although this view is not universal considering translations, meanings and etymology.
Traditional Islamic sources, such as Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and others contain hadith in which Muhammad personally refers to himself as Ahmad. Christian orientalists such as William Montgomery Watt, however, were able to show that the use of Ahmad as a proper name for "Muhammad" did not exist until well into the second Islamic century, previously being used only in an adjectival sense. Watt concludes that the development of the term being used as a name in reference to Muhammad came later in the context of Christian-Muslim polemics, particularly with Muslim attempts to equate Muhammad with the Biblical 'Paraclete', owing to a prophecy attributed to Jesus in the Quranic verse 61:6.
Interpretations and meanings of Ahmad
Development
Regarding Ibn Ishaq's biography of Muhammad, the Sirat Rasul Allah, Islamic scholar Alfred Guillaume wrote:
"Coming back to the term "Ahmad," Muslims have suggested that Ahmad is the translation of periklutos, celebrated or the Praised One, which is a corruption of parakletos, the Paraclete of John XIV, XV and XVI."
Ahmad passage
Here are two translations of the passage in question in Surat 61 verse 6:
"And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad." But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious magic."
- Sahih International
"And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic."
- Pickthall
The verse in the Quran attributes a name or designation, describing or identifying who would follow Jesus. In his Farewell Discourse to his disciples, Jesus promised that he would "send the Holy Spirit" to them after his departure, in John 15:26 stating: "whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth... shall bear witness of me." John 14:17 states "[even] the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you."
Regarding verse 61: 6 in the Quran:
"It is not clear to whom the pronoun ‘he’ refers in the concluding sentence. Bell says ‘probably Jesus,’ but ‘sometimes taken to refer to the promised messenger who is identified with Muhammad.’ Secondly, and in consequence the intervening words, ‘bearing the name Ahmad,’ are grammatically superfluous. They do not help to make the pronominal reference any clearer as to who it was whose Evidences were greeted as magic. Without the clause about Ahmad the context would appear to demand that it was Jesus rather than the next ‘messenger’ who was intended. Whether we maintain the usual reading or adopt that of ‘magician’ (as read by Ibn Masud and others), the charge of sorcery generally would seem as true to the Jewish calumnies in the Fourth Gospel as to the somewhat similar charges brought against Muhammad. In any case it was the Banu Isra'il to whom both Jesus and the ‘messenger’ came, and who regarded the mission as ‘sorcery.’ Once more, if we omit the phrase, ‘bearing the name Ahmad,’ and regard Muhammad as still drawing lessons from previous history, the dubious passage might refer to what happened at Pentecost, and other incidents recorded in the earlier chapters of the Acts. With the absence of any claim on this passage either by Ibn Ishaq or Ibn Hisham, may we go further and suggest that the two Arabic words rendered by Dr. Bell, ‘bearing the name Ahmad,’ are an interpolation to be dated after the death of Muhammad." (emphasis in original)
Contrary to the above claim that Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham did not mention Ahmad and the respective passage, there is Ibn Ishaq's work with the title Kitab al-Maghazi and Ibn Hisham who mention and connect the words Mohammad & Ahmad with the Paraclete. Additionally it has been documented that there was an attempt to connect the respective quranic verse with the Paraclete even earlier then Ibn Ishaq. Moreover, a later interpolation of this passage to the Quran, just to serve as an ex eventu prove for the early Muslim scholars, has also been refuted in modern Islamic Studies. This is supported by the fact that the earliest as well as the later manuscripts of the Quran contain the exact passage and wording in Surah 61.
Scholarship regarding the Greek translation
"Early translators knew nothing about the surmised reading of periklutos for parakletos, and its possible rendering as Ahmad …. Periklutos does not come into the picture as far as Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham are concerned. The deception is not theirs. The opportunity to introduce Ahmad was not accepted – though it is highly improbable that they were aware of it being a possible rendering of Periklutos. It would have clinched the argument to have followed the Johannine references with a Quranic quotation."
"Furthermore the Peshitta, Old Syriac, and Philoxenian versions all write the name of John in the form Yuhanan, not in the Greek form Yuhannis.. Accordingly to find a text of the Gospels from which Ibn Ishaq could have drawn his quotation we must look for a version which differs from all others in displaying these characteristics. Such a text is the Palestinian Syriac Lectionary of the Gospels which will conclusively prove that the Arabic writer had a Syriac text before him which he, or his informant, skillfully manipulated to provide the reading we have in the Sira.".
"Muslim children are never called Ahmad before the year 123AH. But there are many instances prior to this date of boys called 'Muhammad.' Very rarely is the name 'Ahmad' met with in pre-Islamic time of ignorance (Jahiliya), though the name Muhammad was in common use. Later traditions that the prophet's name was Ahmad show that this had not always been obvious, though commentators assume it after about 22 (AH)."
"It has been concluded that the word Ahmad in Quran as-Saff 61:6 is to be taken not as a proper name but as an adjective... and that it was understood as a proper name only after Muhammad had been identified with the Paraclete."
"Note that by the middle of the 2nd century AH, Muslims already identified Muhammad with the Greek word "Paracletos" (Counsellor / Advocate) or the Aramaic translation "Menahhemana."
Alleged historical document regarding the topic
Text of the correspondence between `Umar II and Leo III:
"We recognize Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the authors of the Gospel, and yet I know that this truth, recognized by us Christians wounds you, so that you seek to find accomplices for your lie. In brief, you admit that we say that it was written by God, and brought down from the heavens, as you pretend for your Furqan, although we know that it was `Umar, Abu Turab and Salman the Persian, who composed that, even though the rumor has got round among you that God sent it down from heavens…. [God] has chosen the way of sending [the human race] Prophets, and it is for this reason that the Lord, having finished all those things that He had decided on beforehand, and having fore-announced His incarnation by way of His prophets, yet knowing that men still had need of assistance from God, promised to send the Holy Spirit, under the name of Paraclete, (Consoler), to console them in the distress and sorrow they felt at the departure of their Lord and Master. I reiterate, that it was for this cause alone that Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, since He sought to console His disciples for His departure, and recall to them all that He had said, all that He had done before their eyes, all that they were called to propagate throughout the world by their witness. Paraclete thus signifies "consoler", while Muhammad means "to give thanks", or "to give grace", a meaning which has no connection whatever with the word Paraclete."
However the authenticity of the correspondence has been put into question by scholars.
Transliterations
Ahmad is the most elementary transliteration. It is used commonly all over the Muslim world, although primarily in the Middle East. More recently, this transliteration has become increasingly popular in the United States due to use by members of the African American community.
Ahmed is the most common variant transliteration, used especially in the context of the Ottoman Empire. This transliteration is also used throughout the Muslim world.
Ahmet is the modern Turkish transliteration. Modern Turkish uses a Latin-based alphabet, and most Arabic-derived names have standardized Turkish spellings.
The less common transliterations of Ahmad are used by Muslims outside the Middle East proper, such as in Indonesia and Russia. For Bashkirs and Tatars, the name is Әхмәт (Äxmät / Əxmət).
Achmat is the fairly standard transliteration used by South Africa's Muslim community, and its pronunciation shows evidence of the influence of Afrikaans: the <ch> which represents ح [ħ] is pronounced as an Afrikaans <g> [x] (i.e. closer to the Arabic خ); and the د [d] is realised as a [t] (closer to the Arabic ت) which follows Afrikaans Final-obstruent devoicing principles.
People with the given name
Ahmad
Ahmad ibn Hanbal, (780–855) was an Arab Muslim jurist, theologian, ascetic, hadith traditionist, and founder of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence.
Ahmad ibn Isma'il ibn Ali al-Hashimi, was an Abbasid provincial governor who was active in the late eighth century.
Ahmad ibn al-Mu'tasim, was an Abbasid prince and son of Abbasid caliph Al-Mu'tasim. He was also patron of Science, philosophy and Art.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad, (died 866) better known as Al-Musta'in was the twelfth Abbasid caliph (r. 862–866).
Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the Afghan Durrani Empire
Ahmad Khan Yousafzai, founder of Pakhtunkhwa
Ahmad Shah Bahadur, Mughal Emperor
Sheikh Ahmad, Siamese official of Persian ancestry
Ahmad (rapper), West Coast hip hop performer
Ahmad Abbas, Saudi Arabian footballer
Ahmad Abdalla, Egyptian film director
Ahmad Adel, Egyptian footballer
Ahmad Ahmadi, Iranian physician
Ahmed Ajaj, Palestinian convicted of participating in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
Ahmad Ismail Ali (1917–1974), Egyptian army officer
Ahmad Alaq, Khan of eastern Moghulistan
Ahmad Amin, Egyptian historian and writer
Ahmad A'zam, Uzbek writer
Ahmed Ibrahim Artan, Somali diplomat, author and politician
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, The Somali Imam of Adal Sultanate who conquered Abyssinia
Ahmad Bahar, Iranian politician
Ahmad Balshe, Palestinian-Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer known professionally as Belly
Ahmad Belal, Egyptian former football player
Ahmad bey Javanshir, Azerbaijani historian
Ahmad Black, American football safety for the Florida Gators
Ahmad Bradshaw, American former football running back for the Indianapolis Colts
Ahmad Brooks, American football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers
Ahmad Bunnag of Siam
Ahmad Bustomi, Indonesian footballer
Ahmad Carroll, American football free agent
Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesian Islamic revivalist
Ahmad Dhani, Indonesian musician
Ahmad Dukhqan, Jordanian politician
Ahmad Fanakati, financial officer of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty
Ahmad Fuadi, Indonesian writer
Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (born 2000), American football player
Ahmad Gooden (born 1995), American football player
Ahmad Hardi, Kurdish poet
Ahmad Hawkins, American football defensive back for the Alabama Vipers
Ahmad Hijazi (born 1994), Lebanese footballer
Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Founder of the Hanbalite school of Muslim jurisprudence
Ahmad ibn Fadlan, Abbasid ambassador to the Volga Bulgars
Ahmad ibn Tulun, founder of the Tulunid dynasty
Ahmad-Jabir Ahmadov, "Honored teacher" of Azerbaijan
Ahmad Jalloul (born 1992), Lebanese footballer
Ahmad Jamal, American jazz pianist
Ahmad Javad (1892–1937), Azerbaijani poet
Ahmad Sayyed Javadi, Iranian lawyer and politician
Ahmad Karami (1944–2020), Lebanese politician
Ahmad Kasravi, Iranian linguists and historian
Ahmad Khatib, first Masjid al-Haram Imam of Indonesian origin
Ahmad Maher (disambiguation), various people
Ahmad Majid, Mughal faujdar of Sylhet
Ahmad Mohammad Hasher Al Maktoum
Ahmed Mohamed Kismayo, Somali Journalist (1964–2017)
Ahmad Miller, former defensive tackle for the National Football League
Ahmad Mirfendereski (1918–2004), Iranian diplomat
Ahmad Merritt, American football free agent
Ahmad Muin Yaacob, Malaysian convicted murderer
Ahmad Murad (1943–2004), Bruneian diplomat
Ahmad Nafisi (1919–2004), Iranian bureaucrat and mayor of Tehran (1961–1963)
Ahmad Nivins, American basketball player
Ahmad ibn Rustah, Persian chronicler born in Isfahan, Persia
Ahmad Rashad, American sportscaster and former football player
Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah (born 1952), Kuwaiti royal and politician
Ahmad Sa'adat, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Ahmad Saad, Saudi Arabian football player
Ahmad Said (politician), Malaysian politician
Ahmad Ali Sepehr, Iranian historian and politician
Ahmad Shah Massoud, Afghan military leader Deputy Justice on the Supreme Court of Afghanistan
Ahmad Yusufzai, Afghan field hockey player
Ahmad Shah Qajar, Last Shah of the Qajar dynastyAhmad Shah Massoud, Afghan military leader Deputy Justice on the Supreme Court of Afghanistan
Ahmad Shamlou, Persian poet and writer
Ahmad Shukeiri, first Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
Ahmad Sohrab, Persian author
Ahmad Syafi'i Maarif, Indonesian intellectual
Ahmad Tajuddin, 27th Sultan of Brunei
Ahmad Taktouk (born 1984), Lebanese footballer
Ahmad Tekuder (died 1284), leader of the Mongol Ilkhanate
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, President of Sierra Leone
Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar
Ahmad Thomas (born 1994), American football player
Ahmad Treaudo, American football cornerback for the California Redwoods
Ahmad Yani, Indonesian Army general
Ahmad Zarruq, Shadhili Sufi Sheikh
Ahmad Yaakob, Malaysian politician; Menteri Besar of Kelantan
Ahmad Najib Aris, Malaysian convicted rapist and killer who was hanged for the rape and murder of Canny Ong
Ahmad Lawan, President of the Senate of Nigeria
Ahmed
Ahmed I, sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Ahmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Ahmed III, sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Ahmed Abdel Wahab Pasha (1889–1938), Egyptian economist
Ahmed Abukhater, urban and regional planner and Palestinian-American powerlifter
Ahmed Ahmed, Egyptian American actor and comedian
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Palestinian American activist
Ahmed Arif (1927–1991), Turkish poet
Ahmed Ali Awan (born 1980), convicted of the racially motivated murder of Ross Parker
Ahmed Baduri, Eritrean diplomat
Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, former President of Iraq
Ahmed Ben Bella, the first President of Algeria
Ahmed Galal (politician) (born 1948), Egyptian economist
Ahmed al-Ghamdi (1979–2001), Saudi hijacker of United Airlines Flight 175
Ahmed al-Haznawi (1980–2001), Saudi hijacker of United Airlines Flight 93
Ahmed Hulusi, Turkish writer and Sufi
Ahmed Hussein (disambiguation), multiple people
Ahmed Hussen, Somali-Canadian lawyer
Ahmed Imamovic, Bosnian film director
Ahmed Jaziri (born 1997), Tunisian steeplechaser
Ahmed Abu Ismail, Egyptian economist and politician
Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada (1929–2017), South African politician, political prisoner and anti-apartheid activist.
Ahmed Khadr, Egyptian-Canadian senior associate and financier of al-Qaeda
Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, Mujaddid of 14th century of Islam
Ahmed Köprülü, Ottoman Grand Vizier of the Köprülü family
Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, United Arab Emirati politician
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, United Arab Emirati businessman
Ahmed M. Hassan, Somali politician
Ahmed Marei, Egyptian basketball coach and former player
Ahmed Mohiuddin, Pakistani biologist
Ahmed Musa, Nigerian footballer
Ahmed Naamani (born 1979), Lebanese footballer
Ahmed Nadeem, cricketer
Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, founder and chairman of Etihad Airways
Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Emirati businessman
Ahmed al-Nami (1977–2001), Saudi hijacker of United Airlines Flight 93
Ahmed Nazif (born 1952), Egyptian politician
Ahmed Nizam, Indian cricketer
Ahmed Elmi Osman, Somali politician
Ahmed Patel, Indian politician
Ahmed Plummer, former NFL player
Ahmed Rushdi, Pakistani singer
Ahmed Rushdi, Egyptian politician
Ahmed Salim, Bangladeshi painter and murderer hanged in Singapore in 2024
Ahmed bin Salman Al Saud, member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Sanjar, ruler of the Seljuk Turks
Ahmed Santos, Mexican newspaper columnist
Ahmed Al Saqr (born 1970), Lebanese footballer
Ahmed Şerafettin, Turkish football manager
Ahmed Sheikh, Palestinian journalist
Ahmed Talbi, Moroccan footballer
Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Thunayan (1889–1923), Turkish born Saudi royal
Ahmed Sékou Touré, African political leader and president of the Republic of Guinea
Ahmed Yassin, former leader of Palestinian Hamas
Ahmed Yesevi, leader of Sufi mysticism
Ahmed H. Zewail, the winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on femtochemistry
Ahmed Bola Tinubu, President of Nigeria since 2023.
Ahmet
Ahmet Akdilek (born 1988), Turkish cyclist
Ahmet Alkan, Turkish economist
Ahmet Almaz, Turkish journalist
Ahmet Bilek (1932–1971), Turkish Olympic champion
Ahmet Bozer (born 1960), Turkish business executive
Ahmet Cevdet, multiple people
Ahmet Cömert (1926–1990), Turkish amateur boxer, coach, referee, boxing judge and sports official
Ahmet Davutoğlu (born 1959), Turkish politician and political scientist
Ahmet Dursun (born 1978), Turkish footballer
Ahmet Enünlü (born 1948), Turkish bodybuilder
Ahmet Burak Erdoğan (born 1979), son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Ahmet Ertegun (1923–2006), Turkish American founder and president of Atlantic Records
Ahmet Gülhan (born 1978), Turkish wrestler
Ahmet Haşim (1884–1933), Turkish writer
Ahmet Hromadžić (1923–2003), Bosnian writer
Ahmet İsvan (1923–2017), Turkish politician
Ahmet Kaya (1957–2000), Turkish–Kurdish folk singer
Ahmet Mete Işıkara (1941–2013), Turkish seismologist
Ahmet İzzet Pasha (1864–1937), Ottoman general
Ahmet Kaplan (born 2002), Turkish wheelchair tennis player
Ahmet Kireççi (1914–1979), Turkish sports wrestler
Ahmet Koç, Turkish musician
Ahmet Köksal, (1920–1997), Turkish poet and writer
Ahmet Kuru (born 1982), Turkish footballer
Ahmet Li (born 1991), Chinese-Turkish table tennis player
Ahmet Öcal (born 1979), Belgian footballer
Ahmet Örken (born 1993), Turkish cyclist
Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı (1936–2023), Turkish footballer
Ahmet Peker (born 1989), Turkish wrestler
Ahmet Rasim (1864–1932), Turkish writer and politician
Ahmet Sağlam (born 1987), Turkish footballer
Ahmet Necdet Sezer (born 1941), 10th President of the Republic of Turkey
Ahmet Burak Solakel (born 1982), Turkish footballer
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (1901–1962), Turkish writer
Ahmet Tren (born 1950), Turkish wrestler
Ahmet Fuat Tugay, known as Hulusi Fuat Tugay (1890–1967), Turkish physician and diplomat
Ahmet Türk (born 1942), Turkish politician
Ahmet Fikri Tüzer (1878–1942), Turkish politician
Ahmet Uzel (1930–1998), Turkish composer
Ahmet Uzun, Turkish Cypriot politician
Ahmet Ümit (born 1960), Turkish author
Ahmet Üzümcü (born 1951), Turkish diplomat
Ahmet Vardar (1937–2010), Turkish journalist
Ahmet Emin Yalman (1888–1972), Turkish journalist
Ahmet Yıldırım (born 1974), Turkish footballer
Ahmet Yıldız (born 1979), Turkish scientist
Ahmet Zappa (born 1974), American musician, actor and novelist
Ahmet Zogu, King of Albania (1928–1939)
Other spellings
Achmad Jufriyanto, Indonesian footballer
Achmad Nawir, Dutch East Indies footballer
Achmad Saba'a, Arab-Israeli footballer
Achmad Soebardjo, Indonesian diplomat
Achmat Dangor, South African writer
Achmed Abdullah, Russian writer
Achmed Akkabi, Moroccan-Dutch presenter and actor
Achmed Labasanov, Russian mixed martial artist
Achmet (oneiromancer), Occultist
Ahmat Acyl, Chadian Arab insurgent leader
Ahmat Brahim, Chadian footballer
Ahmat Taboye, Chadian writer
Akhmed Avtorkhanov, Chechen leader
Akhmad Kadyrov, First President of the Chechen Republic
Akhmed Zakayev, Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic
Ahmaud Arbery, African American murder victim
People with the surname
Ahmad
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam
Alimuddin Ahmad (1884–1920), Bengali activist and revolutionary
Ekramuddin Ahmad (1872–1940), Bengali litterateur
Evin Ahmad (born 1990), Swedish actress of Kurdish descent
Ismet Ahmad (1945–2023), Indonesian academic, bureaucrat and lecturer
Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad (1918–1996), Bangladeshi politician
Nesaruddin Ahmad (1873–1952), Bengali Islamic scholar and Pir of Sarsina
Feroz Ahmad (born 1938), Indian academic and historian
Najm Hamad Al Ahmad (born 1969), Syrian politician
Taha Othman Ahmad, known as Odetari (born 2000), American singer, record producer, and rapper
Wali Ahmad, Pakistani religious cleric and reformer
Ahmed
Abdel-Rahim Ahmed (1944–1991), Palestinian politician
Abdel Rahim Ahmed, Egyptian film director and author
Anis Ahmed (disambiguation), multiple people
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1905–1977), 5th President of India
Hajiya Haidzatu Ahmed, Queen of Kumbwada
Nick Ahmed (born 1990), American baseball player
Riz Ahmed (born 1982), British actor and rapper
Rafiuddin Ahmed (dentist), Indian Bengali Dentist.
Mohammed Ahmed (businessperson), Ethiopian businessman
Other variants
Rosli Ahmat (1970–2002), Singaporean armed robber and murderer