Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,All Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon Our Final Messenger of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam)Jazak'Allah for your valued question. The reason why the name 'Muhammad' is placed in front of other names of children, and which also is a recommended practice for Muslims today, is because of the numerous blessings that the name carries.
'Muhammad' means 'the praised one' or the 'one who is highly praised'. Because the Beloved Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) had all the qualities which would befit this meaning, it was necessary that He (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) carried a name which would reflect His personality and character. This is the reason why, when we pick a name for our children, we must make sure, that the name first of all begins with the name 'Muhammad', and secondly, that the surname, or the second name is a good one, as this name will reflect upon the personality, and the character of the child.
We already know from reliable sources, that the name 'Muhammad', had appeared in the skies, when Hadrat Adam (
Alayhi 'Asalam) was brought down to earth. That he had actually invoked to Allah the Almighty by means of this name, and that because of this name, his repentance of what had occurred in paradise, had been accepted.
It is also not far from reliable, that all the leaves in paradise, have the name 'Muhammad' printed upon them, and that these letters also appear on the forehead of the Noble Arch-Angel Gabriel (
Alayhi 'Asalam).
It is also not far, that this name is the most aforementioned name, whether in prayer, or supplication, while asleep or awake, throughout the world, more than any other name, as the blessings of this name has been proven.
When Islam used to defend itself, the Noble Companions of the Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), would use this name, in order to gain victory, and would be used as a 'shout for cry' (
na'ra), within the battlefield.
Furthermore, this is the name of our Most Beloved Messenger (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), which has itself been chosen by Allah the Almighty, which has appeared in the Qur'an al kareem, the Bible, the Torah, and other revelations of Prophets, which had been brought down by them.
Because of the above named, and briefly quoted benefits, Muslims tend to keep the name 'Muhammad', before the original name of their child, although there is no name that would be more original than this. It is believed that such a name carries great blessings, as the child will be freed from all forms of difficulty and hardship. It also is believed, that this name will eventually, give character, and personality, to the one who is named, that, which is similar to, or which follows the character and personality of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam).
Although all names that are given to girls should also be good names, and presumably, named after the 'Mothers of the Believers' (Radi Allahu anhuma), nevertheless, they may keep other good names, from which good character, and personality may stem.
There is nothing wrong in keeping names with good meaning, but it is prefferred, that names of women should also be kept after those women who were close to the Beloved Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), or after the titles that were given to such women. For example, the name '
khatoun', which merely means 'lady', but was used for many centuries for Sayyedah tin nisa' Fatimah taz Zahra' (
Radi Allahu ta'ala anha), the Beloved daughter of the Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala alayhi wa Sallam). Because she had been the one whom the Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) told us about, who would be the first lady, to enter paradise, hence the title.
However, Muslim parents, still tend to keep names of both boys and girls, and also sometimes like to make them rhyme, for example '
Shaheed', and '
Waheed', which are both names of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (
Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), as women may want to make them rhyme as,
'Kayrun Nisa' or
'Najm un Nisa' etc. However, this practice is also a good one, as the meanings of the names can be similar, yet the names can be different. Remember, that the affect, a name has upon a child, is great in Islam, that is why we should always be careful in choosing only the best names for them.
And finally, an important note to be made is that, if a name is used in Arabic, and a similar one is also used in English or German, then because the child is an Islamic baby, then his name should nat be pronounced or treated as if it were an English name. For example Adam. It should be used as an Islamic name, as it was the first Prophet (
Alayhi 'Asalam) on the face of the earth who Muslims believe in. Similarly, one should never call anyone '
Mo', as an abbreviation for '
Muhammad', or use other English names instead of Islamic ones. The blessing that the original name carries, can no doubt turn into the wrath of Allah (
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala), or His curse, as personalities start becoming distort, and defaced. The original meaning then, no longer has a good affect, on the personality and the character of a person, as it also gives a bad name to the religion of Islam, and to those personalties of Islam, to whom the name belongs.
May Allah the Almighty help us to call Him, and others in their good names, as we have been taught, and may He prevent us from the wrath and curse of bad names, which could easily harm us.Wallahu A'lamu BiththawaabM. Waseem Ashrafi