Aḥmad, one of the most distinguished names for the Prophet, which also appears in the Qurʾān. Grammatically, it is the elative form derived from the trilateral root ḥ-m-d, and is understood as the comparative or superlative of either the passive maḥmūd, meaning ‘more worthy, most wor-thy of praise’, or the active ḥāmid, meaning ‘praising to a higher or the highest degree’ (for a further discussion of the elative in Arabic grammar see Girod, passim). Although the latter meaning is considered prefera…