Abu Taalib would often recite the following stanza:

وَشَقَّ لَهُ مِنِ اسْمِهِ لِيُجِلَّهْ         فَذُو الْعَرْشِ مَحْمُوْدُ وَهَذَا مُحَمَّدُ

“Allah has taken his (Muhammad’s) name from His own name so that he may honor and exalt him. So the Being of the throne is Mahmood whilst this is Muhammad.”

Ahmad: This means the most praiseworthy person. Indisputably, Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is the most praiseworthy in the entire creation. Nobody is more praiseworthy than him and nobody will ever be. It can also refer to the one who praises and glorifies Allah Ta‘ala the most.

Appellation (Kunyat): The most well known appellation of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was Abul Qaasim (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), kept after his eldest son, Hazrat Qaasim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). The second appellation of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was Abu Ebrahim (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Hazrat Anas (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) relates that when Hazrat Ebrahim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was born to Hazrat Maariyah Qibtiyyah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), Hazrat Jibraa’eel (‘alaihis salaam) appeared before Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) addressing him thus, “May peace be upon you, O Abu Ebrahim (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)!”

(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/63-67)