Is it true that the Prophet's name was Qutham before the prophethood, or not?

The name "Qutham" is pronounced with a "ḍamma" on the "qāf" and a "fatḥa" on the "thā'", and it signifies praiseworthy meanings such as: generous, encompassing all goodness, a gathering of excellent qualities, and perfect.

The misconception that "Qutham" was the Prophet's name before his prophethood is one of the contemporary orientalist fallacies, aiming to spread doubt among Muslims and to avoid the Jewish and Christian scholars from acknowledging the glad tidings of his prophethood.

The refutation of this misconception includes several points: 1. The Prophet was known by the name "Muḥammad" since his childhood, and the evidence for this is widely attested, such as the incident of the splitting of his chest where he was named "Muḥammad." The Prophet himself informed us of his names such as: Muḥammad, Aḥmad, Al-Māḥī (the eraser), Al-Ḥāshir (the gatherer), Al-ʿĀqib (the successor). 2. If "Qutham" was his original name, why would the Prophet change it, even though it is a name of praise? 3. How could this name have been hidden from his enemies among Quraysh, the Jews, and the hypocrites, and why did they not use it as a point of contention against him, especially since Abu Sufyan did not mention it to Heraclius despite his intense enmity towards the Prophet? 4. The Qur'an, the Sunnah (definition), books of history and biographies, and Arab poetry all confirm that his name, peace and blessings be upon him, is "Muḥammad," and people addressed him by this name.

Narrations mentioning the name "Qutham": - The hadith (definition) "And I am Qutham" was narrated by Ibn ʿAdī in "Al-Kāmil" with a very weak chain of transmission, which includes Abū al-Bakhtarī, the liar and fabricator. Hadith imams have classified this narration as weak and rejected. - Biographers mentioned the name "Qutham" as a title or an attribute of the Prophet, and none of them mentioned that it was the Prophet's original name. Most names mentioned for the Prophet in biographical works (other than Muḥammad and Aḥmad) are titles and praiseworthy attributes.

One should not rely on the narrations of historians concerning a legal or doctrinal ruling without scrutiny, because the methodology of hadith criticism was not present with every historian and biographer. Therefore, it is essential to distinguish between what is authentic and what is weak.