Al-Qasim was the first son of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadija; he died as a child in Mecca, and it is from him that the Prophet ﷺ took his kunya, Abu al-Qasim. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Name yourselves with my name, but do not take my kunya, for I have been made a qasim: I distribute among you” (al-Bukhari 3114), and: “I am only the one who distributes, and it is Allah who gives” (al-Bukhari 71).
Meaning of the name Qasim
Qasim is the active participle of qasama, “to divide, to distribute” (root q-s-m, that of sharing, qisma, and of one’s portion, qism): the one who gives each their share. It was the name of the Prophet’s first son ﷺ, hence his father’s kunya, Abu al-Qasim. It was borne by al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, one of the seven great jurists of Medina. It is spelled Kacem or Kassim in the Maghreb and Kasım in Turkey.
Do they distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others in degrees [of rank] that they may make use of one another for service. But the mercy of your Lord is better than whatever they accumulate.
And, [O Muḥammad], warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to them and those who did wrong will say, "Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers." [But it will be said], "Had you not sworn, before, that for you there would be no cessation?
"When Allah intends good for someone, He grants him the understanding of the religion. Indeed, I am only a distributor, and Allah is the Giver. This Ummah will continue to follow Allah's laws, not being harmed by those who oppose them, until Allah's command comes to pass."
